858. Fear Factory / Genexus. 2015. 3/5

The news of a new release from Fear Factory still breeds in me growing expectation, that perhaps this new album will not only improve on all of the great things that were on the previous album, but that it will finally fix or eradicate those things that annoyed the hell out of me on that previous album. It is something that I guess I have thought about for most of the band's albums of the past fifteen years, and while there have been occasions where I have been happy with the results, I can't say I have ever felt completely comfortable with the resulting album when I first put in on the CD player. As you may well already know, that hasn't changed with the release of Genexus.

If you don't like drums being at front and centre in your mix of your music, then you are in the wrong place, because that's where they are. As is now the main, the machine gun drumming of the double kick drum is what takes prominence throughout, except when Burton's hardcore lyrics are in the frame. As always, the vocals switch often between the hard and loud variety which crash out of you speakers and smash into your senses, while the clear variety settle into the background behind the wall of sound coming at you. There is always a clear context between the two, which works mostly on the level that the clear vocals for me are still just too weedy when they come in. They aren't really sung with gusto either, it still feels as though they are being forced and are reaching for something they can't attain. Anyway, the same old prejudices still exist from me in that respect.
The album starts off rapid fire with "Autonomous Combat System", one of the best songs on the album, perhaps the best. "Protomech" is better than average in this respect as well, and I do like "Battle for Utopia". Then there is what can be labelled as Generic Fear Factory, songs such as "Anodized", "Soul Hacker", "Genexus", which barrel along with the same intensity and drum beat (possibly programmed) and riff and vocal duality as most Fear Factory songs have done for the past fifteen years. That's not a criticism outright, it's just a general fact, and if you like Fear Factory you will get no less enjoyment from these as you have from those in the past.
I again have problems with the closing track on a Fear Factory album. "Expiration Date" flops along barely raising a hand in anger. Clear vocals dominate, there's no riff, and we fade out to a couple of minutes of almost silence again. What the hell is this? The Fear Factory version of a ballad?!? Obviously there are people out there who are critical of the similarity of most of the band's music, but this is just so far off course it feels like it comes from Bizarro Fear Factory! How on earth am I supposed to cope with this kind of closing song on an album. Sorry, this is like missing a kick from the penalty spot.

It really has all been said before. The Fear Factory groove has been set, and each album follows it to the letter. It's a world away from albums such as Demanufacture and Obsolete, and in so many ways it all feels so mechanised now (no pun intended) that a machine could actually write and play it. There is still some great stuff here, and overall the album is still enjoyable to listen to, but there are also those couple of factors that for me just drag it back towards the average. Modern day fans may well disagree, but the time to introduce some solo work in the mix, and perhaps toughening up those clear vocals, has surely arrived in order to give the band a reboot.

Rating:  I'm a revelation of your future and past.  3/5

635. Fear Factory / The Industrialist. 2012. 3/5

The return of Fear Factory with their eighth release was always going to be an interesting time. With Burton and Dino still reunited, but without any other semblance of band members, how was the writing and recording process going to go, and could it continue the revival of the Fear Factory brand?
I couldn't help but like this from the very start. Dino and Burton haven't strayed far from the tried and true Fear factory handbook, with heavy screaming vocals surrounded by the standard guitar riffs and double kick, double time drums. "The Industrial", "Recharger" and "New Messiah" are all solid tracks.

After two or three songs though, you just feel that the drums are almost mechanical, with a similarity of all of the rolls and fills througout most of the songs. It came as no surprise then to finally discover that the band (Dino and Burton) had actually programmed the drums on the album. Sure it might sound good for the most part, but it is a little disappointing. Perhaps they felt they had to bow to using a machine to get the most out of what they wanted for the album, but does that mean you resort to the same machine when you tour? Do they become basically a karaoke band, with just vocals and guitar standing in front of machinery on stage providing the rhythm section? Some love of the album is therefore lost because not only does it sound mechanised (no pun intended on the name of previous album), it actually is. Maybe they felt it was to much effort to find a drummer to produce what they wanted, but the result is that it now just feels too produced.
Even given this, I think it is a step up from Mechanize again. It most certainly has nothing new involved. Burton and Dino have gone back to grabbing the essence of what made Fear Factory the band they are, and drip fed it into the writing process to produce another solid effort.

"God Eater" is a different tempo from the opening tracks that grows on you after a few listens. "Depraved Mind Murder" and "Virus of Faith" restores the pace and vibrancy of the album, kicking along at a rate of knots. It is only when Burton's clear vocals come in that the songs seem to lose some of their gloss, it just feels as though it softens the output of these songs when that occurs.
"Difference Engine" starts off as true Fear Factory metal gold, hard guitars and vocals growling with intent. Great stuff. "Dissemble" is just as good, punching out the heavy guitar and vocals almost to the completion of the song.

But what is with the eleven minutes of rubbish that closes the album? OK, it's a concept album, and the last two songs, "Religion Is Flawed Because Man Is Flawed" and "Human Augmentation" is telling the closure of the tale. But nothing actually HAPPENS! What on earth is the point of doing that if the songs aren't't actually songs, it is eleven minutes of metallic industrial silence? They have effectively written a song that has been placed on an album that no one will EVER listen to again after their first playing. Good enough idea, but just far too long and unnecessary in the full scheme of an album to deal with again.

So there it is. Nothing new, different, ground breaking or sensational from the band. Fans will find enough here to keep them satisfied, while there is also enough here for the novice Fear factory listener to think it might be worthwhile checking out their back catalogue.

553. Fear Factory / Mechanize. 2010. 2/5

Look. Here's the thing. Fear Factory started something new back in the 1990's when they first came on the scene. It was different and it was a little scary, just the right elements to draw fans in from any number of genres of music. There has been a lot of good stuff, and some average stuff. With the previous three albums (two of which did not have original guitarist Dino Cavares involved) it has been the same, a lot of good stuff mixed with a bit f the average. One of the problems that appeared to be raising its head as these albums progressed was that... well... they all seem to be sounding a little on the similar side. I mean, if you didn't know the band, and you threw on Archetype and then threw on Transgression would you really know that the albums had been changed? For heavens sake, I like a lot of Fear Factory, and I have trouble discerning between the two myself! So when it came to first getting and listening to Mechanize I wondered if the title was giving something away about the music itself. So yes, trepidation confronts me as I approached this new Fear Factory album. Whilst for the majority I enjoyed Archetype, the bad taste of Transgression still sits like a mouthful of out of date chunky sour milk.

Despite the circumstances around the abandonment of original members Raymond Herrera and Christian Olde Wolbers for this album, I could only applaud the recruitment of Gene Hoglan to play drums for this album. He is incredible under most circumstances, but his work here is quite astounding. I'm really not sure how many arms and legs he has in real life, because the speed and precision with which he plays his instrument on this album is quite extraordinary. Dino's guitaring (playing all guitars and bass on the album) is as precision perfect as always, while Burton's vocals move between the menacing growl to the clear anguish cries with abandon. And it's quite a change between the two when it occurs too. I sometimes wonder if it is too much, in the same way on early Trivium albums Matt Heafy does the same huge change between growl and clear vocals. Probably it's just me being too precious.
OK, so we've considered what could be seen as the similarity between songs and albums musically, and we've considered the vocal techniques used. As to the album itself taking those things into the mix, I still like most of this album. the opening track "Mechanize", it hits the ground running with aggression and power, with Burton's vocal chords getting a huge work out at every level throughout. The album flows nicely into "Industrial Discipline", "Fear Campaign" and "Powershifter", all the while being pushed along at speed by Hoglan's machine gun drumming. More is to come, with "Christploitation" careering through into "Oxidizer" and "Controlled Demolition". "Designing the Enemy" uses a similar theme and tracking, but the vocals by now start to grate, though more succinctly the randomness between the almost incomprehensible deep growling into the moaning clear vocal over the top of the synth programming with those drums still underneath. It's all a little too much for me by this stage. I don't like the structure and having made it so far into the album with some degree of enjoyment it is beginning to seep away. The instrumental joiner "Metallic Division" introduces itself into the final track "Final Exit", which combines the fast paced intro into the clear guitar and vocal combination before ebbing and flowing throughout the track, with a complete fade out to the finish. Given how the album started, this is a real character change to complete the album.

There was a real excitement about this when it was released, with the return of Dino to the fold, and while many parts of this album are enjoyable for me, as an overall package I didn't get as much from it as I expected. Still, for the drumming alone, this is worth a listen to try and figure out just how Gene Hoglan can play like this. And then wonder why they went with a drum machine on the next album.

Rating:  Dawn of our extinction, the human affliction.  3/5

223. Fear Factory / Demanufacture. 1995. 3/5.

When Demanufacture was first released, there was a small uprising in the metal community in Sydney, where I was living at the time. Suddenly, in the music stores, in the pubs, in the music media, it was believed that Fear Factory were the biggest thing around, and were certain to be for some time.

Fear Factory were a band that I took a long time to warm to. When this album came out I was in a different area musically, and this didn't excite me. It was a new wave of metal, and at the time I think I was trying to fight that.

Now? Well, as I'm sure I have said before, I can appreciate it for what it is, and enjoy it for that. It's nice to be a bit older and not concerned about the elitism I used to put on what music was 'cool' and what was 'not'.

My favourites from Demanufacture include Self Bias Resistor, Piss Christ, Flashpoint and Zero Signal. I do NOT know what they were thinking with A Therapy For pain. That just seems painful.

Rating : Middle of the road. 3/5.

76. Fear Factory / Archetype. 2004. 4/5.

Though I had heard a little Fear Factory before this, Archetype was the first album I really sat down and listened to. And perhaps I like it because it was the first.

There is no denying the musicianship of the lads. How the drummer has any legs to stand on is a constant source of amazement to me, such speed does he expel behind that kit of his.
The songs are raw and aggressive, but with melody as well. Though, I must admit, I have tried to understand what was behind the recording of Ascension, and am still at a loss. It sounds like 7+ minutes of silence. Am I mistaken? What was behind this?

Fear Factory had had some dramas leading up to this album, but Archetype puts them right back at the top of their game.

Rating : A great return to form. 4/5.