Originally published in Side-Line magazine
2003
by Evan South
I caught up with Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber after their
live concert of Delerium featuring Conjure One. After
a few questions concerning Delerium live and in the
studio we jumped into the subject of the new Front
Line Assembly...
Part 1 with Rhys Fulber
Rhys, you've had a long break between FLA albums...
RF- It was better that way, because if I had made a
record earlier, I wouldn't have been in to it, that genre
of music left me sort of... I just wasn't that interested.
It would be cool to make something more on the edge.
Bill talked to me about it, and we just started kicking
around some stuff. The first stuff we wrote was a lot
more trance progressive house, but we just found our
way. The record is very modern but at the same time
it's got all the classic Front Line elements...
It's not even so much as a stright up industrial record
because it sounds so modern and it has a lot of
melodies and Bill's best vocals, I think ever, are on the
record. So for me it is a very satisfying record because
it is modern sounding with new things, but at the
same time it has classic bits and pieces that people will
recognize as Front Line. The single is the club songs,
and not really representative of the album. The album
has a lot more variation on it and a lot more slower
songs.
So obviously taking all that time off helped...
RF- I felt way more inspired and had a lot of fresh
ideas. There are no samples that are recognizable,
none of those sort of things. None of the dialogue is
from films, it's all random recorded material. It's a
whole different flavor of record for Front Line
Assembly.
Do you think the new FLA material would translate
well in a live setting?
RF-Some of it, for sure, but that's a whole other
mountain to climb later, we're just trying to get through
this tour, and we'll see what happens. But I think it's
one of our strongest albums we've made as Front Line
Assembly.
Do you look at the Delerium tour as a way to see if you
like being back on the road again?
RF- I like being on the road, I think it's fine, I was
looking forward to coming out and playing these
shows. Compared to the studio schedule I was
keeping the months before this is pretty chill, so I like
it. It's nice to go out and travel and play music, and of
course I'm excited about my Conjure One project, it's
a chance to be out there.
Any plans for another single or EP off the new FLA
album?
RF- I don't know. We haven't thought about it. We
just put the first single out "Maniacal" because it's the
"club" record. The album is more slow and mid-tempo
material. So we just put out the fastest song as the
single. I like the single, but I really dig the depth of the
album and I get more out of the deeper and more
melodic tracks that are on it.
Part 2 with Bill Leeb
Give me your take on the new Front Line...
BL- I think it's really depressing, myself. I just find life
and music depressing a lot of times. I'm just in a weird
state of mind. I find the lyrics, to me personally, are
really depressing. I'm in a strange state of my life, with
my age and everything...I'm not sure I know what being
happy is right now.
Did the new material feel fresh to you, or did you feel
you rehashed some of the same old stuff?
Did working with Rhys again give you a different
outlook?
BL- I just think life is different and we're both so
different than when we were 15 years ago. It's
impossible to be a rehash since we don't even have
the same gear we had back then, everybody's in a
different mindset. 15 years is a long time in a persons
life, the way you look at things and feel about things.
It's just really a different kind of record to me.
To me I don't really care if we sell 200 copies. I guess
we felt like we started the project, it was a good vibe,
and we might as well end it together. Close the chapter
on it... I really don't give a shit if 3 people buy it. It's
something we had to do, I had to do, and we did it.
Did you have to do it for any sort of contractual
obligations?
BL- No, nothing like that. I only do one-offs on
albums. I only do it if I want to do it. That's why I
don't have a manager, that's why I don't sign to majors.
I'm always fiercely independent. We've never done
demo's, I don't want anybody telling me what kind of
song to write, or what I should say or feel or think, so
that gives us the ultimate creative freedom.
What are the chances of Front Line touring again?
BL- I couldn't give you an answer. It's too big of an
"if" of everything...if this, if that...
Is the Delerium tour a good way of finding out if you
like being on the road again and performing live?
BL- It's kind of weird doing Delerium because I'm
used to being up front with the mic. With the mic you
have a lot of power and you really control the crowd.
You live and die with every show. Being in the back,
you feel kind of insignificant even though it's your
music and you're watching people perform it. I'm still
not sure that I'm used to that concept, everybody's
playing your melodies, your basslines...
So would that influence you to get back out as the
front man in FLA?
BL- No, I don't think so. I just think Front Line is kind
of done. What can we do to make it worth while to go
out?
Do you feel you've gone as far as you can go or the
sound is not going to evolve anymore?
BL- It's not that, I just think that kind of music has a
limited audience, and all the people that like what
we've done have seen it, so why do it again, and have
the same people come out and tell you the same thing?
What's the outlook for any future Front Line beyond
the new release?
BL- I can't give you an answer on any of that...it's too
definite. I could decide just to never do music again,
that's the kind of person I am. Rhys likes to be in the
industry and he's evolved with the whole L.A. thing,
but I'm kind of an outsider and loner now. I might
disappear for 10 years and come back with an organ
project, that's the way I am.
Would you do anything else in the music business,
possibly production work for others?
BL- I don't want to work on other peoples music, I
have no interest in that at all. I've seen it, I've been
around it, it's no fun. If that's how you want to make a
living, great, but I have no interest in doing that kind of
work at all.
Looking back on the last 20 years, is there a high point
/low point in your career?
BL- The only thing I could really say is having 50
copies of a cassette that you sell locally, and 15 years
later evolving into this, enough said. Anybody can do
it if they want to...
Final thoughts/comments?
BL- Let's just get through today and tomorrow. I'm
the eternal optimist as you can tell...
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