Bill Leeb

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Bill Leeb
20160305-Frontline-Assembly-E-tropolis-Oberhausen-5668.jpg
Bill Leeb performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameWilhelm Anton Leeb
Also known asBill Leeb, Wilhelm Schroeder [1]
Born (1966-09-21) 21 September 1966 (age 58) [2]
Vienna, Austria
Origin Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres Industrial, electronica
OccupationsMusician, songwriter, composer, record producer
Instruments Vocals, synthesizer, sampler, percussion
Years active1984–present
LabelsKK, Dossier, Third Mind, Wax Trax!, Roadrunner, Cleopatra, Off Beat, Metropolis, Dependent, Zoth Ommog
Website http://www.mindphaser.com

Wilhelm Anton "Bill" Leeb (born 21 September 1966, [2] in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-Canadian [3] electronic musician and record producer. He is best known for being a founding member of the industrial music group Front Line Assembly and Delerium. [4] Additionally, Leeb is known for his work with groups Noise Unit, Intermix, Skinny Puppy, Synæsthesia, Cyberaktif, Equinox, Fauxliage and Pro>Tech. [5]

Contents

Career

Leeb began his musical career with industrial band Skinny Puppy in 1985 under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder, [1] contributing bass synth and occasional backing vocals to a few of their recordings and concerts. He left in 1986 and formed his own industrial project Front Line Assembly with Michael Balch, and later Rhys Fulber [6] and Chris Peterson. Though Front Line Assembly has had consistent underground success, Leeb's most widely known efforts are through his side project Delerium, which had a major hit in the late 1990s with "Silence". [5] Leeb composed the soundtrack to the 1999 video game, Quake III Arena , of which the expansion pack, Team Arena, was composed by his band, Front Line Assembly.

In 2017, Leeb appeared as guest singer on the single A Shiver of Want, a release of John Fryer's project Black Needle Noise. [7]

In 2022, Leeb contributed vocals for Black Asteroid's single Methane Rain. [8]

In June 2024, American label Metropolis announced Leeb's first solo album Model Kollapse , to be released on September 13, 2024. [9] The first single Terror Forms was released on July 9 along with a video. [10] Metropolis released the second single Demons on August 9, 2024, that was also accompanied by a video. [11] Leeb explained that the idea of a solo album was suggested by Metropolis founder Dave Heckman, who passed away before the album's release. [12]

Dispute with Trent Reznor

In an interview with music magazine Spin in 1992, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails made derogatory remarks about Front Line Assembly, calling them "a textbook case of a band" for industrial music and their music "monotonous, boring, uninspired bullshit". [13] Before the release of the issue, Reznor sent Leeb an apology letter. In one of their following issues, Spin printed part of the apology, in which Reznor expressed that he "should have thought before opening [his] mouth", along with a response from Leeb in which he implores Reznor to "think before making such ludicrous statements" and that he hopes "that others will use a little more thought before they go out of their way to put others down". [14]

Acting

In 1990, Leeb appeared in the trailer for the horror movie Chunk Blower together with Dwayne Goettel from Skinny Puppy, [15] playing one of the victims of a killer. Due to the lack of funding, the movie was never made. [16] Director Jim Van Bebber and Leeb would later use footage from the trailer in the video for the single "Virus".

Personal life

Leeb has both Austrian and Canadian citizenship and speaks English as well as German. He received education at a convent school in Austria where he learned to play the violin. He moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada with his family when he was 14, where he learned English and developed a keen interest in music. [17] [18] He was a high school student at Mount Elizabeth Secondary School. [19] Leeb went to Camsoun College in Victoria, British Columbia to study journalism for two years. [19] He lives in Vancouver.

Leeb was married to the Canadian artist Carylann Loeppky. [20] Loeppky was part of the tour personnel on Front Line Assembly tours "designing and selling merchandise and put together a visual presentation for the live performance." [20] She continued to create artwork for albums of Delerium. [21]

Solo discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinny Puppy</span> Canadian industrial band

Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key while he was in the new wave band Images in Vogue, Skinny Puppy evolved into a full-time project with the addition of vocalist Nivek Ogre. Over the course of 13 studio albums and many live tours, Key and Ogre were the only constant members. Other members have included Dwayne Goettel, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, Mark Walk (2003–2023), and a number of guests, including Al Jourgensen (1989), Danny Carey (2004), and many others.

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Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit "Silence". The band is known to feature female guest vocalists on their albums since their 1994 album Semantic Spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Front Line Assembly</span> Canadian electro-industrial band

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<i>Tactical Neural Implant</i> 1992 album

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<i>Caustic Grip</i> 1990 studio album by Front Line Assembly

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<i>Civilization</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Front Line Assembly

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<i>Implode</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Front Line Assembly

Implode is the tenth full-length studio album by industrial group Front Line Assembly. The album was released through Metropolis on April 27, 1999.

<i>Morpheus</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Delerium

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<i>(FLA)vour of the Weak</i> Album by Front Line Assembly

[FLA]vour of the Weak is the ninth full-length studio album by industrial music group Front Line Assembly, released in November 1997 by Off Beat.

<i>Epitaph</i> (Front Line Assembly album) 2001 studio album by Front Line Assembly

Epitaph is the eleventh full-length studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released in 2001.

<i>The Initial Command</i> 1987 studio album by Front Line Assembly

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Front Line Assembly, a Canadian Vancouver-based electro-industrial band, has released seventeen studio albums, three live albums, numerous singles and compilations, and two video game soundtracks. With Bill Leeb being the founder and sole permanent member of the band, Michael Balch, Rhys Fulber and Chris Peterson were acting as long-time members during different periods of time.

<i>Echogenetic</i> 2013 studio album by Front Line Assembly

Echogenetic is the fifteenth full-length studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released on July 9, 2013. It was well received both by critics and fans and charted in German and US charts. Critics commented on the band's return to a purely electronic approach and on the dubstep influence on the album. Front Line Assembly toured extensively in Europe and North America in support of this album and remix follow-up Echoes, which included a tour with vocalist and band leader Bill Leeb's former band Skinny Puppy. This was the last studio album to feature Jeremy Inkel before his death in 2018.

<i>Cryogenic Studios</i> 1998 compilation album by Front Line Assembly, Equinox, Delerium, Pro>Tech and Synæsthesia

Cryogenic Studios is a compilation album that contains songs from several of Canadian electronic musician Bill Leeb's projects including Front Line Assembly, Equinox, Delerium, Pro>Tech, and Synæsthesia. It was released by Cleopatra in 1998. The album title refers to the name of Cryogenic Studio in Vancouver that serves as headquarters studio for Front Line Assembly and related side projects. The Zoth Ommog release for the European market came with a different artwork. All tracks except for "Infra Stellar (Remix)" were re-released in 2005 by Cleopatra on the compilation album The Best of Cryogenic Studio.

<i>Cryogenic Studio, Vol. 2</i> 2000 compilation album by Front Line Assembly

Cryogenic Studio, Vol. 2 is a compilation album, released in 2000, and the follow-up to the 1998 album Cryogenic Studios. It is composed from songs of electronic music bands Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit, Delerium, Pro>Tech, Equinox, and Synæsthesia, all of which are projects of Canadian electronic musician Bill Leeb. The album title refers to the name of Cryogenic Studio in Vancouver that serves as headquarters studio for Front Line Assembly and related side projects. All tracks except "Biosphere", "Eros", "Door to the Otherside", "Miracle", "Inner Chaos", and "Re-Thread" were re-released in 2005 by Cleopatra on the compilation album The Best of Cryogenic Studio, together with most of the tracks from previous compilation album Cryogenic Studios.

<i>Orbiting Cathedrals</i> 1997 studio album by Pro>Tech

Orbiting Cathedrals is the only album by Pro>Tech, a side project of Canadian industrial musician Bill Leeb with the help of industrial musician Chris Peterson. The project was launched in 1997 in the wake of the release of the album [FLA]vour of the Weak from industrial band Front Line Assembly, which at the time consisted of Leeb and Peterson. Orbiting Cathedrals is supposed to be a musical twin of [FLA]vour of the Weak. The album was released through German label Dossier and re-released in 2000 by Hypnotic. Tracks from Orbiting Cathedrals also appeared on Cryogenic Studios and Cryogenic Studio, Vol. 2, compilation albums with songs from Front Line Assembly and related projects.

<i>Model Kollapse</i> 2024 studio album by Bill Leeb

Model Kollapse is the first solo album by Vancouver industrial musician Bill Leeb. It was released on September 13, 2024 on CD, vinyl and digitally through Metropolis.

References

  1. 1 2 Leeb, Bill (8 May 2013). "Bill Leeb (musician)". RAD1Radio (Radio).
  2. 1 2 Bauer, Henrik (24 March 2004). "Mindphaser > People > Bill Leeb > Biography". Mindphaser.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Raven, Daniel (2 June 2011). "Front Line Assembly Leads Cyborg Armies Through Post-Apocalyptic Soundscapes". Phoenix New Times . Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Front Line Assembly Biography". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 Huey, Steve. Bill Leeb: Artist Biography by Steve Huey at AllMusic . Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Humberstone, Nigel (January 1995). "Bill Leeb: Front Line Assembly". Sound on Sound . Cambridge, United Kingdom: SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Palfrey, Sean (3 May 2017). "Review: Black Needle Noise w/ Bill Leeb – 'A Shiver Of Want'". Intravenous Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  8. ↑ Teeple, Alice (17 May 2022). "Black Asteroid Debuts New Single "Methane Rain" Featuring Front Line Assembly". post-punk.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Yücel, Ilker (28 June 2024). "Metropolis Records announces solo album debut from Bill Leeb". regenmag.com. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  10. ↑ Van Isacker, Bernard (9 July 2024). "Bill Leeb launches first single from upcoming solo debut: 'Terror Forms' – Out now". side-line.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  11. ↑ Yücel, Ilker (9 August 2024). "Bill Leeb addresses technology's effects on creativity with second single and music video from upcoming solo debut". regenmag.com. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Bill Leeb discusses his debut solo album, "Model Kollapse"". 12 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Greer, Jim (March 1992). "Nine Inches of Love" . Spin . Vol. 7, no. 12. New York City: Camouflage Associates. p. 41. ISSN   0886-3032. OCLC   970690651 . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Point Blank: Letters: Pretty Hate Mail" . Spin . Vol. 8, no. 3. New York City: Camouflage Associates. June 1992. p. 12. ISSN   0886-3032. OCLC   970690651 . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  15. ↑ Hall, Oliver (14 January 2016). "'Chunk Blower', the unfinished horror movie starring members of Skinny Puppy". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Alexander, Chris (January 2014). "The Politic Spasmolytic". Fangoria . No. 329. Atlanta: The Brooklyn Company. p. 54. ISSN   0164-2111. OCLC   46637019 . Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  17. ↑ Leeb, Bill (23 November 2016). "Bill Leeb talks about Front Line Assembly, Delerium and more". Altvenger Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Marija Buljeta. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  18. ↑ Leeb, Bill (21 August 2013). "Front Line Assembly (Bill Leeb) Interview". dsoaudio.com (Interview). Interviewed by Rob Dyer. dsomedia. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  19. 1 2 Leeb, Bill (1999). "Q&A with Bill Leeb". Outburn (Interview). Interviewed by Rev. Moose. Thousand Oaks, California.
  20. 1 2 Loeppky, Carylann (12 November 2006). "Morpheus Music Interview - Carylann Loeppky". Morpheus Music (Interview). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Carylann Loeppky at AllMusic . Retrieved 17 October 2014.

Further reading

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