“One thing I could say about Fear Factory is that you can put on a Fear Factory song and know it’s Fear Factory. Nowadays, so many bands are copying each other but we’ve always remained true to our sound.”
— former guitarist Dino Cazares
Fear Factory has been a cornerstone of the metal scene going on 15 years (barring the brief two-year hiatus which started off as a break up). In that time, the band’s sound has seen growth, maturation and overall evolution.
The band’s demo, recorded in 1991 (and subsequently released as the “Concrete” album following the band’s “break-up” in 2002), sees Fear Factory in its infant stage, filled with rage and still trying to figure out exactly how to mesh its metal and industrial sound. The sound blossomed on “Soul of a New Machine” in 1992, and continued to develop throughout the 90s.
When it came to actually picking a classic album, the pickings were hardly slim. Fear Factory already has 10 albums under its belt and shows little signs of slowing down. Of course, of those 10 releases, two are remix albums (the “Fear is the Mindkiller” EP and “Remanufacture”) and one is a collection of unreleased material (2003’s “Hatefiles”). Of the remaining seven, five were recorded with the original lineup and two following the “hiatus” with Dino Cazares out of the band and bassist Christian Wolbers handling guitar duties.
I crossed “Concrete” off the list because it was, in essence, a demo, and was far more extreme and dark than what Fear Factory ultimately became (Burton Bell’s vocals are practically anchored in death metal for almost the entire album).
I took the last two albums off the list because “Archetype” was really a retread album, recorded for the fans to show the band was back following the break up; “Transgression” sees the group moving towards a newer sound and really doesn’t qualify for classic standing at the moment (at least in my mind).
What’s left? Well, there’s the underrated “Digimortal” that never really took off with fans or critics (but which I think is criminally underrated and overlooked — but that’s another topic for another day), an album where the technological sound that was a trademark of the band almost overshadowed the metal; then there’s “Demanufacture,” an album on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, hailed by fans and critics alike as the group’s best work, chock-full of metal goodness, sick riffs, insane bass/drum work and twisted vocals; and finally there’s my pick as a new classic.
Fear Factory
Obsolete
Roadrunner Records
Right off the bat I must stress, this pick is for the original release of “Obsolete,” not the re-released digi-pac. (I’ll explain this following my discussion of the album.) With that said …
“The concept of this record is that man is obsolete. The idea is still man versus machine. Demanufacture told a story, Remanufacture was another chapter in the story and Obsolete is another part of the Fear Factory concept. We’re up to the point in the story where man is obsolete. Man has created these machines to make his life easier but in the long run it made him obsolete. The machines he created are now destroying him. Man is not the primary citizen on Earth.”
— Burton Bell on “Obsolete”
If you ever asked me to point out a killer concept album, my list would be pretty short. and I’m pretty sure this album would be right on top. A continuation of a theme that Fear Factory had been working on practically its whole career, “Obsolete” tells the story of a world of the future, where man has let machines take over the world and has, in turn, become obsolete. It’s pretty much “Terminator 4” set to music.
From the opening bombast of “Shock,” Fear Factory grabs you by the throat and rams the metal down your throat. The drumming is frantic, the bass is HUGE, the riffs are unforgiving and Bell’s vocals are as attacking and haunting as ever. Think of Pantera’s one-two punch opening on “Vulgar Display of Power” — Fear Factory does the same thing here with “Shock” and “Edgecrusher,” only, to be honest with you, I think it’s done better here. The two tracks build into one another and almost act as a two part opener for the album, paving the way for what’s to come, whereas, Pantera almost seemed to front-load “Vulgar” with two killer tracks. (Of course, the flip side there is that every song on “Vulgar” was an absolute killer.)
Throughout the album, Fear Factory melds its vision of metal mixed with industrial mixed with thrash and tempered with melody and ambience to perfection. For every gut-wrentching, balls-to-the-walls metal anthem, there’s a break with melody or ambient transition that heightens the experience (like adding just the right amount of salt to a cooking recipe to intensify the flavor).
All of which leads me to calling this album a classic. Given the direction the band was headed toward, it had honed the technological metal aspect of its sound to a T. But, on top of that, never before had Bell’s melodies soared so high. These two aspects, along with the perfect production value (and here I’m talking the addition of a string section, the ambient effects and overall mood of the album) combine to form a nearly perfect album.
Like I’ve already said, “Obsolete” is a perfect concept album, probably the best when you’re pulling from the metal genre (edging out Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime”). When Roadrunner double-dipped to make some money, the “concept” was essentially ruined. While a huge hit for the band, I was never really impressed with Fear Factory’s cover of “Cars” which was tacked on to the end. The other additions were solid tracks, especially “O-O,” but these were songs perfectly fit for a “Hatefiles” collection of rarities or b-sides.
From the thunderous opening of “Shock,” to the spine-tingling closer of “Timelessness” (with special mention to the final proper track, “Resurrection”) Fear Factory really created a masterpiece. While “Demanufacture” is a metal classic, hands down, “Obsolete” is a true Fear Factory classic. The group has created a sound uniquely its own. The band has influenced countless emulators (most notably Spineshank which trashed an entire “sound” to follow in Fear Factory’s footsteps), but none have come close to the originators.
Today, the band seems to be moving in a more melodic, experimental direction (a la Slipknot), so I’m not sure what to expect in the future. I know I’ll probably love it, but who knows if any of it will end up as a classic. Howver, even if the group called it a day (again) tomorrow, there’s no denying it left one hell of a legacy in its wake.
I have no problem recommending any Fear Factory album to those who love metal (well, those remixed albums are more for the diehard fans), so it’s more of a matter of pointing out which one to pick up first. Without a doubt, it has to be “Obsolete.” If you pick that up and like it (and how could you not love it?), it’s easy to then explore the other elements of the band’s sound (going backwards in the catalogue if you want heavier, and forward if you want more melody).
So there you have it; one of my favorite bands, one of my favorite albums; one of my new classics.
And that’s that. Until next time, take it easy. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride …
