Fear Factory - Soul of a New Machine

A hint at the greatness to come.

Fear Factory's debut.
Heavy,raw,brutal.
Everything a good death metal disc should be.
Doesn't bring very much new to the genre.
That started with Demanufacture.
Still, a great addition to your metal library. May 23, 2008

What A Surprising Start!

Fear Factory has always been a band in my book of respect. They cannot be pigeon-holed into a genre and can blend many styles of music into perfection. "Soul Of A New Machine" is an album that has the band back in their more raw death metal oriented days. "Martyr", the beginning track, is a great choice to kick this CD off, with a crushing death groove to it along with Burton C. Bell's amazing vocals. Also, the band incorporates industrial in their music as well, especially in tracks like "Self Immolation" and "Crisis". There really isn't much more to say about this great album, other than that it is diverse, worth the listen, and a standout to most music out there today. Recommended. October 21, 2006

Apex

This, FF's first official release, showcases a very different sound from the subsequent ones. My personal favorite, this disc has consistently brutal dirges of heavy vocals and equally intense assaults on the instrumental front. But the shining moments arise with the sparing use of clean sounds:
Martyr - The quiet chords behind the verses and the childlike vocal droning in the bridge are the fundamental components of the song.
Scapegoat - Riff and vocals harmonize beautifully.
Scumgrief - Chorus composed of bone-chilling guitar and vocal lines.
Suffer Age, Escape Confusion - Intros of both songs build huge suspense and tension.
Dino Cazares truly shows his skill at making memorable riffs from only a few dissonant power chords, something that became somewhat drowned in the flood of electronic experimentality that followed. Also, Bell's vocals are very intense and straightforward, unlike the retarded sounds found in later tunes like "Shock" and "Contagion". This album fails to age, and if this type of music is within your frequency, it is a disc that you will find to be listenable at any time. July 18, 2006

Darker and heavier than "Demanufacture"

This cd's Fear Factory death-indust metal side.The song's lyrics are depressing and the music was dark,but very awesome.The synthesizer sounds are gloomy,and sometimes scary,but impressive.Guitar riffs are good,drums not bad,in a few songs too simple,but it isn't a big dissapointing thing.The vocals are heavy...Burton's not a Corpsegrinder (Cannibal Corpse) but he's voices are good,and the singing is very clean.My 3 favourite songs int this cd : Crisis,Big God-raped souls,and Self Immolation ."Soul of a New Machine" isn't an other "Demanufacture",but talented and original album. May 15, 2006

My Favorite Fear Factory Album

NOTE!: This isn't the radio friendly rapping Fear Factory. This is FF as a death metal/industrial beast. The album starts off with the kick a$$ 'Martyr' and things pick up. It's followed by the ok 'Leechmaster' but the follow up to 'Leechmaster', 'Scape Goat', could very well be the heaviest song on the album. Then it's followed by my favorite song on the album, 'Crisis'. In the middle of the song we hear samples of 'Full Metal Jacket', over bass. The results are pretty chiling. Next, 'Crashtest', starts off with some weird sampling. It ends with the sound of a guy screaming directly into a microphone or something. The next few song that kicka$$ on the album are 'Lifeblind', 'Scumgrief', 'Big God Raped Souls', and 'Escape Confusion'. 'Confusion', the begining is very chiling. It begins with Dino's guitar giving the riff and Burton growling lowly "Escape........Con.....fusion..".

In short, get this album. It was released on Roadrunner Records in the early 90's, the same label that offered Machine Head's "Burn My Eyes", Sepultura's "Chaos A.D.", Biohazard's "Urban Disicpline", and for something different, Type O Negative's "Bloody Kisses". If you enjoyed those albums, then check this out. BTW: I'M REALLY 14 November 22, 2005

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