There aren’t very many bands going today who can claim to have pioneered a genre of music, and Fear Factory are living legends in this regard.  After basically inventing industrial death metal by fusing the two styles together almost two decades ago, Fear Factory might actually be at the top of their game, as crazy as that might sound.  Fifteen years since Demanufacture, their opus of industrial death in my (and many others’) opinion, Mechanize is a sort of rebirth and skin-shedding accomplishment from a roller-coaster career.  After the legal battles with Concrete and former band members, to the harsh fan reactions to Digimortal and Transgression, Fear Factory has reignited an old flame with the release of Mechanize, which should cast off all of the negative stigma they somehow built up for themselves.

Making his first appearance with the band since Digimortal, co-founder Dino Cazares is back, and so his signature guitar sound.  Long-time veteran drummer Gene Hoglan was employed for the recording, and it’s pretty impressive how he was able to step right in and create that unmistakable Fear Factory drumming style.  Remarkably tight and precise, the double bass assault that everyone has come to know Fear Factory for is replicated to perfection by Hoglan.  When you add both aspects together, you produce maybe the most recognizable sound in metal, which might come across as lifeless or sterile to some, but in its incredibly mechanical design, it defines the industrial characteristic of the music better than any spoken or written description can.

Right off the bat, the album starts with the title track “Mechanize”,  which starts with a typical sampling of grinding gears and other such “factory” noises, only to explode with the kind of anger fans have come to love from them.  Bell has a few short softly spoken lines along with his harsh screams and clean singing segments.  Every possible classic Fear Factory trait is injected into this opening track, clearly meant to show everyone the blueprint for the rest of the album.

While I’m on Bell’s vocals, I have to say that he has not lost one iota of range in his voice.  In fact, I’d venture to say that he has never sounded better, which is just amazing.  Bell has been in this game for a long time and it would seem natural, expected even, if he had lost a little, but I’m very happy to say that nothing could be further from the truth.  His harsh screams sound clearer and angrier than I’ve ever heard, and his clean vocals are still full of life and melody.  I was probably more impressed by this than anything else on Mechanize.

The album rages on from song to song with ferocity and catchiness that are nearly unrivaled in their discography.  “Industrial Discipline” is an early highlight with a highly memorable closing chorus.  Every song has something very exciting to offer, and Mechanize will be one of those albums where your favorite song will constantly change.  “Powershifter” is probably the “single” of the album, seeing as it was the one song released early on their Myspace page, but it is absolutely deserving of that status.  It stays in my head for hours.  “Christploitation” brings the keyboards to the front for the first time in the album in a kind of haunting piano segment with metallic, industrial sounds.  I think my biggest surprise on the album is the closer, “Final Exit” which is a melancholic epic over eight minutes long.  It’s quite emotional and not something I ever expected to hear on a Fear Factory album, and the best part is that it isn’t cheesy or cliché in any way. I don’t know whether I’ve heard a more perfect closing track on an album.  Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but still, too many bands seem to neglect the importance of a closing track.
Lyrically, Mechanize is dominated by themes of societal strife and the dumbing down of the populace who are becoming slaves to the corporate and governmental system.  Nothing very new, but at least they’re very straightforward and not a poetic mess.  They seemingly took a big risk with the song “Controlled Demolition” which is about 9/11 being an inside job.  Now, I know there are plenty of people reading this who will roll their eyes and dismiss them completely for this stance of theirs, but it shows their determination and passion in their want for the “awakening” of the people.  You might not agree, but it wouldn’t hurt to respect their resolution.
Mechanize is a monumental achievement for a band with the career and stature that Fear Factory has, and if you have had any interest in them, even if it was seventeen years ago, you should get this album and see what perseverance and endurance can embody.  Fear Factory is more than just “back,” they’re reborn with a tenacity they’ve arguably never had before.

Fear Factory - Mechanize

January 26, 2010

Reviewer: Jesse

Release Date: February 5th, 2010
Label: Candlelight Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Mechanize
2.  Industrial Discipline
3.  Fear Campaign
4.  Powershifter
5.  Christploitation
6.  Oxidizer
7.  Controlled Demolition
8.  Designing The Enemy
9.  Metallic Division
10.  Final Exit

total playing time:  44:43

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