The Darkness in the Datastream — Industrial Music Icon Bill Leeb Debuts Video for “Demons”

In the shadowed corridors of digital sprawl envisioned by the likes of William Gibson and Philip K. Dick, model collapse isn’t just a glitch—it’s a force of unparalleled chaos. It emerges when an AI, bloated on the endless training data streams that fuel its algorithms, hyper-specializes to the point of breaking. It starts to slip, tripping over its own code, unable to navigate the chaotic terrain of the real world. The fallout isn’t just theoretical; it’s a cascade of corrupted predictions and bad calls that could ripple through the nerve centers of finance, healthcare, or infrastructure. The stakes are high, and the risk is significant: a malfunctioning AI could cause widespread errors and dangerous outcomes in ways one might not yet be able to imagine.

“As we forge forward on an unprecedented technological scale, it makes me wonder how much longer we can remain in control of various aspects of our lives,” muses Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Delirium). “Automation has already taken over many industries. With technology running much of the world, will the entire planet eventually be vulnerable to a Model Kollapse? Chaos would surely ensue.”

Bill Leeb’s murky new track from this apocalyptic meditation, Demons, dives into this particular mire of modern malaise. The song is a slice of industrial-EBM, immediately hurling us into a harsh, synthetic underworld as Leeb mixes his trademark creeping electronic gloom with a high-octane jolt. It’s a fierce, frenetic fusion that guarantees a charged, adrenaline-pumping ride through the dark.

Demons, lyrically, serves as a grim exploration of the shadows we wrestle with daily: an anthem for the adversity-stricken souls grappling with the grind of purpose, joy, and creativity amidst an omnipresent tech storm. Reflecting our internal skirmishes, Leeb stands as a bold beacon of defiance.

“The song is inspired by how much darkness and evil exist in the world,” Leeb explains. “How we have to carefully navigate ourselves through all of this on a day-to-day basis and still try and find a reason to get up, be happy to be alive, and try to be creative. Technologies are here to stay. Demons exist everywhere in our minds, in our hearts, and every aspect, so we have to fight.”

 Get ready for a wild ride with T. Hill’s latest animated adventure, a disturbing dive into a dystopian future. This eerie and unsettling video paints a grim picture of a world unraveling after the collapse of civilization. Featuring a fusion of nightmarish visuals and chilling details, it delivers a darkly compelling glimpse into a bleak tomorrow. Watch below for a spine-tingling exploration of what happens when society’s threads come undone.

Watch the video for “Demons” below:

Caustic yet melodic, danceable and very much song-oriented rather than soundscape-driven, Model Kollapse carries traces of hard-edged electronic dance music pioneers such as Front 242, DAF, KMFDM and Skinny Puppy.The album comes out 13 September on vinyl and CD via Metropolis Records.

Listen to Demons below, and pre-order the album Model Kollapse here.

Model Kollapse marks Leeb’s first solo venture. This record reflects the dystopian, nihilistic world we have created in so many different ways, ultimately asking the question “When will the human voice be lost to AI and technology….or will that be what saves us in the end?”  

Model Kollapse was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from Vancouver/Toronto-based production duo Dream Bullet and long-term cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely. This album also involves contributions by LA-based artist Mimi Page and Jason Corbett (ACTORS).

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