BILL LEEB : ‘Terror Forms (feat. Shannon Hemmett of ACTORS)’first single from upcoming solo album

BILL LEEB
TERROR FORMS
(feat. SHANNON HEMMETT of ACTORS)

new single
out 09.07.24
(Metropolis Records)

stream  |  video

included on
MODEL KOLLAPSE
solo album
out 13.09.24
(Metropolis Records)

Bandcamp pre-order

Bill Leeb is the Vancouver-based musician and mastermind behind electro-industrial scene mainstays Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium, as well as a key member of recording projects that include Noise Unit, Intermix and Cyberaktif.

 ‘Model Kollapse’ marks the first solo venture by this sonic chameleon and creative trailblazer since the mid-80s days of Front Line Assembly, when Leeb began making recordings in his bedroom and released them on limited edition cassette format. Almost four decades on, his new album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from production duo Dream Bullet and long-term recording cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely.

The first single from the album is ‘Terror Forms’, which features Shannon Hemmett of the group ACTORS, who are also based in Leeb’s home city. An insistent rhythm and pulsing bassline lay the foundation for a lyric that imagines a nihilistic future and asks the question – faced with the very end of civilisation, what would you do?

Hard-edged yet melodic, danceable and very much song rather than soundscape-driven, ‘Model Kollapse’ carries traces of post-punk electronic dance music pioneers such as DAF, Front 242 and Skinny Puppy (of whom Leeb was an original member), as well as his own oeuvre. However, it also displays the influence that acts like these have had on latter day artists such as Gesaffelstein and ADULT., plus much of what has in recent years become known as darkwave.

The term Model Collapse refers to a phenomena in artificial intelligence where trained models, especially those relying on synthetic data or AI-generated data, eventually degrade over time. Leeb posits the notion that “as we forge forward on an unprecedented technological scale, it makes me wonder how much longer we can remain in control of various aspects of our lives. Automation has already taken over many industries. With technology running much of the world, will the entire planet eventually be vulnerable to a Model Kollapse? Chaos would surely ensue.”

Leeb also acknowledges the role that Metropolis Records has played in his recording career since the late 1990s, stating that the company “is one of the most important for alternative music on the planet. This album was made possible by my long-term friendship with label boss Dave Heckman, who continually supported my projects, allowing complete artistic freedom.” Heckman died in the summer of 2022.

MODEL KOLLAPSE
TRACKLISTING
1 Demons
2 Exotic Matter
3 Neuromotive
4 Folded Hands
5 Pinned Down
6 Terror Forms
7 Muted Obsessions
8 Simulation
9 Infernum
10 Erosion Through Time
11 Sound Mirrors

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Article photo by Bobby Talamine