Fear Factory: Transgression

Band: Fear Factory
Album: Transgression
Tracklist:

1. 540,000 Fahrenheit
2. Transgression (!)
3. Contagion (!)
4. Empty Vision
5. Echo of My Scream
6. Supernova
7. New Promise (!!)
8. I will Follow (U2 cover)
9. Millenium (Killing Joke cover)
10. Moment of Impact

(The ! marks the best songs on the album, some might have more than one)

In future, only the fittest will survive

After the archetypal... eh, Archetype, Fear Factory have finally decided to progress, and change their sound more than just some minute adjustments on the distortion pedal or how deep in the mix the synths are.

To give background to people who have not heard of Fear Factory before; Fear Factory is well known for their Industrial-Esque metal sound that is decidedly inhuman and cold. The lyrics criticize this technology-oriented society of ours, and the music reflects the sci-fi subject at matter. Their sound is unique enough, driven by the drummer Raymon Herrera's complex and inhumanly precise double-bassdrum work, that after hearing one Fear Factory song you can pretty much recognize the Fear Factory influences on any band's music from mile away.

And, pay attention, this is probably the first Fear Factory album to have glimpse of humanity in it. The sound is a bit warmer and not as sterile and cold as previous albums. There is more meat and bass in the sound, instead of the mildly treble heavy sound of their previous albums.

The album has also more clear vocals from Burton than in any other album before, not to mention that Burton also experiments with other different vocal styles that we have not heard before this album. Many of the songs are lighter than Fear Factory songs on average, notably the "I Will Follow", "Echo of My Scream", and "Supernova". Of the three, "I Will Follow" is unfortunately rather faithful rendition of U2's original.

Since I have not personally ever been great fan of U2, the song is clearly the weakest link of the album to me, and I have to confess that after 10th listen of the album I tend to always skip this track.

However "Echo of My Scream" might be a tad too dramatic, but it still works rather well, and "Supernova" is fun track if one has an open mind, while the guitar sound isn't certainly nowhere near pop, the main riff and melody are more than little pop-ish.

There are also other influences that have added more color to the traditionally bleak soundscape of Fear Factory. Most notably some Black Metal style guitar work that briefly surfaces in one or two songs, and the more obvious influence of Trash Metal that has seeped in some songs, especially to the best song on the album "New Promise" which is hybrid of traditional Fear Factory and Trash-Metal. It works like a charm.

If you liked previous Fear Factory albums but this is not exactly your cup of tea then you must be a hard-core Fear Factory fan who thinks that Demanufactured was their best album. Which only proves your lackluster brain capacity.

If for nothing else, one has to respect this album because Fear Factory have dared, for the first time in years, to actually progress and develope their sound instead of just treading the comfortable road that they paved with Demanufactured.