Fear Factory is back with another blast of industrial strength metal. I am so glad to still be able to get new doses from the Factory of Fear. They nearly broke up for a good a few years back, but were able to come out of it with a newly adjusted lineup, and a continually evolving sound.
This album is very reminiscent of their early work, circa Soul of a New Machine. Transgression is worlds beyond that in terms of maturity and sheer excellence, but the music has a new level of raw energy that hearkens back to those early days. If you listen to all of their albums, you will hear, or at least I did, this gradual tightening of the machine, an increased use of industrial effects and keyboards, building up to Digimortal. It was at this point that they went through their implosion and rebirth. The next album, Archetype, displayed a new energy, different creative inputs and directions were explored, the industrial sound was still very evident, but the sound was a bit more loose, not to be confused with sloppy, just not as compressed as they were getting. Now Transgression continues along that path, cutting back on obvious technological influences, continuing this trend towards a sound that is simpler than some of their more electronic influenced albums, jet at times more complex and mature musically.
This lineup leaves a distinctly different fingerprint on the music than the last incarnation. When Dino Cazares was on guitars, there was a more structured, clipped sound. Now with Christian Olde Wolbers on guitar, who played bass for the band prior to this, the sound loosened up a bit, in a good way. The sound is still distinctly Fear Factory, but an ever evolving band.
They don't waste any time getting down to the business of destruction. The album opens with "540,000 degrees Fahrenheit," a crushing cut which highlights their staccato playing style, while also laying out the floor plan for what was to come. That leads into the title track, "Transgression." Each successive song ups the ante in terms of heaviness through the first half of the album. The standout track of that first half is "Spinal Compression," a sheer blast of guitars and double bass backing Burton's unique combination of singing and growling.
The halfway point is marked by a radical change of pace, and quite possibly the mellowest song ever created by the band. The great "Echo of My Scream" takes the energy down, and shows another side of Burton C. Bell's emotional state, a cry of despair into the darkness.
Two cover songs form the centerpiece of the second half, one fitting with the band, and one not quite as expected. Let's start with the unexpected. "I Will Follow," who would have guessed that Fear Factory would cover a U2 song? It's true, they are taking over the world. I kid. It is a faithful version of the classic track, but with a slightly heavier edge that only Fear Factory can provide. The other cover is of Killing Joke's "Millennium." This song keeps the trademark heaviness, but slows it down to this chunky rhythmic chugging along, creating this slow heavy groove. I'm not familiar with the original, so I cannot comment on it's faithfulness.
The band is sounding as good as ever. Bass player Byron Stroud, who was the new member after the band shakeup, ably handles the low end. Christian Olde Wolbers is doing a great job bringing a new guitar sound for the band, and not just aping previous axeman Dino Cazares. Drummer, Raymond Herrera, is an absolute machine, he is one of the best drummers in the metal world, hands down. Finally there is Burton C. Bell who was at the forefront of the singing/screaming hybrid movement, a unique voice and talent who puts it all on display in Transgression.
Bottomline. This is not their best album, but it is far from the worst, it shows a band in a state of changing and growing. They have recorded a heavy sound which stands out from the metal crowd. Excellent album, and one which any fan of heavy music should have in their collection.
To hear a podcast of the bands Gigantour rehearsals, click HERE. (includes live versions of "Transgression" and "Shock" and more!)
Visit the band online at www.FearFactory.com
Read another view of the album on Blogcritics HERE.
Marketing Notes.
The album is being released in a number of varieties. The different versions are to help the band in long term record sales. They include different track listings for different retailers. The one used for the review above is the the 11 track version, containing all the new songs but none of the various bonus tracks. I know one retailer, not sure which, has a version including three live recordings of "Cyberwaste," "Slave Labor," and "Drones." Best Buy has a version with the previously unreleased track "Empires." Plus, there is a DualDisc version which has a DVD side containing a high resolution version of the album, music videos, and a making of the album featurette.
I like the fact that they are trying to cultivate strong continued sales for the band, but I also feel that the music should be able to stand on it's own, it is a great album. I have since also gotten the DualDisc version, I wanted to see the videos and such,
Anyway, whichever version of the album you choose, you will not be disappointed.
Highly Recommended.
1 comments:
This album is horrible. There are 3 decent songs. The best song is not even included in any of the releases. It's called "My Grave" and can only be found on a special FF site. That song is awesome. This experimentation has pushed FF away from their roots. In my opinion why not stick to what made you great and refine it a little. oing in a complete opposite direction sucks.
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