''Hard Wired'' is the eighth full-length studio album by
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound ...
band
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly (FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 in music, 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. FLA has developed its own sound incorporating elements of electronic body music and electro-industrial. The ba ...
, 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."
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."
Release
''Hard Wired'' was the band's first release for
Off Beat.
It has sold at least 50,000 copies worldwide.
The limited edition with 5,000 copies was sold out in two weeks.
Coinciding with Front Line Assembly's tour through Europe in support of ''
Improvised Electronic Device
''Improvised Electronic Device'' is the fourteenth full-length studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released in 2010.
Writing and production
According to band leader Bill Leeb there was no theme from which the album to ...
'',
''Hard Wired'' was re-released in August 2011 by German label Black Rain Records as limited edition picture vinyl with a circulation of 500.
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
Artoffact Records is a Canadian/ Icelandic record label that concentrates on industrial, postpunk, heavy metal, and electronic music. The label was founded in 1999.
History
In 1997, Jacek Kozlowski laid the groundwork for Artoffact Records.
I ...
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
Greg Reely
Greg Reely is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with acts such as Sarah McLachlan, Front Line Assembly, Fear Factory, Machine Head, Coldplay, The Tea Party, Spirit of the West and others.
Credits
*BAG - ''BAG'', ...
.
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.
This CD, titled ''Circuitry Disc 2'', was part of the limited edition box of ''Hard Wired'' and packed in a slipcase.
The first disc is a
Mixed Mode CD
A mixed mode CD is a compact disc which contains both data and audio in one session. Typically the first track is a data track while the rest are audio tracks. The most common use for mixed mode CDs is to add CD-quality audio to video games on a ...
and contains interactive content. It includes the official video for the track "
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
" from the 1994
album of the same name and photo galleries. The data track is listed as first track titled "CD-ROM File" on the back cover. The track is only playable on computers running
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
and requires at least
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1 is a major release of Microsoft Windows. It was released to manufacturing on April 6, 1992, as a successor to Windows 3.0. Like its predecessors, the Windows 3.1 series run as a shell on top of MS-DOS; it was the last Windows 1 ...
.
Disc 1 includes three remixes of "Circuitry" two of which are from
Biosphere
The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
and
Haujobb
Haujobb is a German electronic musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to ambient and techno. They have become a staple crossover act, bringing several forms of electro in ...
. The song "Epidemic" is a non-album track. The second disc includes another remix of "Circuitry" as well as non-album tracks "Destructive Transformation" and "Hydrogen". The idea to involve other artists in remixing originated from the label
Off Beat.
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.
According to Fulber this was intentional and was already done with the
Virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...
single: "We kept it off the album to release later
..It gives people a reason to check it out because if you release it as a single that is already on album no one is really going to care."
Along with the original version and a
Haujobb
Haujobb is a German electronic musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to ambient and techno. They have become a staple crossover act, bringing several forms of electro in ...
remix the single features non-album track "Replicant". A video clip was shot in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
for the track "Plasticity" which also received airplay on
Much Music
Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...
.
Vocalist Bill Leeb described the video as "very techno-orientated and hard-driving" with "a lot of computer images" and being "virtual reality-related".
The video won the award for ''Best Alternative Video'' at the 7th annual
MuchMusic Video Awards
The iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards were an annual awards show broadcast annually on Much (TV channel), Much from 1990 to 2018, and Fuse (TV channel), Fuse from 2010 to 2013 that honoured the year's best music videos.
Originally debuting in ...
in Toronto in 1996.
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.
Most tracks of the singles were re-released in 1999 through
Off Beat on the compilation album ''Explosion'', together with tracks from the "
Colombian Necktie" and "
Comatose
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. The person may ...
" singles. The timing of its release to coincide with the release of ''
Implode'' was met with Bill Leeb's disapproval.
''Plasticity'' was re-released in 2012 by German record label Infacted Recordings,
limited to 1,000 copies.
The rereleased version contains the "
Fatalist
Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the conseq ...
" single and the "
Prophecy
In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...
" single as additional tracks. A remastered vinyl version of the single was issued in July 2015 by Artoffact. Among the tracks already found on the original single it features another hitherto unpublished remix by Haujobb called "Plasticity (Dope Experience)".
Samples
''Hard Wired'' makes extensive use of audio clips from a number of films.
* ''
True Romance
''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...
''
* ''
In the Mouth of Madness
''In the Mouth of Madness'' is a 1994 American supernatural horror film directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca. It stars Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, David Warner and Charlton Heston. Neill star ...
''
* ''
Lifeforce''
* ''
Stargate
''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
''
* ''
Speed
In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...
''
* ''
The Puppet Masters
''The Puppet Masters'' is a 1951 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, in which American secret agents battle parasitic invaders from outer space. It was originally serialized in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' (September, Oct ...
''
* ''
No Escape''
* ''
Romeo Is Bleeding
''Romeo Is Bleeding'' is a 1993 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Peter Medak, written and produced by Hilary Henkin, and starring Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, and Roy Scheider. It follows a psychosexual ca ...
''
* ''
The Crow
''The Crow'' is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fianc� ...
''
* ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In ''Lethal Weapon'', a pai ...
''
* ''
Alien 3
''Alien 3'' (stylized as ''ALIEN3'') is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. Starring Sigourney Weaver reprising her ...
''
Some tracks use samples from
Richard D. James songs, namely "Isopropanol" and "Dodeccaheedron" from his 1994 album ''
Classics
Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
'' as well as "Isopropophlex" from his 1991 EP ''
Analogue Bubblebath Vol I
''Analogue Bubblebath'', also released as ''Aphex Twin ep'', is the first record by the British musician and producer Aphex Twin, Richard D. James. The Extended play, EP was released under his alias Aphex Twin, The Aphex Twin through Mighty For ...
''.
Also sound effects of the
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (1934–2020), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitche ...
'' can be heard on ''Hard Wired''.
Track listing
Personnel
Front Line Assembly
*
Bill Leeb
Wilhelm Anton "Bill" Leeb (born 21 September 1966, in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-Canadian electronic musician and record producer. He is best known for being a founding member of the industrial music group Front Line Assembly and Deleri ...
– production, keyboards, vocals
*
Rhys Fulber
Nowell Rhys Fulber (born October 10, 1970) is a Canadian electronic musician and producer. He is a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium, along with Bill Leeb. He also records under his own name and under the name Conjure One.
Biograph ...
– production, programming, keyboards
Additional musicians
*
Devin Townsend
Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also ...
– electric guitar
Technical personnel
*
Greg Reely
Greg Reely is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with acts such as Sarah McLachlan, Front Line Assembly, Fear Factory, Machine Head, Coldplay, The Tea Party, Spirit of the West and others.
Credits
*BAG - ''BAG'', ...
– engineering, mixing
* Delwyn Brooks – assistant engineering
*
Dave McKean
David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an England, English artist. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpture. McKean has illustrated works by authors such as S. F. Said, S.F. Said, ...
– design, illustration, photography
Chart positions
Album
Singles
Circuitry
References
{{Authority control
Front Line Assembly albums
1995 albums
Albums with cover art by Dave McKean
Metropolis Records albums
Albums produced by Rhys Fulber