Fear Factory – Mechanize
Mechanize
Industrial Discipline
Fear Campaign
Powershifter
Christploitation
Oxidizer
Controlled Demolition
Designing The Enemy
Metalic Division
Final Exit
Face it, Fear Factory were fucked. Ever since ‘Demanufacture’, they have been making albums of ever-decreasing quality. Ironically for a band whose lyrics had oft explored themes of the loss of humanity, their appeared to have lost their own and become robotic: endless, endless syncopated riffs and double bass beats and dreadful vocals. So with Dino Cazares back, have FF recaptured the fire they once had?
The short answer? Yes.
Like the reunion of the classic line-ups of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, the return of Dino has galvanised Fear Factory into writing good music once more. However, this isn’t really a classic line-up, since in a cynical but ultimately fruitful move the rhythm section has also been changed. And the difference is immediate from the start: Raymond, bless his little cotton drum triggers, has all the soul of a screwdriver. Gene Hoglan on the other hand, actually has more than fast feet to his name, and it shows: ‘Controlled Demolition’ and ‘Powershifter’ feel like a breath of fresh air. Sure, there’s still Burton C. Bell’s tendency towards massive choruses that’s he had since ‘Digimortal’, but now it’s been tempered by some of the best songwriting Fear Factory has ever produced; wrap your ears round ‘Industrial Discipline’ for proof.
There’s a real sense of revitalisation here: the sense that Burton and Dino have taken a long hard look at themselves, and have twigged what made them so good in the first place. They’ve figured how to balance their metal prowess and instincts for a melodic hook; ‘Fear Campaign’ easily matches up to the glory days of ‘Self Bias Resistor’, without any of the formulaic dirge that pervaded post-Dino. This is Fear Factory, firing on all cylinders, just like we always wanted them to.
Reviewed by Steve Jones
‘Mechanize’ is out now on Candlelight
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