Fear Factory - The Industrialist

 

 (another Ripple scribe's take on the latest Fear Factory.  You can check out Odin's view here)

With the new Fear Factory release, Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares continue and further a legacy of tightly crafted and well techno-minded thrash for the masses.

 This effort is a conceptual offering that can be easily set in today’s modern quandary.
 Starting off with the title track, The Industrialist, it tells of a world where the company owners and robber barons of this world have total control over thought, will, life and death. It is stark and current in content and well done.

 Continuing with Recharger, the trade mark Bell vocal swells intertwine with stops and rhythm time changes that deliver the vocals intent with direct effect.

 New Messiah speaks of new birth to the listener. It isn’t a pretty picture painted yet one of pain and suffering. The future expected is driven into your head with a mix of driving beats, pounding riffs, keyboards and sample noises to color the musical tapestry fully. This is continued into God Eater. A tempo change but no less focused in message and delivery. The samples are picked out well and the atmosphere of this tune is one that speaks of the plight of the masses.

 Depraved Mind Murder steps up the Industrial feel with more mechanical sounds that add to the tight rhythm punishment dealt, while Virus of Faith continues this vein of mechanical entwinement with a message of blind faith to the system and death to those who do not assimilate to the new authority.

 Track 7 Difference Engine, is a turning in the concept where there is a change in the air and revolt is eminent to the overlord oppressors of the story line. Variance in tempo and timbre are scattered throughout this track. It fits the change in story and the chaos and upheaval found in the reality of change.

 Disassemble brings you a straight beat down of the indifference felt and the feeling conveyed of taking a system gone wrong, back to the basics of a beginning.

 Track 9, Religion is Flawed Because, begins with some air and atmosphere to the mix, in a 1:52 interlude in the story that leads into the final 9:01 track, Human Augmentation. The vocal processing on this track is itself augmented and is laid over the backdrop of a factory production line in operation.

 This is a well conceived release with a polished production and music that is direct and punishing.
 I wonder if Bell can deliver the vocals to these songs with the same level of performance as the recording in a live format. I’m sure Dino can punch the guitar riffs with exacting accuracy.

 Now, fans of Fear Factory just have to wait for this duo to select a low end section to round out a live ensemble and get dates booked to deliver this person.

 This reviewer likes this offering from these Industro-Metal veterans and overall feel this is one of their best releases to date. Lyrical content and production are current to the times but, veiled in a future setting. The samples and sound effects are well chosen and mixed to maximize the songs impact.

 If you are a long time fan of FF or, looking to expand your Metal pallet with some variety, pick up this release in digital or, CD format and hear what The Industrialist is all about.

--Big

Fear Factory – The Industrialist

I started listening to this album and I got really worried, because I had already told the man upstairs, Racer, that I would review this.  What worried me is that I heard the first 3 tracks and thought, “Shit, this generic sounding crap is Fear Factory, and I’m supposed to be excited about it?”

Thankfully, the good stuff kicked in with track number 4, “God Eater”, and it was all uphill from there.  I should mention also that this review covers the standard edition of the album.  Although I hear that the deluxe version has 2 more tracks and a really cool explanation of the story behind the album.  Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything about that, so if you’re gonna buy this make sure you spring for the deluxe.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like it when bands stretch out and mix things up, and tracks 4-10 on this album certainly do this.  And they do it in a way that no matter what they are bringing you, you always know its Fear Factory bringing it.  “God Eater” backs off on the pummeling double bass drum clichés from the first 3 tracks, has some cool effects on the vocals, and brings a nice tempo shift to the album.  The fifth song, “Depraved Mind Murder”, has some very cool rhythmic things going on while it kicks you in the teeth.  And track number 6, “Virus Of Faith” has some nifty lyrics and melody stuff for you to sink what is left of your teeth into.

“Difference Engine”, the 7th offering on the album, again brings some heavy rhythmic ideas between the drums and vocal lines and it’s cool to hear them sort of play off of each other.  And track 8, “Disassemble” continues on with a little slower tempo, a little more variety to the album, and keeps a good flow going.  Tracks 9 and 10 were really the ones that grabbed my interest and really made this a cool album to listen to.  Number 9, “Religion Is Flawed Because Man Is Flawed”, is a cool little interlude that leads nicely into track 10, “Human Augmentation”.  I’m not going to act like I know the Fear Factory catalog backwards and forwards, but I’m pretty sure there is nothing else quite like this track in their previous work.  Very cool, almost ambient track which goes on for about 9 minutes and showcases a very different side of the band.

All in all, I really dig this album.  It would be a great CD for me for a road trip because you get some variety, some change of pace, and you don’t just get the shit kicked out of you for duration of the album.  Which is a mistake, in my opinion, that many metal bands make, loading up an album with  8 or 10 very similar, very brutal tracks, but the songs also lose their identity because they are not different enough.  So thank you, Fear Factory, for exploring your many sides, and thanks for this release. 

– ODIN