Customer Reviews

Mechanize

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know a lot of bands say that their new album is the best album they've done since.........their one album that everyone says is their best.
I won't name bands, you know who I'm talking about.
But are their new albums a match for their masterpieces?
Hardly.
With Fear Factory it's always been about Demanufacture.
Some will argue that Obsolete is their best.
My favorite was always Demanufacture.
So upon hearing and reading about all the turmoil in the band I was rather happy with Archetype. It was still a great album.
Transgression on the other hand...............I blame the label for forcing the product before it was ready.
And then.............more band turmoil and we're now left with Burton and Dino again with Stroud and Hoglan.
And how does it measure up?
Does it actually match the almighty and eternal Demanufacture?
I didn't have my hopes set that high. I loved Divine Heresy's last album Bringer of Plagues and was hoping Mechanize would be at least half that good.
Man was I wrong.
Not only does this album equal Demanufacture I'd say its a few notches above it.
This album has done to me what NO album has done since I was a teenager.
I could literally feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and by the time I got to Christploitation I was ready to break every window in my house.
This album literally made me want to go bezerk.
I'm 35 and it's hard to get an old geezer metal head to feel like this.
My favorite track is Christploitation but really, every song on this disc simply DESTROYS.
Everything that was great about Demanufacture is back and bigger and better.
It's heavy, it's fast, it's got the creepy keys and the creepy moaning vocals of Burton here and there.
This is simply the best disc Fear Factory has ever done and it BETTER NOT BE THEIR LAST!!!
Welcome back Dino, you really are the one who MADE this band what it was.
Gene and Byron bring a whole new intensity to FF that I've never heard before.
And lastly to all these bands that say that they can never do another album like the "old days".
I used to agree with them till I heard Mechanize.
If Fear Factory, after twenty years and constant in fighting can put out the album of their lives then what's YOUR excuse???
Mechanize is THE album on 2010. If FF doesn't get a grammy nod for this, then there IS no justice.
A masterpiece from start to finish.
Raw, brutal, unique and utterly devastating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

The story of how Fear Factory's seventh album, "Mechanize," came to be is a rather messy one. After putting Fear Factory on the back-burner last year, frontman Burton C. Bell patched up his toxic relationship with former guitarist Dino Cazares, only to re-form the band without the consent of its other half. Drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist-turned-guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers were out, while bassist Byron Stroud (who played with the band on their two Dino-less albums) and drummer/workhorse Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Dethklok) rounded out the newest incarnation of Fear Factory. With some legal wrangling and a few dozen Blabbermouth headlines, the album has miraculously seen the light of day.

Re-united with longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber, the men that now make up Fear Factory are bound and determined to make "Mechanize" a glorious return to form. Truth be told, "Mechanize" is about as good as anything Fear Factory has produced in the last decade. Falling somewhere between the soul-crushing power of Demanufacture and the matured song-writing and dynamics of Obsolete, the album tries for and succeeds at recapturing the band's glory days. Burton and Dino sound as if they have entered a time-warp roughly somewhere around 1997, while drummer Gene Hoglan does a solid job of aping his predecessor. As for Byron Stroud, well, he delivers as expected, but let's face it: the role of the bass-player in Fear Factory has always been irrelevant.

The one thing that sets "Mechanize" aside from the albums it tries to emulate, though, is the shift from the "Man vs. Machine" theme so prevalent in the past. The bluntly-titled "Christploitation" finds Bell calling out organized religion, while "Powershifter" and "Fear Campaign" are more politically charged fare. While the topics explored are certainly nothing new for the metal genre, it helps the album stand on its own merits. As always, though, the main attraction is Burton's intense growl, which is matched only by his haunting melodies, as well as Dino's riffing and the insane drumming that comes with the Fear Factory brand, and this album more than does the name justice. There are plenty of songs here that will knock you off your feet, but there are also moments where the band brings on the melody and ambience in true Fear Factory fashion to ensure the experience is an authentic one.

In spite of the fact that "Mechanize" does little to expand on the tried and true Fear Factory sound, it's a strong return to form that will no doubt please fans who were confused by the experimental (and, in this reviewer's opinion, under-rated) Transgression and only help to further cement the band's legacy as one of the most distinct bands in the metal game. Even if you think Burton and Dino are a couple of unsavory characters for giving their former bandmates the cold shoulder the way they did, you can't help but love them for making the album they did and staying true to their name. Who knows how long the two can tolerate each other this time around, but hopefully there will be more albums like this one to come.

Yes folks it's here-the Fear Factory comeback album that we were all hoping would come out one day. I gots to say that Mean Gene Hoglan drumming for ff is an upgrade. Sound is a more organic and while the double bass is still triggered, it's the fills and rolls that hoglan adds that makes up for better drumming. Also be prepared for blast beats. They are brutal and will kick you in the mouth. Dino obviously was sorely missed in the riff creating dept. Riffs are catchy and super heavy. Burton's vox are brutal, he returns w/some death metal screams and his vocals have never sounded this angry before, coupled w/his more melodic vocals this is the best he has ever sounded. The bass-well it's pretty much buried, so Byron is barely heard throughout the disc. This is the best ff cd since Demanufacture-I would not say it's better than demanufacture though, but it comes pretty darn close. All the tracks are pretty much pummeling. Fantastic to finally hear ff add the death metal influence back and have retained their industrial heaviness. This is review is for the bonus edition, which you should pick up. They redo crash test from s.o.a.n.m.-sounds really brutal here. Other 3 bonus songs are the demo from 1991-really had a huge godflesh influence back then, songs are really slow, they sure sped things up for the debut cd that was to come out the next yr. Anyway this cd smokes and the it's like fear factory '95 all over again. Killer, hope they continue and don't cave in.

I was honestly very close to giving up on FF. Non of their work after Obsolete, in my opinion, was very good at all. But, I heard a couple tracks from Mechanize and decided to buy it and I'm so glad I did! If you love Demanufacture and Obsolete as much as I do, then you will not be disappointed in this album. I highly recommend.

You sometimes just can't argue with chemistry and music. Like Plant and Page, Lennon and McCartney and countless other team efforts, sometimes what was needed was a creative tension or cohesion that brought out the best in both partners. And like these famous partnerships, the solo efforts, while in some cases weren't bad efforts at all, they just didn't equal the heights the combinations did. While it would be a stretch to compare Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell with Lennon and McCartney, in the world of metal, their collaboration far outshines solo efforts. Cazares' first Divine Heresy CD has some punch, but the follow-up, "Bringer Of Plagues", for all its ferocity just doesn't have the tunes and although this reviewer gave it a good review in hopes it would grow on me, I'm sorry to say it hasn't. In fact, it's pummeling without purpose and sadly bereft of hooks.
So Dino hooks back up with Burton C. Bell, and suddenly the spark has been rekindled, very much so. It's been a wait for classic FF fans worth waiting for. "Mechanize" also brings along Gene Hoglan, possibly the greatest heavy drummer out there, with the possible exception of Dave Lombardo, and that's good company. Hoglan fires away with machine gun precision and can also cool it when necessary, which lots of thrash drummers seem to have lost the ability or interest in doing. But the real stars of course are the riffs and great synth programming of Rhys Fulber. This slab has musically squeezed in between "Demanufacture" and "Obsolete", which one may have thought impossible. While the claims on the CD promising new ground breaking territory aren't exactly accurate, "Mechanize" still proves that FF are the quintessential metal industrial band.
A few tracks stand out, including "Christploitation", that has a few lead licks in it, not a common thing for Fear Factory, and the ghostly "Designing The Enemy", which is the musical highlight. "Final Exit" fades away with Fulber's patented synth work, reminiscent of some of the more musical moments on the "Demanufacture/Remanufacture" series. And after all, you shouldn't own "Demanufacture" without its remix partner.
It's high time Fear Factory give Rhys Fulber his due and feature him as a full blown member. Relegating his contributions to the credits section is not giving this guy the attention he deserves. Other than that, "Mechanize" is a great addition to the FF catalogue, more so than the last disc, "Transgression", which seemed to lack a cohesive direction.

The story of how Fear Factory's seventh album, "Mechanize," came to be is a rather messy one. After putting Fear Factory on the back-burner last year, frontman Burton C. Bell patched up his toxic relationship with former guitarist Dino Cazares, only to re-form the band without the consent of its other half. Drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist-turned-guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers were out, while bassist Byron Stroud (who played with the band on their two Dino-less albums) and drummer/workhorse Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Dethklok) rounded out the newest incarnation of Fear Factory. With some legal wrangling and a few dozen Blabbermouth headlines, the album has miraculously seen the light of day.

Re-united with longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber, the men that now make up Fear Factory are bound and determined to make "Mechanize" a glorious return to form. Truth be told, "Mechanize" is about as good as anything Fear Factory has produced in the last decade. Falling somewhere between the soul-crushing power of Demanufacture and the matured song-writing and dynamics of Obsolete, the album tries for and succeeds at recapturing the band's glory days. Burton and Dino sound as if they have entered a time-warp roughly somewhere around 1997, while drummer Gene Hoglan does a solid job of aping his predecessor. As for Byron Stroud, well, he delivers as expected, but let's face it: the role of the bass-player in Fear Factory has always been irrelevant.

The one thing that sets "Mechanize" aside from the albums it tries to emulate, though, is the shift from the "Man vs. Machine" theme so prevalent in the past. The bluntly-titled "Christploitation" finds Bell calling out organized religion, while "Powershifter" and "Fear Campaign" are more politically charged fare. While the topics explored are certainly nothing new for the metal genre, it helps the album stand on its own merits. As always, though, the main attraction is Burton's intense growl, which is matched only by his haunting melodies, as well as Dino's riffing and the insane drumming that comes with the Fear Factory brand, and this album more than does the name justice. There are plenty of songs here that will knock you off your feet, but there are also moments where the band brings on the melody and ambience in true Fear Factory fashion to ensure the experience is an authentic one.

In spite of the fact that "Mechanize" does little to expand on the tried and true Fear Factory sound, it's a strong return to form that will no doubt please fans who were confused by the experimental (and, in this reviewer's opinion, under-rated) Transgression and only help to further cement the band's legacy as one of the most distinct bands in the metal game. Even if you think Burton and Dino are a couple of unsavory characters for giving their former bandmates the cold shoulder the way they did, you can't help but love them for making the album they did and staying true to their name. Who knows how long the two can tolerate each other this time around, but hopefully there will be more albums like this one to come.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell were working together as Fear Factory again last year. This album - despite the petulant whining of some nameless reviews - is a fine return to form for the group. This is NOT a record you can grasp completely upon just one sitting. After three listens I am still hearing things I had missed before. True, as mentioned before the stock Fear Factory guitar assault, keyboard atmospherics and inhuman drumming fill this work from end to end. However it seems the years apart have given Burton and Dino a fresh dynamic, and they're picking up where their better works of Demanufacture and Obsolete left off. They also throw in the brute aggression of Soul of a New Machine to kick the pants off the Demanufacture and Obsolete reminiscings on this record.

What's killer is that they're trying new twists on the old formula, and you can tell it's good thing because it's pissing some people right off! Those who whine about there being a solitary actual lead on this album forget that Dino played a minimalist lead on the song "Messiah" on Obsolete's bonus track edition. I suppose Dino should just stick to root-note rhythms and pretend he doesn't know how to play anything else according to some. In lyrical content Fear Factory ties all their previous work into the ultimate analogy: the state as the machine. In subtle nods to the 9/11 Truth Movement and to futurists predicting a decentralized progression of society, it's nice to see the sci-fi rubber meeting the real world road.

The addition of the 1991 demo shows the continuity of the band. After all these years, oh yes it's true, Burton and Dino are still Fear Factory. It's educational to hear the original arrangements of those 4 bonus songs, especially if you own Soul of a New Machine and the bonus edition of Obsolete. In their final forms half of them were sped up and rearranged on their respective records, but you can make out the intent just the same. Don't believe the hype: you have to hear Mechanize for yourself. A good record takes you on a journey, energizes your boring daily routine and inspires you to kick some healthy arse. In my honest opinion this record hits it right out of the park. Don't take my word for it - preview the songs here on Amazon and you be the judge.

I've been a big Fear Factory fan for a long time, and I was so pleased when I heard this album. It's the hardest and heaviest Fear Factory album since "Obsolete". This album marks the return of original guitar player Dino, along with a new drummer who completely kicks ass! The band seems tighter than ever before with the current line-up. Despite it's heaviness, Burton C. Bell's vocals are still both brutal and majestic at the same time. I highly recommend this album to fans of "Obsolete" and "Demanufacture". Fear Factory is back with a vengence with "Mechanize". A must have for Fear Factory fans! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Fear Factory is my favorite band so I was really anxious to get Mechanize. After some serious listening I've concluded it is a very strong metal album, especially if you compare it to some of the newer bands which, as one of the reviewers stated, make only nonsense noise. The sound quality is excellent and it is probably their heaviest album since SOANM. There are some minor issues though. First, some of Dino's riffs sound a little too thrashy (like Divine Heresy's Bringer of Plagues) - I like them better when they sound more mechanical or robotic or whatever that made FF sound so unique. Second, I wish the album was a bit longer. Again, these are just some minor issues and I still think this is an awesome album. I really like Burton's voice so everything he's in is good stuff for me (check City of Fire) but here he's heavier than ever - he seems reaaally pissed off when screaming in Mechanize. I hope they keep releasing albums for many years to come.

I've just edited my review because in reality I think Mechanize deserves 5 stars when you consider everything the band went through. Congratulations FF!

This album kicks all sorts of ass & the production is beyond amazing...To really appreciate this album you should hear this using high-end audio equipment or headphones...The drumming by Gene Hooligan is friggen monstrous...Buy now!

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