There can be no doubt Fear Factory were pioneers in the world of heavy metal, their music being a direct reflection of their obsession with technology. The results remain harsh and chilling, and in the mid-90s their innovative stance influenced many bands that would go onto be branded with the Nu-Metal tag. Band History Influenced by the thrash explosion of the 80s Dino Cazares (Guitar), Burton C. Bell (Vocals) and Raymond Herrera (Drums) first got their proto techno-metal to the public via a couple of Bill Gould (Faith No More)-produced tunes for the "L.A. Death Metal Compilation". The material was strong enough to get them signed to Roadrunner and their career as champions of computer-assisted metal got under way in brutal style with Soul Of A New Machine (1992). The early style was coloured with the crushing power of death metal, Herrera's drumming provides a stainless steel framework for Cazares' synapse-frazzling guitars and Bell's deathrattle vocals spitting out tortured sci-fi inflected lyrics which only occasionally ventured into the clean and melodic realms. Crucially, the band were also experimenting with electronic flourishes and samples echoing industrial bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry (who Burton recently did a couple of songs with *see The Last Sucker) and Godflesh; it was cold, clinical and utterly mesmerizing in an all-senses-pummeled kind of way. Cazares handled bass duties in the studio but Andrew Shives was recruited for live work. Embracing the notion of technology-driven metal, the band handed half a dozen tracks over to Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb of Frontline Assembly for a spot of sonic re-engineering; the result was the Fear is the Mindkiller EP (1993). It was a pattern that would hold for the next two albums. By the time of Demanufacture (1995) Christian Olde Wolbers had taken over on bass and Fulber was providing keyboards in the studio as well as on stage, augmented by R
1 | Replica | Ozzfest Live |
2 | What Will Become? | Digimortal |
3 | Resurrection | Obsolete |
4 | Strain Vs. Resistance | Digimortal |
5 | No One | Digimortal |
6 | Repentance | Digimortal |
7 | Freedom Or Fire | Obsolete |
8 | Cloning Technology | Ginger Snaps |
9 | Soulwound | Obsolete |
10 | Descent | Obsolete |
11 | Messiah | Obsolete |
12 | Replica (Live) | Ozzfest Live - Second Stage (Disc 2) |
13 | Back The Fuck Up | Digimortal |
14 | Digimortal | Digimortal |
15 | Dead Man Walking | Digimortal |
16 | Concreto | Obsolete |
17 | Securitron (Police State 2000) | Obsolete |
18 | Shock | Obsolete |
19 | Obsolete | Obsolete |
20 | Byte Block | Digimortal |