| Soul Of A New Machine | 1992 |
| Fear Is The Mindkiller EP | 1993 |
| Demanufacture | 1995 |
| Remanufacture EP | 1997 |
| Obsolete | 1998 |
| Digimortal | 2001 |
Fear Factory formed in Los Angeles, California sometime around 1990. Their style is a rather unique hybrid of thrash and industrial/electronic elements, the latter being emphasized on the band's two re-mix EPs. They've mellowed out significantly over the years, moving in a more and more accessible, commercial direction, and I feel that their music has suffered as a result, but the greatness, as well as sheer visceral force, of their early work cannot be denied. Another factor in the band's downfall is the deterioration of Burton C. Bell's voice, which has changed from a powerful roar to a shell of its former self. I have yet to pick up either of the band's last two albums, as what I've heard from them seems rather unimpressive.
--Kevin Akstin
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(reviewed by Kevin Akstin)
As much as this one has been tagged as a "death metal" album, I just don't see why. It's certainly Fear Factory's most aggressive release by a wide margin, with plenty of tasty double-bass drumming and ultra-vicious growling vocals (courtesy of Burton C. Bell, who would begin to lose his voice just a few years later), but it's more of a thrash/industrial crossover than anything else. All labels aside, this CD will KICK YOUR ASS so hard, your long-deceased great-great-grandmother will feel it! "Martyr" opens with a softly but forebodingly whispered first verse, before exploding into an almost danceable industrial-metal track that sounds somewhat like Ministry on steroids. Then, at about the 1:30 mark, clean vocals enter the picture, dragging the song into a much mellower section where the guitar rhythm is offset by spacey keyboards. After a while, the clean vocals mesh with the growls, creating an odd "duet" of sorts, before the song returns to where it began, setting up the final repeated chorus of "I've got to get away!". Powerful, powerful stuff. Meanwhile, the following "Leechmaster" uses an off-kilter rhythm, heavily triggered drums, and emotionally direct lyrics to fine effect. Off to quite a good start, yes, but it only gets better.
Speaking of the clean vocals and electronics, they really add something extra to this album. Using these elements for contrast, brutally heavy pounders like "Scapegoat", "Scumgrief", and "Crisis" (the latter featuring well-placed war-movie samples in its intro and middle section) are taken to the next level. "Lifeblind" also starts out quite viciously (although the unorthodox verse rhythm can take some getting used to), but soon gives way to a breathtaking clean-sung chorus ("all is lost/pain is lost") that communicates desperation and confusion extremely well. The song's ending, another "duet" between Bell's sung and growled vocal styles, is equally impressive. Other songs, however, take a more straightforward approach.
"Crash Test", a diatribe against animal testing, and "Flesh Hold" are about the closest the album's first half comes to pure thrash, with some excellent (albeit triggered) drum work from Raymond Herrera. Finally, "Scumgrief" closes the first half as perhaps the album's heaviest track (and therefore, the heaviest track of Fear Factory's career). The verses chug along relentlessly, and are brilliantly off-set by yet another clean-vocals-and-keyboards-laced chorus. Overally, the first half of Soul of A New Machine is intimidatingly solid and consistent, definitely worth a high 9, if not a 10.
Unfortunately, the second half is a bit of a letdown by comparison. "Big God/Raped Souls" is certainly a promising start, with a provocative, eye-opening spoken intro and great, if somewhat cryptic, lyrics. The ending "Raped Souls" section is an absolute explosion of aggression and rage, packing more adrenaline into thirty seconds than the rest of the album combined. However, some of the following tracks just don't stack up to the high standards already set. "Arise Above Oppression", despite possessing unbridled energy and a surprisingly uplifting message, can't escape feeling somewhat filler-ish. "Self Immolation", while a pretty good attempt at an industrial-dance type of song, pales in comparison to much of the material found elsewhere. "Suffer Age", seemingly about serial killer John Wayne Gacy, builds slowly with a subdued but threatening intro, but once the song really kicks in after nearly two minutes, it's a bit of a disappointment. "W.O.E." is memorable, but rather simplistic and repetitive, though it's short. Once again, none of these songs are awful, just "good" and nothing more.
"Desecrate", however, is an improvement, with a furious, defiant attitude coming through well in the lyrics and unabashedly chaotic music. Just listen to Herrera blast away behind the kit! "Escape Confusion" is another song with a long intro, but this time, it delivers on its promise. The ultra-aggressive verse and chorus sections are thrilling enough, but Bell's clean vocals in the middle once again steal the show. Finally, the album ends on a strong note with "Manipulation", another straight-up thrashy track similar to "Flesh Hold and "Desecrate". A quality finish to a great album that could have been even better had it been trimmed a bit, as 17 songs (counting the brief sound effects instrumental "Natividad") is a bit much, although it's to the band's credit that even the "filler" is quite listenable and enjoyable. Highly recommended.
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(reviewed by Kevin Akstin)
Fear Factory's second album moves the band's music in a slightly more accessible direction, especially vocally, although the change in vocal style may have been due to Burton C. Bell's throat troubles. Whatever the case, the vocals on this release aren't so much growled as shouted angrily in a manner not unlike Max Cavalera of Sepultura/Soulfly (more like SUCKfly) fame. There's also a greater abundance of cleanly sung vocals, as Bell's clean voice now plays more than just a support role. Although I'm normally turned off by studio-treated vocals, the effects used here are oddly appropriate for the musical backing.
Another noticeable difference is that Raymond Herrera's performance behind the kit is far more subdued than on Soul of A New Machine. Except on the opening title track, the use of double-bass is almost entirely gone. However, that's not to say he never gets to show off his ability. For instance, check out the fills at the beginning of "Replica". And just as on the debut, Herrera's machine-like technique only adds to the highly mechanized nature of the band's music, one of its most distinguishing qualities.
The title track opens the album with a blast of aggression and rage. A clean-sung (but angry) verse leads into a massively hard-hitting refrain, the song's fury culminating in a chant of "I've got no more goddamn regrets! I've got no more goddamn respect!" that explodes into some vicious double-bass kicks. Some keyboards in the slowed-down middle, then back to where we started. "Self Bias Resistor" is up next, with a memorable chorus and some awesome, chugging riffage. Bell really gets a chance to show off his vocal ability on this track.
Other highlights are difficult to pin-point, Demanufacture being a consistently excellent release all around, but there are a couple of songs I feel I must give special recognition to. The first of these is "Zero Signal", which may well be the highlight of Fear Factory's catalogue (I doubt if there's anything this good on Obsolete or Digimortal). The moody, electronics-laced intro sets things up perfectly, and the emotional weight carried by the constrasting heavy verses and cleanly sung chorus is stunning. However, the song's true power lies in its ending section. Over a haunting keyboard-led backing, Bell sings the final repeated line in a voice soaked with despair, and his performance is positively convincing. The brief piano coda only adds to the drama. It also provides a nice contrast to the straightforward pounding industrial groove of "Replica", the following song.
The other major highlight is "Pisschrist", a semi-epic piece enhanced by more tasteful keyboard work. It begins in typically intense fashion, with an in-your-face chorus chant that will stick in your brain upon first listen, but around the three-minute mark, the song takes an unexpected turn, plunging into far more melodic, melancholy territory, acting as a pre-cursor to the album's finale. "A Therapy for Pain" is the mellowest song on the disc, driven almost entirely by keyboards. Bell gives it his all, his soaring vocals lending the song a majestic feel. Unfortunately, the final four minutes consists of pointless "ambient" electronic noodling that gets quite annoying after a while. Pity. What a disappointing ending to a great album.
All right, all right, since I've gotten into the habit of going song-by-song in my reviews, I might as well do the same here. "New Breed" is an interesting fusion of techno and metal; "Dog Day Sunrise" is a pretty good, if unspectacular, Head of David cover; "Flashpoint" and "Body Hammer" groove and pound simultaneously like, I don't know, Pantera, maybe; and "H-K (Hunter-Killer)" charges ahead with unbridled energy and a verse riff to die for. Phew, there you go. I've now described every song invidually, just for you. Now buy this! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, please consider adding it to your metal collection. It's not quite a phenomenal classic, but it's strongly recommended nonetheless.
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COMMENTS
I am not a huge fan of Raymond Herrera. Without a doubt, the man has some of the fastest feet on the planet, but his upper drumkit creativity (or lack thereof) leaves me wanting. Also, his mechanical like playing really bores me. I realize of course, this is the type of sound Fear Factory looks for, but i'm not too impressed. If he played like Paul Bostaph or even the guy from Iced Earth (whom i'm told by drummer friends is even faster on the double bass than Herrera), it would have been more much more enjoyable, IMHO.