Prior to starting Assemblage 23, Shear experimented with music under the name "Man on a Stage", beginning in the early 1980s. Most of Shear's music at this point was instrumental, as he lacked the confidence to sing; the quality of the music itself was highly questionable by his own admission. Shear eventually began to add vocals to his music; at the same time, Shear was also playing bass in a punk band called the "Advocates".
Assemblage 23 got its start in 1988, when at a "Depeche Mode" concert, founder Tom Shear heard the opening DJ spinning industrial dance music. Prior to hearing this type of music, Shear had been creating primarily synthpop and post-punk type music.
Hearing industrial music for the first time proved to be something of an epiphany for Shear, as he had finally found a form of music that combined the electronic sounds he loved from his synth-pop background with the heavier, darker aggression punk represented. Even so, the project was more of a hobby for Shear at this point; it took until 1998 for Assemblage 23 to gather enough positive acclaim to attract the attention of record labels.
Shear signed a deal in 1999 with the Canadian label Gashed! for a full-length album, "Contempt" (released in November 1999). A second album, "Failure", followed in March 2001 and was released by Gashed! in North America and Accession Records in Europe. A single from "Failure", "Disappoint", was released on Accession in October 2001. The song dealt with Shear's sense of loss after his father's suicide on October 28, 1999.
After falling out with Gashed Records following "Failure", Shear signed with US label Metropolis Records later in 2001; Metropolis re-released "Contempt" and "Failure" that November. A remix release, "Addendum", was also released in November only on Accession. By this point, Assemblage 23 had become fairly popular within the ebm genre.
The third studio album, "Defiance", was released in October 2002 on Metropolis and Accession, preceded by the single "Document" in September. October 2004 saw the release of a fourth album, "Storm"; two singles were taken from the album, "Let the Wind Erase Me" in August and "Ground" in November.
Almost three years later, in March 2007, Assemblage 23 returned with a new single, "Binary", which debuted at #21 on the Billboard US singles chart. This was followed by the album "Meta" in April.
In September of that year Shear released "Early, Rare, & Unreleased [1988-1998]", which is a limited edition collection of A23 tracks taken from the years 1988 - 1998, on his own label 23db records. This was followed in February of 2009 by a second collection "Early, Rare, & Unreleased: Volume Two", which was also limited to 1000 copies.
Late 2009 saw the release of "Compass". Both regular and deluxe limited 2CD editions were released in October 2009, preceeded in September by the single "Spark".
The latest album "Bruise" was released on June 12, 2012. It is also available in both regular and 2CD versions.
Shear also has a side-project, "nerve filter", which has been running alongside Assemblage 23 since 1995. However, no more albums will be released since the project is now open for remixes only.
Official website: www.assemblage23.com
Regret
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And found it wasn't all that clean
A trail of people I had hurt
A sea of sins left unredeemed
CH
Regret is a dull and rusted blade
That covers me with scars that never fade
Serve to remind me of all the pain I've caused
So I resolved to make amends
To heal the damage I had done
But I could never stop the torrent
Of those regrets still yet to come
(CH)
This bitter sadness overwhelms me
And mires me down with velvet arms
It's time for me to face the music
It's time to undo all this harm
(CH)
The lyrics of Assemblage 23's song Regret express the overwhelming feeling of remorse that arises when one becomes aware of the harm they have caused to others. The first verse talks about how the singer came to terms with their conscience not being entirely clean upon realising the trail of people they have hurt and the sins left unredeemed. The chorus then describes the painful and lasting scars of regret that never fade, serving as a constant reminder of the pain they have caused to others. The second verse goes on to describe the singer's resolution to make amends and heal the damage they have done, although the torrent of regrets still looms heavily. The final chorus marks a turning point for the singer as they take responsibility for their actions and face the music in order to undo the harm caused.
Line by Line Meaning
Some time ago I checked my conscience
At a certain point in the past, I examined my moral values and beliefs
And found it wasn't all that clean
I discovered that my conscience was not entirely free from guilt or wrongdoing
A trail of people I had hurt
My actions had caused harm and pain to others and left behind a path of injuries
A sea of sins left unredeemed
I had committed many wrongs that were not absolved or redeemed
Regret is a dull and rusted blade
Remorse is a painful and ineffective tool to correct past mistakes
That covers me with scars that never fade
The pain and suffering caused by my regrets are permanent features in my life
These wounds, like a catalog of flaws
The scars and regrets serve as a constant reminder of my shortcomings and errors
Serve to remind me of all the pain I've caused
The scars and regrets keep me aware of the hurt and harm I have inflicted on others
So I resolved to make amends
I decided to take action to repair the damage I had done
To heal the damage I had done
To try to restore the well-being and dignity of those who suffered because of my actions
But I could never stop the torrent
Despite my efforts, the regrets and pain kept coming, and I could not control them
Of those regrets still yet to come
Of the future mistakes and regrets that I knew I would inevitably make
This bitter sadness overwhelms me
I feel a deep and bitter sorrow that is hard to cope with
And mires me down with velvet arms
The sadness and regrets trap me and hold me captive, like soft and suffocating ropes
It's time for me to face the music
It's time for me to confront the consequences of my actions and accept responsibility for them
It's time to undo all this harm
It's time to try to make things right, to reverse the wrongs and to restore justice and peace
Regret is a dull and rusted blade
Once again, the song reminds us that regret is useless in reversing the damage one has caused
That covers me with scars that never fade
These scars are permanent reminders of the harm one has caused
These wounds, like a catalog of flaws
The damage one's regrets bring are a compilation of all of the wrongs one has done
Serve to remind me of all the pain I've caused
Ultimately, one's regrets bring them to full perspective of the damage they've caused and sometimes that is the biggest regret itself
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC
Written by: CHRISTINE LAVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind