Hard Wired
Hard Wired | ||||
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Off Beat, Metropolis, Energy, Black Rain | ||||
Producer | Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber | |||
Front Line Assembly chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hard Wired | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Alternative Press | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Interface | Favorable[4] |
Melody Maker | Favorable[5] |
Music Week | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vertigo | Favorable[8] |
Hard Wired is the eighth full-length studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Front Line Assembly, released in 1995.
Production and themes
The album was produced during the course of roughly five months. Singer Bill Leeb wrote the lyrics after the music was completed. The usual procedure for the band, as Leeb explained: "We write [...] the music and then once we've got it finished, then I sit at home and start on the lyrics. I can't imagine writing any other way. [...] I think with our music it's usually the sounds that inspire us."[9] Lyrics-wise, the album addresses topics such as materialism and environmental issues, with an emphasis on the influence of technology: "I think most of the lyrics are basically about man versus technology. Basically, we’re destroying our planet with technology. At the same time, technology is the only thing that can save us. It's this constant struggle between these two forces that is making us go in whatever direction we're all going."[9]
Release
Hard Wired was the band's first release for Off Beat.[10] It has sold at least 50,000 copies worldwide.[11] The limited edition with 5,000 copies was sold out in two weeks.[11]
Coinciding with Front Line Assembly's tour through Europe in support of Improvised Electronic Device,[12] Hard Wired was re-released in August 2011 by German label Black Rain Records as limited edition picture vinyl with a circulation of 500.[13] It contains only seven songs and lacks the tracks "Mortal", "Modus Operandi" and "Transparent Species".
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Hard Wired in 2015, Canadian label Artoffact released a limited box set vinyl edition of the album with a circulation of 300 that included the Live Wired live album and the Circuitry single, all of which were remastered by Bill Leeb and Greg Reely.[14]
Singles
Circuitry is the only single taken from Hard Wired. The limited edition came as a two CD Digipak packaging with different artwork that didn't include the second CD.
Although the following single Plasticity did not appear on Hard Wired it evolved from the album's production process. "It is part of the same sessions", said Rhys Fulber in an interview with Sonic Boom Magazine.
The track "Plasticity" is featured in the article series 101 Greatest Industrial Songs of All Time in COMA Music Magazine where it holds rank 70.[21]
Most tracks of the singles were re-released in 1999 through
Samples
Hard Wired makes extensive use of audio clips from a number of films.[26]
- True Romance
- In the Mouth of Madness
- Lifeforce
- Stargate
- Speed
- The Puppet Masters
- No Escape
- Romeo Is Bleeding
- The Crow
- Lethal Weapon
- Alien 3
Some tracks use samples from
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber
No. | Title | Sample(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Neologic Spasm" | Contains samples of:
| 5:51 |
2. | "Paralyzed" | 5:30 | |
3. | "Re-Birth" | 5:19 | |
4. | "Circuitry" | 5:55 | |
5. | "Mortal" (Instrumental) | 5:42 | |
6. | "Modus Operandi" | 5:47 | |
7. | "Transparent Species" | 7:15 | |
8. | "Barcode" | 6:11 | |
9. | "Condemned" | 5:51 | |
10. | "Infra Red Combat" | 8:49 |
Personnel
Front Line Assembly
- Bill Leeb – production, keyboards, vocals
- Rhys Fulber – production, programming, keyboards
Additional musicians
- Devin Townsend – electric guitar
Technical personnel
- Greg Reely – engineering, mixing
- Delwyn Brooks – assistant engineering
- Dave McKean – design, illustration, photography
Chart positions
Album
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SinglesCircuitry
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References
- ^ "Rediscover: Front Line Assembly: Hard Wired - Spectrum Culture". June 16, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly to issue 'Hard Wired' 20th Anniversary 6LP Box-set... | Louder Than War". March 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ Pettigrew, Jason (May 1996). "Music Reviews". Alternative Press. Vol. 10, no. 94. p. 77.
- OCLC 32190183. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- IPC Media.
- ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 30, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Simon (September 18, 2016). "Front Line Assembly Hard Wired". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Timebound (January 1996). "Front Line Assembly Circuitry - MCD Hard Wired - CD". Vertigo (in German). No. 11. Geldern: Celtic Circle Productions. pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b c Leeb, Bill (1996). "Front Line Assembly". Terra Industria (Interview). No. 3. Fairfax, Virginia: NWBT Publishing. p. 6.
- OCLC 1057117763.
- ^ Off Beat. June 1, 1997. Archived from the originalon July 3, 1997. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly on vinyl". Peek-A-Boo. Belgium. September 22, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (August 4, 2011). "Mega limited picture vinyl release for Frontline Assembly's 'Hard Wired'". Side-Line. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ Noisey Staff (March 14, 2015). "Premiere: Listen to the remastered 'Circuitry' EP from Front Line Assembly's massive new boxset". Vice. New York City. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ "Front line Assembly > Circuitry". Mindphaser.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly > Hard Wired Limited Edition Box Set (Bonus Disc: Circuitry Disc 2)". Mindphaser.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- Off Beat, Metropolis, Energy.
- ^ a b c Jester (February 29, 1996). "Interview: Front Line Assembly - 2/29/96". Sonic Boom. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ Leeb, Bill (April 16, 1996). "Linda Maddocks With Frontline Assembly". Videowave Episode 191 (Interview). Interviewed by Linda Maddocks. New York: Videowave.
- OCLC 1080361200.
- ^ Schock, David (March 9, 2012). "101 Greatest Industrial Songs of All Time'". COMA. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly > Explosion". Mindphaser.com. April 30, 2005. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Infacted Recordings Releases". Infacted Recordings. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "Plasticity by Front Line Assembly re-released". Peek-A-Boo. Belgium. January 27, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ^ Barkan, Jonathan (May 15, 2015). "Front Line Assembly 'Plasticity' Remaster Stream". Bloody Disgusting. Beverly Hills. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Front Line Assembly samples". Mindphaser.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Front Line Assembly – Hard Wired". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly – Circuitry". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2014.