Tom Shear began constructing music at home under the moniker Man On A Stage  in the late 1980's. Most of the music was very simplistic and poorly  constructed, with no vocals at first but as time went on they occurred more  often. While working on Man On A Stage, Tom Shear also was playing bass  live for a punk-influenced band collectively known as the Advocates.  In 1988 at a Depeche Mode concert, Assemblage 23 was born. Tom was amazed  by the industrial dance music that the opening DJ was spinning. His love of  the electronic synth-pop sounds mixed with heavier darker aggression proved  to be an turning point for him. While in college, in addition to working on Assemblage 23 non-stop, Shear  also collaborated with two friends, Mike Ukstins and Matt Guenette on a  synth-pop project, Procession. The band didn't last long, but provided  Shear with performance experience and practice.  In 1992, he self-released  a collection of songs called "Wires". Several radio stations began playing  the new act, and fledging magazines, such as Industrial Nation, began to  show interest.  But it was a side project of Shear's called Nerve Filter that helped  Assemblage 23 get some much needed recognition. On a whim, Shear sent  copies of Assemblage 23 and Nerve Filter to Peter Stone of Xorcist, who in  return handed them over to Don Blanchard of the now defunct 21st Circuitry  Records. However, Blanchard's interest was not in Assemblage 23 but in  Nerve Filter, although, a few Assemblage 23 tracks would later be released  on several compilations. Arts Industria released the first 'official'  Assemblage 23 song "Graverobber" on their Construction No. 009 compilation.  Several more times Shear sent out demos to various labels, and even while  being frustrated by the lack of interest, he still wrote more Assemblage 23  songs.  Finally in 1998, the Canadian label, Gashed Records signed Assemblage 23  and released their first album, Contempt in 1999, and the follow-up,  Failure in 2001. Shortly after the release of Failure, Assemblage 23 had a  falling out with Gashed Records and left the label to sign with Metropolis  Records, who later that year re-released both Contempt and Failure. With  only those two albums, Contempt and Failure, Assemblage 23 became one of  the biggest names in industrial and EBM music today.  To further the American electro act's success, a third album, Defiance, was  completed for October 2002. Defiance pushed Assemblage 23's sound to the  limits of only the imagination. Signature melody constructions, driving  rhythms, non-stop beats, and highly emotional and personal lyrics made  Defiance a logical follow-up to the widely reveled Failure.