Editing Front Line Assembly (section)

===Rhys Fulber and growing popularity (1990–1999)===
Filling the void left by Balch's departure, Fulber officially joined.<ref name="mphistory" /><ref name="posttvinterview">{{cite interview|last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |last2=Fulber |first2=Rhys |subject-link2=Rhys Fulber |title=Front Line Assembly |location=Palo Alto |date=1991 |work=Post!}}</ref> The two musicians had similar tastes, both being enthusiastic about electronic music.<ref name="joeradiointerview1990">{{cite web | url=http://www.darkdb.com/eklein/intervw/fla5.html | title=Interview: Front Line Assembly | last=Radio | first=Joe | date=November 23, 1990 | access-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref> The duo recorded their next album, ''[[Caustic Grip]]'', in the first half of 1990. Accompanied by the release of two singles in 1990, "Iceolate" and "Provision", the album raised Front Line Assembly's profile in the industrial music scene and in the media considerably.<ref name="chaoscontrolinterview93" /><ref name="reclamationbooklet" /> [[Melody Maker]] elected both album singles ''Single of the week''<ref name="reedassimilate3"/> while the promotional video for "Iceolate"<ref name="coma101songs">{{cite web |url=http://coma-online.com/feature-101-greatest-industrial-songs-101-81/ |title=101 Greatest Industrial Songs of All Time' |last=Schock |first=David |publisher=COMA |date=March 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821162902/http://coma-online.com/feature-101-greatest-industrial-songs-101-81/ |archive-date=August 21, 2014 |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> received some airplay on [[MTV]].

On ''Caustic Grip'' the band started working with [[Greg Reely]] which would evolve into a long-term partnership.<ref name="reclamationbooklet" /> The tour in support of the album started in January 1991 in the United States<ref name="convulseinterviewfla">{{cite web | url=http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.2.html |title=Front Line Assembly |last=Barr |first=Stuart |date=May 1991 |publisher=Convulse |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127143602/http://obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.2.html |archive-date=November 27, 2010 |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> to be followed by a European leg in February which was accompanied by the release of stand-alone single ''Virus'' the same month.<ref name="reclamationbooklet" /> Chris Peterson, who would later become a full-time member of Front Line Assembly, gave his debut for the band on this tour, completing the live line-up as percussionist.

[[File:20160305 Oberhausen E-Tropolis Frontline Assembly 0015.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Rhys Fulber performing with Front Line Assembly at the  2016 E-Tropolis Festival|Rhys Fulber performing with Front Line Assembly in 2016]]

In [[1992 in music|1992]], Front Line Assembly reached a turning point in the band's musical style with the album ''[[Tactical Neural Implant]]''. The media, including ''[[Melody Maker]]'',<ref name="melodymakertnirev">{{cite magazine |author=The Stud Brothers |year=1992 |title=Front Line Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant | magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |location=London}}</ref> Siren Magazine<ref name="sireninterview">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |interviewer=Ian Cheek |title=Interview |work=Siren |date=April 1992 |issue=9}}</ref> and fanzine Industrial Strength<ref name="industrialstrengthtnirev">{{cite magazine |year=1992 |title=Front Line Assembly: Tactical Neural Implant |magazine=Industrial Strength |location=DeKalb, Illinois |issue=2 |page=27}}</ref> all commented particularly on the more melodious approach featured on the album and noted the use of multi-layered sounds which would become a trademark of the band. Asked about this composing style by [[Industrialnation|Industrial Nation]], Leeb explained that the band continually experimented with new ways to use technology to make each recording different, and had focused on clarity and sustain in their instrumentation and structure in their songs.<ref name="interviewindnation1992">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |interviewer=Kim Traub |title=Interview |location=Oakland, California |work=[[Industrialnation|Industrial Nation]] |publisher=Paul Valerio |issue=5 |year=1992}}</ref><ref name="interviewWCRD1992">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |interviewer=Michael Tressler |title=Interview with Bill Leeb of Front Line Assembly Live on WCRD |publisher=CRD |location=Muncie, Indiana |date=March 19, 1992}}</ref>

The video for the first single off the album, "Mindphaser", was awarded "Best Alternative Video" at Much Music's 1992 Canadian Music Video Awards.<ref name="reedassimilate6">{{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/6 6] | isbn=978-0-19-983260-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed/page/6 }}</ref> In August 1992, Front Line Assembly embarked on a tour that covered Northern America and Europe.<ref name="flipside1992">{{cite interview |last=Leeb |first=Bill |subject-link=Bill Leeb |interviewer=Dan |title=Interview with Bill Leeb |date=September 1992 |issue=80 |work=Flipside}}</ref> The album continues to be played in [[industrial music|industrial]] and [[electronic music]] [[dance club]]s and is considered a classic among listeners and musicians of industrial music.<ref name="allmusicrev">{{AllMusic | class=album | id=tactical-neural-implant-mw0000093595 | label=Front Line Assembly: ''Tactical Neural Implant'' > Overview | last=Kavadias | first=Theo | access-date=March 31, 2010}}</ref><ref name="reedassimilate4">{{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/4 4] | isbn=978-0-19-983260-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed/page/4 }}</ref>

In 1993, the band contributed 5 remixes to [[Fear Factory]]'s EP ''[[Fear Is the Mindkiller]]'';<ref name="industrialnationint1995">{{cite interview |last=Fulber |first=Rhys |subject-link=Rhys Fulber |interviewer=Josh Finney |title=Front Line Assembly |work=[[Industrialnation|Industrial Nation]] |date=1995 |publisher=Moon Mystique |location=Iowa City, Iowa |page=49 |url=https://archive.org/details/IndustrialNation10/page/n50/mode/1up |issue=10 |issn=1062-449X |oclc=25623835}}</ref> working on the EP would eventually influence the band's next album ''[[Millennium (Front Line Assembly album)|Millennium]]'' ([[1994 in music|1994]]),<ref name="allmusicstateofmind" /> which featured a combination of [[heavy metal music|metal]] guitars, electronic music, and media sampling (much of which was taken from the [[Michael Douglas]] film ''[[Falling Down]]'') which had become one of the characteristics of [[industrial rock]] and [[industrial metal]] during the 1990s. ''[[Hard Wired]]'' ([[1995 in music|1995]])<ref name="allmusicstateofmind" /> and the [[Concert tour#Concert tour|world tour]] following the release was FLA's most successful commercial and critical period. Leeb has stated he was influenced to pursue this style of music after listening to [[Pantera|Pantera's]] "[[Walk (Pantera song)|Walk]]", which he later incorporated into the single "[[Surface Patterns]]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Front Line Assembly Interview - June 2011 - COMA Music Magazine|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbHrraQwFec| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/YbHrraQwFec| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-10|website=YouTube|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In September 1996 the band made a live performance in Vancouver for the [[iHeartRadio MMVAs|MuchMusic Video Awards]] which was broadcast via satellite.<ref name="mmva1996billboardannounce">{{cite magazine |last=LeBlanc |first=Larry |title=MuchMusic To Launch M3 In '97 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York |publisher=Howard Lander |date=September 14, 1996 |volume=108 |issue=37 |page=47 |issn=0006-2510 |oclc=67058557}}</ref>

In 1997, Fulber left the band to concentrate on producing [[Fear Factory]] with other bands. [[Chris Peterson (producer)|Chris Peterson]], who had already supported the band's live shows, replaced Fulber. Soon after Fulber's  departure, the album ''[[FLAvour of the Weak|&#91;FLA&#93;vour of the Weak]]'' was released. Yet again, the album was stylistically divergent from previous releases. The metal influences found in ''[[Millennium (Front Line Assembly album)|Millennium]]'' gave way to a more [[electronica]] sound within the new release.

Front Line Assembly returned somewhat to their former sound with the album ''[[Implode (album)|Implode]]'' ([[1999 in music|1999]]).  Front Line Assembly composed the soundtrack for the video game, ''[[Quake III Arena|Quake III Team Arena]]'' and was composing music for the video game [[Millennium Four: The Right]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Level_08_Apr-1998/page/n7/mode/2up|title=Millennium Four: The Right|magazine=[[Level (magazine)|Level]]|language=ro|page=9|date=April 1998|accessdate=February 20, 2025}}</ref> that was later cancelled. In October 1999, it was made public that the band had left their label Metropolis.<ref name="sidelinenews19991028">{{cite news | url=http://www.side-line.com/news13.htm | title=Front Line {{sic|Asse|mbley|nolink=y}} have left Metropolis | work=Side-Line | date=October 28, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010709081342/http://www.side-line.com/news13.htm |archive-date=July 9, 2001 | access-date=February 26, 2017}}</ref>