Customer Reviews

Digimortal

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When Fear Factory released "Digimortal" in 2001 many fans went running for the hills claiming that Fear Factory had "gone Nu-Metal" and abandoned their sound. This is not entirely untrue as Fear Factory definitely have a more commercialised, produced sound on this particular album, but Fear Factory have never released such a tight, structured album ever before. However that was possibly a part of the appeal of earlier offerings, but nevertheless, "Digimortal" is still a valid and entertaining Metal offering and marks the end of a journey of a band member Dino Cazares. It is just another chapter in the evolution of the band known as Fear Factory...

All that said, their are a few songs that sound like classic Fear Factory. "Acres of Skin," "Byte Block," and "Hurt Conveyor," could just as easily have been on "Demanufacture." However songs like "Linchpin," "Damaged," and "Dead Man Walking," have heavy Nu-Metal sounds, but are all solid, tight, excellent songs. Bell's vocals come through very clearly in this album, but that may be due to the guitar sound being "dumbed down" a little bit. The instruments are definitely not quite as jarring and pounding as previous releases, but it definitely allows you to hear Bell alot more clearly and fully appreciate his vocal range and talent.

The reason I only gave this album 4 stars is because it doesn't come close to "Demanufacture," and isn't really like classic Fear Factory, but it has a sound that grabs and holds you right to the very end. Sometimes a band needs to change its sound in order to grow as a hold, and luckily for Fear Factory, "Digimortal," is still a fantastic offering in its own right.

If you like your Metal a little more produced and not too heavy, then Fear Factory's "Digimortal" is a great purchase. However, if you like your metal hard, underproduced and heavy, may I suggest earlier albums like "Soul Of A New Machine," and "Demanufacture." If you're a Fear Factory fan then you'll buy this album because it's just as valid and valuable as all other Fear Factory albums. So go on, get "Digimortal," it'll only hurt your pocket and your ears if you don't like it! :)

Digimortal is one of Fear Factory's best albums. Some of FF best songs are on this album! If you only listen to death metal then this ablum might be a little soft for you. But if you like quality music you'll enjoy this cd. It has songs that range from really heavy to really soft. I say its at least as good if not better than obsolete. Demanufacture and Archetype are there best albums so if you're a new fan start there.

Honestly, I think most of the people who hate this CD, don't know anything about music. It may not have the same power behind it that some of their other CDs did but the way the music was arranged on this CD really impressed me. I do have to say that I still think Replica may be one of their best, but the Digimortal CD was well put together. I'll miss the power behind songs like Replica and Zero Signal, but this is still a very solid CD.

To all the people who complain about it being too soft, shut the $#%@ up and learn something about music before you go embarassing yourself. If you don't like it because of that, say so, but seeing as you can't see the time and skill that went into the arrangement of this CD I won't trust your opinions on anything.

My dad who was a musician a long time ago likes this CD simply because it is well put together musically, he doesn't like metal but he let this full CD play while he was driving me to college simply because as I will repeat once more, it was well put together.

So I recommend it to everyone who likes music for music, if you just want something heavy, go buy some noisewhore death metal CD and go tell your friends how tough you are.

I've learned to never trust reviews anymore. I've read so many "professional" reviews about this CD saying it was their worst CD, that it completely sucks, etc. This CD is a DEFINATE must-have for any fan of Fear Factory. Newcomers may say it's on OK album, but all newcomers should get Obsolete or Demanufacture, before this. Here is a run-down:

1. "What Will Become?" - This song is an awesome opener song for this CD. It starts with a nice guitar riff, then the drums start pounding in with the vocals close behind, it may not be an outrageously outstanding song, but it's very well put together if you ask me. 4/5

2. "Damaged" - This song, being the most plain of the songs on the CD, is quite an OK song. The guitar and bass riffs seem to be just slapped together though, yet the drumming is as phenomenal as ever. 3.5/5

3. "Digimortal" - Digimortal is a great song, though dips sometimes throughout the song. The chorus for this song is a personal favorite. 4/5

4. "No One" - The fourth song on the Digimortal album is one of the best, the samples and riffs in this song really seem to compliment each other and Burton's vocals all at the same time. 4.5/5

5. "Linchpin" A.K.A. "Lynchpin" - The lyrics to Lynchpin are very inspiring, yet Burton's vocals on this particular song make him sound hoarse. 3.5/5

6. "Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)" - Invisible Wounds is possible one of the greatest "slow" Fear Factory songs ever. This song can be found stuck in your head at the strangest of times. The riffs are pretty soft, yet near the middle of the song Burt gets into it and does his usual dry yell. One must be crazy to belittle this song. 5/5

7. "Acres of Skin" - This song takes some getting used to if you ask me. Once you listen to it a few times it really sticks to you. This is my favorite song on the album. The chorus gets stuck in my head all the time. Very heavy, too. Burton does a strange thing with his voice in this song. When he gets to the chorus, and on the last line, he drops his voice on the last word. It striked me as weird, at first, but I gre to love it. 5/5

8. "Back The F**k Up" - Back The F**k Up is the most controversial song on the album among Fear Factory fans. The thing being -- it's a RAP song. This song is actually fairly heavy though. But the weird thing about this song is, you either sorta like it, or you don't at all. You listen to it only a few times, or at least that's the norm. It's a very very strange song to have on an Industrial Metal album, however I personally like it. 3.5/5

9. "Byte Block" - This song, being of exceptionally heavy riffs, slamming vocals, and great drumming makes for an awesome song. When I first heard this song, I really liked it. I mean REALLY liked it. I listened to it on repeat for almost an hour and a half. Even though, it's not the best Fear Factory song ever, nor even the best of the album. But it is very debatable in that matter, though in my opinion no one ever gave this song - or even this album - any time, due to Back The F**k Up. 4.5/5

10. "Hurt Conveyor" - I love the samplings on this song. Though this song is quite the plain, it is special in it's own way. 3/5

11. "(Memory Imprints) Never End" - This "slow" song is a great song. It tops even "A Therapy For Pain" in my opinion. Though it comes nowhere near "Timelessness" this song really hits. 4.5/5

12. "Dead Man Walking" - This song is the best "added" song to any album in my opinion. This one has one of the best choruses, lyrically, of the Fear Factory songs. 4.5/5

13. "Strain vs. Resistance" - I REALLY love the beginning to this song. Other than that it's not really worth noting in the Fear Factory arsenal. 3.5/5

14. "Repetance" - Another song not necessarily worth noting, it seems liek it was just slapped together. Great "light" vocals in this song, though. 3.5/5

15. "Full Metal Contact" - Being one of the extremely few instrumental Fear Factory songs, this one rocks. Just listen to it. I really wish they would have made this song 5 or 6 minutes though. Makes great background music to a hardcore game. 4.5/5

So, from my opinion. This album is one of the best, don't believe those "professional" reviwers and listen to a long time and forever FAN of FEAR FACTORY.

I love Fear Factory. I think they are one of the most talented heavy metal bands out there. Which is my problem with this CD. I read an interview where Burton said they stripped down this CD to make the songs more simple so that they wouldn't confuse their core audience. Why make simple, boring, plain, tiresome songs when you are capable of making heavy metal epics? It is hard to believe that this is the band that brought us "Resurrection." 'Digimortal' is as plain as a metal album can get. Like Burton said, everything on here is stripped down. They degress to a style they passed over 8 years ago. The music on here sounds like what happens when you pull your headphones away from your ears and listen to them. Nothing on here is overpowering. When I popped 'Digimortal' into my CD player, the first thing I noticed is that no matter how much I turned it up, it just didn't overtake my ears, it wasn't exciting, it wasn't anything that made you wanna jump up. After coming off two stunning albums like 'Demanufacture' and 'Obsolete' this was such a bad change. 'What Will Become' is one of the few good tracks on here, along with 'Hurt Conveyor' 'Digimortal' and 'No One.' Other than that, you get lousy songs like 'Invisible Wounds' and 'Memory Imprints' which simply are not good, melodic Fear Factory songs and instead come off as clumsy knock-offs of Pantera's 'Cemetary Gates.' I am very disappointed in Fear Factory for not trying. I guess every band is entitled to one bad album, let's just hope for the best next time around.

This was the first Fear Factory cd I bought. I saw the video for Linchpin and thought it was awesome, I bought the cd. This cd is very focused on technotronic sounds and digital soundscapes, which, blended with heavy guitar, death metal drums, and Burton C. Bell's incredible vocals, makes a flawless formula. One song(Back The F*** Up)in this cd takes up a rap/metal element that is pulled off exceptionally well, combining death metal drums, digital soundscapes and rap vocals from B-Real of Cypress Hill. The only thing I didn't like about this cd was the ending song, which, though good, did not quite match the sound of Fear Factory. There wasn't any heaviness in that song at all. Had there at least been some heaviness in part of it, like in Invisible Wounds(Dark Bodies), this cd would've gotten the full five stars.

I noticed the cd digipak case in my brother's shelf and I thougt Burton C. Bell so cool that I bought the digipak edition for myself. It was my first FF album and I loved it when I first "Linchpin" and "Damaged". I loved it so much that I bought Demanufacture. I did not like it at first because I was not used the metal vocals and guitar rhythms so I just listned to Digimortal.

Then I tried Demanufacture a couple of times, and I just went crazy when I heard "Demanufacture","Zero Signal" and "Pisschrist". Then, I bought Obsolete and I liked that album too. Then, I realized, that Digimotal was not so good after all. It has it moments but, just not good enough. It is too "musical", Burton sings like a choirboy if you compare it to Soul of a new Machine and Demanufacture, Raymond doesn't have his famous fast pace drumming and Burton sings with a rap vocals rhythm thing. My favorite tracks are Damaged and Linchpin but Acres of Skin and Hurt Conveyor are my least favorite songs. The bonus tracks are all right but they sound too similar.

My final verdict, is that this album is good for FF beginners but not for the owners of the previous albums.

While overall, this might not be Fear Factory's greatest achievement, it certainly comes close. Digimortal finds FF slightly changing their style by frequently incorporating electronics and a hip-hop vibe. Whatever you may think about that, if you enjoyed their other works then there really isn't a reason to dislike this one either. Digimortal contains some of Fear Factory's best songwriting. "Linchpin" is one of their best, right up there with "Replica" and "Self Bias Resistor". The song captures a great deal of emotion, mostly in part to Burton C. Bell's entrancing voice on lyrics like "we will never see the end" and "you can't change me" that really makes you take him seriously. "Invisible Wounds" is one of the best "ballads" they have ever done. The title track is just brutal, kickass metal, as is "No One" and "Hurt Conveyor"; which both greatly rely on that industrial edge of the band. "Back the F*** Up" is strange but not that bad after a few listens, it features B. Real of Cypress Hill; he raps on the verses - it's better than Limp Bizkit, I promise! Raymond Herrera is still one of the best drummers ever. He tunes his kit perfectly. Christian Olde Wolbers' bass is excellent - you can actually hear it! I would have liked to have seen a little more from Dino Cazares. He was great on Demanufacture, but he doesn't do nearly as much on Digimortal (I do like his riffs on "Linchpin" though). Overall, this album is great, I'd give it a 9.5 out of a 10. Also be sure to check out Demanufacture, and their new one Archetype, and then all their other albums. They are one of the most inspiring bands I have ever heard.

This album showcases a more mainstream, stripped down Fear Factory. This, in my opinion, causes the heavier sections and songs to sound somewhat boring and generic (with a few exceptions) a probably Obsolete never had. This is why I'm glad FF incorporated more melody and higher guitar sounds into this release, which is what stops it from being a boring bad imitation on nu metal (FF can't do nu metal, and they shouldnt try. They're pure industrial metal, though nu metal fans like them most of the time). There are some excellent tracks on this album, but some really fall flat. Here's what I think-

1) What Will Become? (9/10) Shows Fear Factory's new mood and style. The best part is the melodic breakdown in the middle (FF is famous for that. See "Smasher/Devourer" and "Repentance") and the scream of "BECOME!" at the beginning. I think the whole thing with the kid saying "us" at the end was really stupid though.

2) Damaged (10/10) The synths are awesome. A different lyrical style than usual for Burton, the words are quite personal. THe higher guitar in the bridge is great.

3) Digimortal (10/10) A mellower track with boring heavy parts but a great chorus. The "ONE STEP!" sounds really dumb. Come on, Burton, you can do better than that.

4) No One (9/10) Would be your generic boring heavy song without the great keyboards.

5) Linchpin (10/10) Brings us back to "Self Immolation", using a dance beat for a metal song. A great single with an awesome chorus.

6) Invisible Wounds (10/10) FF's first attempt at a ballad. I think it came out great.

7) Acres of Skin (8/10) Boring except the chorus, but GREAT TITLE!

8) Back the F**K up (6/10) FF doesnt belong with Cypress Hill. Burton's parts are cool though.

9) Byte Block (10/10) Amazing bridge and awesome chorus, once again boring verses. The best heavy song on the album.

10) Hurt Conveyor (7/10) A heavy waste of time. Cool samples though.

11) Memory Imprints Never End (11/10) An amazing experiment with atmospherics that was pulled off perfectly. The guitars on this song are high and the riff is creepy and awesome. "After the smoke clears...and the flame subsides..." awesome lyrics. Easily the best on the album.

Overall a good release, but they tried going simple and it just wasn't them. It's worth your time if you're an FF fan and you have all the others (including Concrete and the remix albums, but not Hatefiles). But if that's the case you probably already have this. Long live Fear Factory.

Can't wait for Architype in April 2004.

words cant describe how good these four masters of metal are. dino plays some of the fastest and heaviest guitar riffs i have ever heard on any metal album. raymond is probley the fastest drummer i have ever heard, his double bass parts sound like machine guns fireing in a war, just non-stop mayhem. c.bell has the best metal voice in the entire genre. he can not only growl like no other vocalist out there, but he can also cary an unbelieveable melody like i have never heard come out of ANY metal vocalist. this cd was good for the most part, but some of the songs like "back the f**k up" had more of a rap/hip-hop vibe, which im not into all that much, however i like the way they tied it together with their own style of music, so it came out to be pretty good. its too bad they had to break up because of a disagreemant, like all the great bands do, but they will keep kicking ... in my cd player, as well as the cd players of all young, up in coming metal heads. FEAR FACTORY RULZ!!!