Editing Front Line Assembly (section)

===Early releases and Michael Balch (1987–1989)===
The band members were influenced by early electronic and [[industrial music|industrial]] acts from Europe such as [[Kraftwerk]], [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]], [[Portion Control (band)|Portion Control]], [[Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft|D.A.F.]], [[Test Dept]], [[SPK (band)|SPK]], and [[Severed Heads]],<ref name="mplivelyartsinterview">{{cite magazine | title=Front Line Assembly | last=Armstrong | first=Emily | magazine=Lively Arts | year=1987 }}</ref><ref name="mtv120minutes1990">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |title=Bill Leed {{sic}} 'Frontline Assembly |work=[[120 Minutes]] |date=1990 |publisher=[[MTV]]}}</ref> but mainly by the electronic body music style of [[Front 242]].<ref name=Johnson2012>{{cite web |url=https://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/06/01/on-second-thought-front-line-assembly-civilization-2004/ |title=On Second Thought: Front Line Assembly – Civilization (2004) |last=Johnson |first=Tom |date=June 1, 2012 |website=Something Else Reviews |access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref>

The first appearance of Front Line Assembly was the track "Aggression",<ref name="darkdbcomp">{{cite web |url=http://www.darkdb.com/eklein/comp/compf.html#278 | title=Compilations F |last=Klein |first=Ed |publisher=Ed Klein |access-date=August 7, 2014}}</ref> which was included on the compilation ''For Your Ears Only'', released in 1987 by [[United Kingdom|British]] [[independent record label]] [[Third Mind Records|Third Mind]]<ref name="reclamationbooklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=Front Line Assembly - Reclamation |others=Front Line Assembly |year=1997 |pages=2–3 |publisher=[[Roadrunner Records|Roadrunner]] |last=Levermore |first=Gary |type=booklet |location=[[New York City|New York]]}}</ref> showcasing the label's repertoire at the time. The  track would be re-released the following year on the ''[[Disorder (EP)|Disorder]]'' EP. Although the contact to Third Mind would later develop into a long-standing collaboration, the band debuted its first album ''[[The Initial Command]]'' with credited assistance by Fulber and Michael Balch on [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[independent record label]] KK at the end of 1987. The album had been produced on a tight budget which would determine whether or not cuts would be done with an eight track system or split into two four track cuts.<ref name="interviewaltpress">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |interviewer=Mike Shea |title=Interview with Bill Leeb |work=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]] |location=Cleveland |year=1988}}</ref> 
With the next album ''[[State of Mind (Front Line Assembly album)|State of Mind]]'', released in January 1988, the band switched to [[Germany|German]] independent label Dossier.<ref name="allmusicstateofmind">{{AllMusic | class=album | id=state-of-mind-mw0000674566 | label=Front Line Assembly: ''State of Mind'' > Overview | access-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref> They changed labels as Leeb did not want to be bound to one label,<ref name="chaoscontrolinterview93" /> so the releases were issued only on European labels.<ref name="joeradiointerview1988" />

In 1988, Balch became an official band member<ref name="joeradiointerview1988" /> and began writing songs alongside Leeb for the next few albums. Balch mostly contributed by providing keyboards and programming.<ref name="mphistory" /> This partnership produced the releases ''[[Corrosion (album)|Corrosion]]'' and ''[[Disorder (EP)|Disorder]]''. A planned release on the [[Canada|Canadian]] label [[Nettwerk]] fell through,<ref name="interviewaltpress"/> and the two finished masters were issued instead by Third Mind in 1988.<ref name="convulseinterviewlevermore">{{cite web | url=http://obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/2.11.html |title=Third Mind Records |last=Bains |first=Jon |publisher=Convulse |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990505072734/http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/2.11.html |archive-date=May 5, 1999 |access-date=August 7, 2014}}</ref> After the releases in 1988, Third Mind signed Front Line Assembly to a three album deal.<ref name="relmagcausticretro">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |last2=Fulber |first2=Rhys |subject-link2=Rhys Fulber |last3=Levermore |first3=Gary |interviewer=Johan Carlsson |title=Front Line Assembly "Caustic Grip" Retrospective |url=https://www.releasemagazine.net/caustic-grip-retrospective/ |work=[[Release Magazine]] |publisher=Release Musik & Media |location=Gothenburg |date=December 18, 2015 |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221210311/https://www.releasemagazine.net/caustic-grip-retrospective/ |archive-date=December 21, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Through Levermore ''Corrosion'' was licensed to [[Wax Trax! Records|Wax Trax!]]. Both records were re-released together with three more unreleased tracks on the [[Compilation album|compilations]] ''[[Convergence (Front Line Assembly album)|Convergence]]'' later that year and ''[[Corroded Disorder]]'' in 1995.

Adhering to Third Mind for Europe and Wax Trax! for North America resulted in better availability of the albums in both places,<ref name="joeradiointerview1988" /> and the signing with Third Mind attracted the attention of established music magazines, including ''[[Melody Maker]]''<ref name="melodymakerrevcorrosion">{{cite magazine | last=Stubbs | first=David | date=February 20, 1988 | title=Front Line Assembly - Corrosion | magazine=[[Melody Maker]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] | location=London }}</ref><ref name="melodymakerrevdisorder">{{cite magazine | last=Stubbs | first=David | date=May 28, 1988 | title=Front Line Assembly - Disorder | magazine=[[Melody Maker]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] }}</ref><ref name="melodymakerrevconvergence">{{cite magazine | author=The Stud Brothers | title=Front Line Assembly - Convergence CD | magazine=[[Melody Maker]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] | location=London}}</ref><ref name="melodymakerrevgashed">{{cite magazine | last=Smith | first=Mat | title=Front Line Assembly - Gashed Senses & Crossfire | magazine=[[Melody Maker]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] | location=London}}</ref> or ''[[NME]]''<ref name="nmerev">{{cite magazine | last=Lamacq | first=Steve | date=May 7, 1988 | title=Front Line Assembly - Corrosion | magazine=[[NME]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] | location=London}}</ref> as well as the underground magazine ''Music From the Empty Quarter''.<ref name="emptyquarterrev">{{cite magazine | author=Deadhead | title=Front Line Assembly - Convergence | magazine=Music From the Empty Quarter}}</ref>

Front Line Assembly produced their next album ''[[Gashed Senses & Crossfire]]'' in 1989.  This album introduced their first single ''[[Digital Tension Dementia]]'' which became their first chart success and peaked at position 45 of the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Dance Club Songs]] chart.<ref name="billboarddtd">{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName |artist=Front Line Assembly |chart=Dance/Club Play Songs}} |title=Front Line Assembly Album & Song Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 7, 2014}}</ref>  In support of their latest release, the band, together with Fulber as live metal percussionist, headed out to Europe and North America for their first tour.  However, during the show in London in July 1989 their first live album ''[[Live (Front Line Assembly album)|Live]]'' was recorded under unfavourable circumstances. Presumably not well attended, the audience's reactions at the show had to be reworked.<ref name="reedassimilate3">{{cite book | last=Reed | first=S. Alexander | date=2013 | title=Assimilate: a critical history of industrial music | location=New York | publisher=Oxford University Press | page=[https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed/page/3 3] | isbn=978-0-19-983260-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed/page/3 }}</ref> For Balch it was also the last Front Line Assembly tour because he parted ways to join [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] and [[Revolting Cocks]].<ref name="mphistory" /><ref name="reclamationbooklet" />