Assemblage 23 was officially born in 1988, after Shear experienced the industrial dance music played by an opening DJ for Depeche Mode.

The style of this genre deeply impressed Shear; he believed he had finally found the sort of sound he wanted for his music.

[1] 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.

[3] The song dealt with Shear's sense of loss after his father's suicide on October 28, 1999, and features a sample from the film In the Line of Fire.

"[4] The third album, Defiance, was released in October 2002 on Metropolis and Accession, preceded by the single "Document", in September of that year.

Assemblage 23 released a fourth album, Storm, in October 2004 with singles "Let the Wind Erase Me" in August and "Ground" in November.