Lead into Gold is a

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

of American industrial musician

Paul Barker Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is an American musician, best known as the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer for industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, he pr ...

, best known as the former

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

for Ministry and the Hermes Pan half of the Luxa/Pan production team. Primarily a solo project by Barker, Lead into Gold featured occasional guest performances by his Ministry bandmates

Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is t ...

and

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scen ...

as well as Stuart Zechman of

Stabbing Westward Stabbing Westward is an American industrial rock/alternative rock band. Christopher Hall (musician), Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band in 1985 in Macomb, Illinois. The band released an extended play in 1992, followed by four ...

History

In its first incarnation, Lead into Gold only released two 12 inch singles and one full-length studio LP. ''Idiot'' was the first release in 1988, followed by the ''Chicks & Speed: Futurism'' single and ''Age of Reason'' album, both released in 1990. The CD release of ''Chicks & Speed'' included the ''Idiot'' single in its entirety. Alternative Press characterized Lead Into Gold as a departure from the "all-encompassing industrial dance cloud" of Barker's other projects that delivers a more intellectual music whose lyrics and message makes up for what it lacks in danceability. In the video for "Faster Than Light",

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

' vocalist

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...

can be seen playing the guitar. He was rumored to have been in the area for the " Head Like a Hole" video shoot when he made his cameo.

Revival (2015-present)

A limited edition 12” EP titled ''Low and Slow'' was released in 2015, roughly 25 years after its recording, on Wax Trax! Records. The tracks are "The Sweetest Kiss", "Cry Baby", "Low & Slow", and a remix of the track "Lunatic/Genius" with additional percussion by Bill Rieflin. In November 2017, Barker announced that he would be releasing new music under the Lead into Gold name for the first time in 25 years. A 12" single, "A Savage Gift" / "Inside a Golden Sun", was released in February 2018. A full-length album, ''The Sun Behind the Sun'', followed in July 2018.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Age of Reason'' (1990) * ''The Sun Behind the Sun'' (2018) * ''The Eternal Present'' (2023)

Singles and EPs

* ''Idiot'' (1988) * ''Chicks & Speed: Futurism'' (1990) * ''Faster Than Light'' (12" promo) (1990) * ''Low & Slow'' (2015) * ''A Savage Gift'' (2018)

References

External links

*
Faster than Light videoLow & Slow EP
at bandcamp.com {{Authority control American industrial music groups American rock music groups Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Wax Trax! Records artists