Independent hard rock/metal outfit Repentance will tentatively release its sophomore album this year.
The Process of Human Demise is scheduled for release Nov. 4 through Noble Demon Records. It will come more than two years after the release of the band’s 2020 debut record, God For A Day and less than two years after the release of the band’s debut EP, Volume 1 – Reborn.
The track listing for the new album is listed below:
“The Process Of Human Demise” track listing:
Buried By Fear
Withered and Decayed
Reborn
The Process of Human Demise
Empire
Down In the Water
A Future Untold
All the Misery
Light It Up
No Innocence
A Grave For the False Ones
Venom Inside
In anticipation of the album’s release, Repentance debuted the album’s lead single, ‘Withered and Decayed‘ Friday. The single features a guest appearance from new Fear Factory front man Milo Silvestro.
The musical arrangement featured in Repentance’s new single is a powerful composition. Throughout the course of its nearly four-minute run time, it lends itself to comparison to works from the likes of Dry Kill Logic and Chaimaira. The addition of Silvestro’s vocals and distinct leaning in the choruses adds an obvious Fear Factory element to the mix that adds to the heaviness, which in turn ensures audiences’ engagement and entertainment.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the press release announcing the new album’s pending release and the debut of its lead single. Lyrics were not provided with the single, either.
Founding member and guitarist Shaun Glass (SOiL, Dirge Within) talked at length about enlisting Silvestro’s help with the new single during a recent interview.
“When we started working on the album, we knew we wanted to have another guest,” Glass said. “We were looking for someone that we thought would compliment our style. Around that time, Fear Factory was close to announcing Milo Silvestro as their new singer. I mentioned the idea to Dino (Cazares) who’s a close personal friend and he brought up the idea of seeing if Milo would be interested.”
Silvestro said he enjoyed lending his vocal talents to the song.
“I had a blast recording vocals on this banger, it’s heavy, it’s fresh, it’s got the hook and it’s always a real pleasure to work with these gentlemen,” Silvestro said. Horns up!”
Glass added, “We sent over the track. When he [Silvestro] laid down his tracks in his studio, we knew we had what we were looking for. His style fit really well with Adam (Gilley) our singer and him trading verses and singing together on the choruses. We hope our friends and fans enjoy the rollercoaster ride it delivers.”
More information on Repentance’s new record is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Fear Factory is giving audiences another preview of its forthcoming remix album, Re-Industrialized.
The band premiered the album’s second single, ‘Depraved Mind Murder‘ and its companion visualizer video Tuesday. Its premiere came more than a month after the band debuted the lyric video for its then new single, ‘New Messiah’. The song is featured in the original release (and re-issue) of The Industrialist.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Depraved Mind Murder’ is everything that audiences have come to expect from Fear Factory throughout its catalog. That includes the fully present keyboards, the blast beats from the drums and rich vocals and buzz saw sharp guitar riffs.
No information was provided about the lyrical theme featured in ‘Depraved Mind Murder.’ The lyrics provided with the song’s visualizer infers that the song centers on a machine that has perhaps become sentient and is examining its existence and place in an imperfect world as a machine. That is just this critic’s own interpretation.
The song’s visualizer presents the cover art for Re-Industrialized and its companion re-issue, that of Fear Factory’s 2010 album, Mechanize as the song plays over the presentation. The video also presents the band’s logo, and lights coming from the logo, creating a tunnel effect of sorts along the way for a unique artistic show.
Courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records
Re-Industrialized and Mechanize are scheduled for release June 23 through Nuclear Blast Records. Re-Industrialized and will feature five bonus tracks, ‘Fade Away (Recharger Mix by Rhys Fulber and Dino Cazares),’ ‘Noise in the Machine (Difference Engine Remix by Blush Response),’ ‘Landfill,’ ‘Saturation,’ and ‘Passing Complexion.’ ‘Landfill,’ which is a cover of the same song by Pitchshifter, was originally featured in the deluxe edition of The Industrialist.
The re-issue of Mechanize will feature three bonus tracks, ‘Martyr (Re-recorded version),’ ‘Crash Test (Re-recorded version),’ and ‘Sangre de ninos (Re-recorded version).’ The first of the bonus tracks was originally featured as a bonus track on the album’s Japanese release while the second song was included in the digipack domestic release of the original album. ‘Sangre de ninos’ was originally featured in the band’s 2002 album, Concrete.
Both re-issues will release separately on CD and 2LP platforms. Mechanize‘s vinyl re-issue will be presented on two separate pressings, “smoke” and “beer w/ black splatter.” Re-Industrialized will see its vinyl release on separate silver and clear w/ black splatter pressings.
Fear Factory announced in January, it had renewed its contract with Nuclear Blast Records. The renewal early this year came a decade after the band initially signed with the label. That initial agreement saw the band release three albums — Genexus, Aggression Continuum, and Recoded — through the label.
Specifics of the contract were not released through the news release announcing the contract renewal.
Dino Cazares, Fear Factory guitarist and founding member was upbeat as he talked about the contract renewal.
“This is a new year and a new chapter for Fear Factory,” Cazares said. “We are off to a great start because we have re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records and our A&R legend Monte Conner, who originally signed the band in 1992. It is a great feeling to be with a label that gets us and who has always had our backs, especially when we needed them the most. Prepare for the future of Fear Factory.”
More information on Fear Factory’s new album re-issues and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Fear Factory is set to re-issue two of its most recent albums this summer.
The band is scheduled to release its 2010 album, Mechanize and its follow-up, 2012’s The Industrialist June 23 through Nuclear Blast Records. The re-issue of The Industrialist is being titled Re-Industrialized and will feature five bonus tracks, ‘Fade Away (Recharger Mix by Rhys Fulber and Dino Cazares),’ ‘Noise in the Machine (Difference Engine Remix by Blush Response),’ ‘Landfill,’ ‘Saturation,’ and ‘Passing Complexion.’ ‘Landfill,’ which is a cover of the same song by Pitchshifter, was originally featured in the deluxe edition of The Industrialist.
The re-issue of Mechanize will feature three bonus tracks, ‘Martyr (Re-recorded version),’ ‘Crash Test (Re-recorded version),’ and ‘Sangre de ninos (Re-recorded version).’ The first of the bonus tracks was originally featured as a bonus track on the album’s Japanese release while the second song was included in the digipack domestic release of the original album. ‘Sangre de ninos’ was originally featured in the band’s 2002 album, Concrete.
Both re-issues will release separately on CD and 2LP platforms. Mechanize‘s vinyl re-issue will be presented on two separate pressings, “smoke” and “beer w/ black splatter.” Re-Industrialized will see its vinyl release on separate silver and clear w/ black splatter pressings.
In other news, Fear Factory premiered the lyric video for its single, ‘New Messiah’ Wednesday. The song is featured in the original release (and re-issue) of The Industrialist. The video presents the song’s lyrics over a backdrop of various technology-related visuals, including the band’s name.
Fear Factory is in the midst of a tour alongside Static-X and Dope on the “Rise of the Machine Tour.” The tour launched Feb. 25 in San Francisco, CA. Its remaining dates are noted below:
Confirmed dates for the tour are included below. Apr 05: St Louis, MO – Del Mar Hall # Apr 06: Indy, IN – The Vogue # Apr 07: Chicago, IL – House of Blues # Apr 08: Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis # Apr 09: Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theater # Apr 11: Denver, CO – The Summit # Apr 13: Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues# Apr 14: San Diego, CA – House of Blues # Apr 15: LA, CA – Belasco Theater – *SOLD OUT* #
* Featuring special guest MUSHROOMHEAD # Featuring special guest TWIZTID
Other live dates: May 5: LA, CA – Whisky A Go Go
Fear Factory announced in January, it had renewed its contract with Nuclear Blast Records. The renewal early this year came a decade after the band initially signed with the label. That initial agreement saw the band release three albums — Genexus, Aggression Continuum, and Recoded — through the label.
Specifics of the contract were not released through the news release announcing the contract renewal.
Dino Cazares, Fear Factory guitarist and founding member was upbeat as he talked about the contract renewal.
“This is a new year and a new chapter for Fear Factory,” Cazares said. “We are off to a great start because we have re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records and our A&R legend Monte Conner, who originally signed the band in 1992. It is a great feeling to be with a label that gets us and who has always had our backs, especially when we needed them the most. Prepare for the future of Fear Factory.”
More information on Fear Factory’s new album re-issues and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Fear Factory is sticking with Nuclear Blast Records for the foreseeable future.
The label and band announced Monday, the two sides have agreed on a contract renewal 10 years after the band initially signed with the label. That initial agreement saw the band release three albums — Genexus, Aggression Continuum, and Recoded — through the label.
Recoded, Fear Factory’s label remix album, produced remixed takes of songs from Aggression Continuum, two of which came in the form of ‘Hatred Will Prevail – Monolith Remix‘ and ‘Disobey – Disruptor Remix.’ The remix of ‘Hatred Will Prevail was composed alongside longtime Fear Factory collaborator Rhys Fulber while the band’s remix of ‘Disobey’ was composed along famed electronic music artist Zardonic.
Specifics of the contract were not released through the news release announcing the contract renewal.
Dino Cazares, Fear Factory guitarist and founding member was upbeat as he talked about the contract renewal.
“This is a new year and a new chapter for Fear Factory,” Cazares said. “We are off to a great start because we have re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records and our A&R legend Monte Conner, who originally signed the band in 1992. It is a great feeling to be with a label that gets us and who has always had our backs, especially when we needed them the most. Prepare for the future of Fear Factory.”
Courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records
In other news, Fear Factory will join Static-X for its Rise of the Machine tour starting Feb. 25 in San Francisco, CA. The tour, which will also see Mushroomhead and Twiztid serve as support, is scheduled to run through April 15 in Los Angeles, CA. Stops in cities nationwide, such as Columbus, OH; Charlotte, NC and Fort Wayne, IN are also part of the tour’s schedule, which is noted below.
Feb 25: San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore Feb 27: Portland, OR – Roseland Feb 28: Seattle, WA – Showbox Mar 01: Vancouver, BC – Richshaw Theater – *SOLD OUT* Mar 02: Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Mar 03: Boise, ID – Revolution Concert Hall Mar 04: Reno, NV – Virginia Street Brewhouse Mar 05: Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades Mar 07: Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren Mar 08: Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater * Mar 09: Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom * Mar 10: Dallas, TX – House of Blues * Mar 11: San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater * Mar 12: Houston, TX – House of Blues * Mar 14: Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater * Mar 15: Orlando, FL – Plaza Live * Mar 16: Charlotte, NC – Underground – *SOLD OUT** Mar 17: Baltimore, MD – Soundstage – *SOLD OUT** Mar 18: Philly, PA – Theater of the Living Arts – *SOLD OUT** Mar 19: NYC, NY – Irving Plaza * Mar 21: Boston, MA – Big Night Live * Mar 22: New Haven, CT – Toad’s * Mar 23: Montreal, QC – MTELUS * Mar 24: Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall * Mar 25: Detroit, MI – St Andrews Hall – *SOLD OUT** Mar 26: Cleveland, OH – House of Blues # Mar 28: Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian # Mar 29: Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts # Mar 30: Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs # Mar 31: Ft Wayne, IN – The Clyde * Apr 01: Milwaukee, WI – The Rave * Apr 02: Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center* Apr 04: Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection * Apr 05: St Louis, MO – Del Mar Hall # Apr 06: Indy, IN – The Vogue # Apr 07: Chicago, IL – House of Blues # Apr 08: Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis # Apr 09: Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theater # Apr 11: Denver, CO – The Summit # Apr 13: Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues# Apr 14: San Diego, CA – House of Blues # Apr 15: LA, CA – Belasco Theater – *SOLD OUT* #
* Featuring special guest Mushroomhead # Featuring special guest Twiztid
More information on Fear Factory’s new record deal and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
BMG is going to re-issue four of Soulfly’s albums this summer.
The company is scheduled to release the new box set, The Song Remains Insane June 17 on CD and vinyl. The collection culls the band’s first four albums — Soulfly, Primitive, 3, and Prophecy — into one collection. All four albums will be presented in their standard release editions and will be complimented with an extra disc of bonus tracks, previously released on various pressings of those albums.
Many of the bonus tracks featured in the extra disc are actually featured in the expanded edition of the band’s debut self-titled album, which was released in 1998. Those tracks are ‘Cagnaceiro,’ ‘Ain’t No Feeble Bastard,’ ‘The Possibility of Life’s Destruction,’ ‘Tribe (Tribal Terrorism Mix),’ ;Quilombo (Zumbi Dub Mix),’ and ‘Umbabarauma (World Cup Mix)’. The disc also features bonus tracks from Primitive in the form of ‘Terrorist (Total Destruction Mix)’ and ‘Soulfire.’
Pulled from the Japanese release of 3 is the band’s cover of Pailhead’s ‘I Will Refuse.’ Speaking of covers, the band’s cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Under The Sun,’ which was featured in a special digipack release of 3 is also included in the bonus disc. The lone previously unreleased track is ‘Berimbau Jam.’
The collection’s full track listing is noted below.
SOULFLY Eye For An Eye No Hope = No Fear Bleed Tribe Bumba First Commandment Bumbklaatt Soulfly Umbabarauma Quilombo Fire The Song Remains Insane No Prejudice Karmageddon
PRIMITIVE Back To The Primitive Pain Bring It Jumpdafuckup Mulambo Son Song Boom Terrorist The Prophet Soulfly II In Memory Of… Flyhigh
3 Downstroy Seek ‘N’ Strike Enterfaith One L.O.T.M. Brasil Tree Of Pain One Nation 9-11-01 Call To Arms Four Elements Soulfly III Sangue De Bairro Zumbi
PROPHECY Prophecy Living Sacrifice Execution Style Defeat U Mars I Believe Moses Born Again Anarchist Porrada In The Meantime Soulfly IV Wings
Soulfire Cangaceiro Ain’t No Feeble Bastard Possibility Of Life’s Destruction Chaos Soulfire I Will Refuse Under The Sun Tribe (Tribal Terrorism Mix) Quilombo (Zumbi Dub Mix) Umbabarauma (World Cup Mix) Terrorist (Total Destruction Mix) Berimbau Jam
In other Soulfly news, the band announced in January, that Fear Factory founding member and guitarist Dino Cazares had been tapped to join the band on the road for its winter/spring 2022 tour. The tour launched Feb. 7 in Las Vegas, NV and ran through March 19 in Gallup, NM.
Soulfly front man and founder Max Cavalera and his brother Iggor (who together also founded Sepultura) are now mapping out their tour performing two classic Sepultura albums, Beneath The Remains and Arise. The schedule for that tour is noted below.
When Soulfly hits the road for its latest tour next month, Dino Cazares will once again join the band.
Cazares, guitarist and founding member of Fear Factory was announced as a guest member of the lineup Monday. This will mark the second time since August 2021 that Cazares has joined the band’s touring lineup. Cazares replaced Marc Rizzo for that tour, which ran from Aug. 20-Sept. 24.
Soulfly’s upcoming tour is scheduled to launch Feb. 7 in Las Vegas, NV and to run through March 19 in Gallup, NM. It features performances in cities, such as Memphis, TN; Lombard, IL and Eugene, OR.
The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here.
Confirmed dates for SOULFLY‘s U.S. tour are: 2/07/2022 Las Vegas, NV – Rockstar Bar* 2/08/2022 Palmdale, CA – Transplants* 2/09/2022 Oxnard, CA – Oxnard PAC* 2/10/2022 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s* 2/11/2022 Santa Cruz, CA – Atrium 2/12/2022 Reno, NV. – Virginia Street Brewhouse* 2/14/2022 Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone* 2/15/2022 Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post* 2/16/2022 Eugene, OR – WOW Hall* 2/17/2022 Portland, OR – BossaNova Ballroom 2/18/2022 Seattle, WA – El Corazon* 2/19/2022 Tacoma, WA – Fawcett Hall at Alma Mater* 2/20/2022 Spokane, WA – Big Dipper* 2/21/2022 Spokane, WA – Big Dipper* 2/23/2022 Great Falls, MT – The Newberry # 2/24/2022 Billings, MT – Pub Station # 2/25/2022 Casper, WY – Gaslight Social # 2/26/2022 Greeley, CO – Moxi Theater % 2/28/2022 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium # 3/01/2022 Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze # 3/02/2022 Milwaukee, WI – Miramar Theater # 3/03/2022 Hobart, IN – Hobart Theater # 3/04/2022 Lombard, IL – Brauer House # 3/05/2022 Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live # 3/06/2022 Nashville, TN – Basement East # 3/08/2022 Memphis, TN – Growler’s # 3/09/2022 Little Rock, TX – Little Rock Music Hall # 3/10/2022 Oklahoma City, OK – Whiskey Nights % 3/11/2022 Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s % 3/12/2022 Ft. Worth, TX – Rail Club % 3/13/2022 Shreveport, LA – The Sand Bar % 3/15/2022 Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock % 3/16/2022 McAllen, TX – Cine El Rey Theatre % 3/17/2022 Laredo, TX – Cold Brew Rock Bar % 3/19/2022 Gallup, NM – The Juggernaut Music %
= Support TBD # = with 200 STAB WOUNDS % = No Support
Soulfly’s as-yet-untitled new album was produced by Arthur Rizk (Cavalera Conspiracy, Go Ahead and Die, Code Orange). The follow-up to 2018’s Ritual, its release date and other information is under consideration.
More information on Soulfly’s new tour and next record is available along with all of Soulfly’s latest news at:
Starset premiered the lyric video for its latest single this week.
The band premiered the lyric video for its new single, ‘Earthrise’ Thursday. The song is the third from the band’s forthcoming album, Horizons, which is scheduled for release Oct. 22 through Fearless Records.
The band premiered the lyric video for the album’s second single, ‘Leaving This World Behind’ late last month. Its premiere was preceded by that of the video for the album’s lead single, The Breach’ in early September.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Earthrise’ is similar to that featured in ‘The Breach.’ There is a heavy, but controlled melodic industrial/electronic sense to the arrangement in other words. At some points, audiences can make comparisons to works from the likes of Breaking Benjamin and at others, to works from any number of emocore bands. The song’s industrial elements meanwhile conjure thoughts of Ice Nine Kills and Fear Factory together in one. The whole gives the arrangement a unique identity that will keep audiences engaged and entertained.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the press release announcing the lyric video’s premiere. In reading the lyrics, which are presented in the video’s lower right hand corner (as with the lyric video for the band’s previous single), audiences are left to infer that the song is a heavy ballad of sorts. It sounds like a person declaring his or her love for that other person.
In other news, Starset is scheduled to launch a tour in November in support of Horizons. The tour is scheduled to launch Nov.3 in Asheville, NC and to run through Dec. 18 in Cleveland, OH. Stops in cities nationwide, such as Newport, KY; Dallas, TX and Nashville, TN are also featured in the schedule.
The band’s tour schedule is noted below. Tickets and VIP packages are available here along with the band’s current 2022 European tour schedule.
STARSET DEMONSTRATIONS: 11/3 — Asheville, NC — The Orange Peel 11/4 — Knoxville, TN — The Mill & Mine 11/5 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre 11/7 — Ft. Smith, AR — Temple Live 11/8 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues 11/9 — Houston, TX — House of Blues 11/10 — San Antonio, TX — House of Blues 11/13 — Daytona, FL — Welcome to Rockville* 11/14 — N. Myrtle Beach, SC — House of Blues 11/15 — Harrisburg, PA — HMAC 11/17 — Philadelphia, PA — Theatre of Living Arts 11/19 — Stroudsburg, PA — Sherman Theater 11/20 — Horseheads, NY — The L 11/21 — Portland, ME — Aura 11/23 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium 11/24 — New Haven, CT — Toad’s Place 11/26 — Columbus, OH — Express Live 11/27 — Newport, KY — Ovation 11/28 — Grand Rapids, MI — Intersection 11/30 — Bloomington, IL — The Castle Theater 12/1 — McKees Rock, PA — Roxian 12/3 — Buffalo, NY — Rapids Theater 12/4 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza 12/5 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring 12/7 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore Charlotte 12/8 — Nashville, TN — Brooklyn Bowl 12/10 — St Louis, MO — Delmar Hall 12/11 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee 12/12 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore Minneapolis 12/14 — Des Moines, IA — Wooly’s 12/15 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues 12/17 — Detroit, MI — Majestic Theatre 12/18 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues *Festival Date
Horizons‘ track listing is noted below.
HORIZONS TRACK LISTING: “UNVEILING THE ARCHITECTURE” “THE BREACH” “OTHERWORLDLY” “ICARUS” “EARTHRISE” “LEAVING THIS WORLD BEHIND” “DEVOLUTION” “ANNIHILATED LOVE” “ALCHEMY” “DISAPPEAR” “ENDLESS ENDEAVOR” “SYMBIOTIC” “DREAMCATCHER” “TUNNELVISION” “INFECTED” “SOMETHING WICKED”
More information on Starset’s new album, single, video, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Industrial rock band Society 1 will join Static-X on the road in the new year.
The band has been tapped as one of many well-known bands that will serve as support on Static-X’s upcoming “Rise of the Machine North American Tour 2022.” The announcement was made in a press release distributed Wednesday.
The band’s time on the tour is scheduled to run from the tour’s launch, Feb. 21 in Portland, OR to Feb. 27 in Sacramento, CA. The group’s scheduled run on the tour is noted below.
Tour Dates:
02/21 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater 02/22 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox 02/23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater 02/24 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory 02/25 – Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert Hall 02/26 – Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse 02/27 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
Also on the bill for the tour are the likes of Dope, Fear Factory, and Mushroomhead. Twizted is also scheduled to join the tour on specific dates.
The “Rise of the Machine North American Tour 2022” is to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of Static-X’s Gold-certified album, Machine. The band is expected to re-issue that album soon after the tour’s launch as part of that anniversary celebration.
Society 1 front man Matt Zane said in a prepared statement, he is looking forward to joining the tour.
“I’ve known and toured with most of these guys in these amazing bands for 20-plus years,” said Zane. “It’s unreal we’re all getting together in 2022 and still doing it. Really looking forward to getting back out there in support of the new album that [late bassist] DV [Karloff] and I wrote together.”
Speaking of Karloff, he passed in May of this year. He was 48 years old. Karloff joined the band in 2003 and left in 2018, just after the release of Society 1’s then latest album, Rise From The Dead (2017). No cause of death has been announced since that time.
According to comments from Zane, Society 1’s current lineup will pay tribute to Karloff throughout the band’s upcoming tour. It is just part of the way in which the band plans to pay tribute to Karloff, too. The band has released a tribute to Karloff through its official YouTube channel.
The tribute, which runs just over an hour, features interviews with the likes of Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Raymond Herrera (ex-Fear Factory), and Skum Love among many others.
More information on Society 1’s upcoming run on the “Rise of the Machine North American Tour 2022” and the band’s upcoming album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Fear Factory has been in the news quite a bit this year. Early last month, it was announced that founding member and guitarist Dino Cazares had joined Soulfly for its latest tour in place of Marc Rizzo. That announcement was followed up with the release of the new companion piece to the band’s latest album, Aggression Continuum. The companion piece in question is the isolated instrumental tracks from that album. Why the band would go that route is a headscratcher when audiences can hear the instrumentals just as clearly in the original album. Speaking of the album, the 10-song record was released June 18 through Nuclear Blast Records. The 48-minute collection is an interesting addition to the band’s extensive catalog. That is due in large part to the album’s featured lyrical content, which will be discussed shortly. The musical arrangements that feature alongside the album’s lyrical content make for more interest and will be discussed a little later. The production that went into this record rounds out its most important elements. When it is considered along with the album’s content, the collective items make the album maybe not the band’s best work, but still worth hearing at least once.
Fear Factory’s most recent album, Aggression Continuum, is a mostly successful offering from the band. Not knowing whether the band will continue now that former front man Burton C. Bell (whose vocals are featured in the record) and founding member Dino Cazares was recently announced as part of Soulfly’s current lineup, it is a positive potential final offering from the band. The album’s success comes in this record, primarily through its lyrical themes. The lyrical content in this case is actually quite different from that featured in the band’s existing catalog. While so much of the band’s catalog focuses largely on the issue of technology taking over the planet, this album seems less focused on that matter. Right from the album’s opener, ‘Recode,’ the album seems more focused on general defiance and belief in self than on technology’s role in mankind’s fate. Bell – again he recently parted ways with the band – goes so far as to sing in the song’s chorus, “Why deny life you dream about/Why deny your dream?” Considering comments that Bell shared in recent interviews about his time with Fear Factory, audiences are left to wonder if these statements are somewhat autobiographical. The mention of a generation being “left behind” and the encouragement to “open your eyes” serves even more, to bring about that sense of defiance. It is a statement about taking control of one’s life. That overarching theme continues through the album’s first few tracks just as clearly, too.
On a separate note, ‘Manufactured Hope’ takes the band in another direction, though one that is still familiar within the hard rock and metal community. In this case, Bell seems to take on the issue of religious hypocrisy. This is inferred he Bell directly sings in the song’s chorus, “I am hypocrisy of faith/I will not believe/My mind will never be enslaved/I will not believe.” His call of “ignore the facts in front of you/Deny the logic and the truth/Conform to mediocrity/You know it’s manufactured hope” in the song’s second verse serves just as much to infer the noted message. He goes on to go so far as to note, “Faith is a weapon and a tool/Creating manufactured hope” makes the noted message seem even more the case. Again, this is slightly new territory for Fear Factory, but not for the hard rock and metal communities. That Bell and company would again, show that willingness to try something new at least for itself as a group, is welcome even in its larger familiarity.
‘End of Line’ meanwhile takes the band back to more familiar ground while also taking it in a slightly different direction again. In this case, the song comes across lyrically as a sociopolitical statement about the state of the world today. This is inferred right from the song’s lead verse and chorus as Bell sings, “Avoid the bloody streets/We’re living in domestic war/Gunmen in uniform/Murdering innocents at your door/This can’t be real/Assault on my senses/Depriving me of sanity/Fractured/Damned images/Praying for the final reckoning/End of life/End of time/End of line.” The seeming message continues in the song’s second verse in which Bell sings, “Beaten to crush my soul/To silence me in shackled chains/Your lies like gasoline/Living every day in tragedy.” All of this comes across as a commentary of sorts on police brutality. That is just this critic’s interpretation. It is inferred through the mention of armed gunmen at the door. It conjures thoughts of what law enforcement officers did to Brianna Taylor. The images being seen are in fact still damning. It and so much more leaves many praying for the final reckoning. The matter of being “beaten to crush my soul/To silence me in shackled chains” points even more toward the matter of police brutality, especially considering this year’s headlines. Again, this is all this critic’s interpretation. If in fact that is the case, then it is another example of how Fear Factory on this album, really strayed from its own norm and opted instead for something more widely accessible, lyrically speaking. When it is considered along with the other lyrical themes noted here and the rest of the album’s lyrical themes, the whole makes clear why the album’s lyrical themes are so important to its presentation. They are just a part of what makes the album interesting. The musical arrangements that accompany the record’s lyrical themes are more familiar from the band and add to the record’s success.
While the lyrical content featured throughout Fear Factory’s new album finds the band seemingly move into new territory, the record’s musical arrangements keep the band in familiar territory. From beginning to end, audiences will find that the arrangements pull from various points in the band’s catalog. Right from the record’s outset, the band take audiences back to the sounds crafted for its 1998 album, Obsolete. As the album progresses, the arrangements are more akin to works from The Industrialist, Genexus, and Archetype. Simply put, the arrangements that are featured throughout the album are everything that audiences have come to expect from Fear Factory from one song to the next. To that end, they will appeal easily to the band’s established audience base, and to more casual fans of the industrial metal realm. Keeping that appeal in mind along with the interest that the album’s lyrical themes are sure to generate, the collective content goes a long way toward making the album successful. Even with that in mind, there is still one more item to examine, that last being the record’s production.
The production that went into Aggression Continuum is important to examine because of how much is going on in each song. The guitars and bass, each of which were recorded by Cazares, are so heavy and rich. Bell’s vocals are just as powerful here as ever, too, as are the drums, which were handled by current drummer Mike Heller. Considering the energy in each composition and the richness of each line, it would have been so easy for the songs to get bogged down in themselves, but thankfully that did not happen. Rather, each line complimented the others. The result is a record whose presentation succeeds just as much for its aesthetic value as for its content. To that end, all things considered here make the album overall that much more certain of a success.
Fear Factory’s latest album, Aggression Continuum is a record that is certain to appeal mostly to the band’s established audiences, and just as much to casual industrial metal fans. That is proven in part through the record’s lyrical themes. The themes in question find the band seeming to go in a different direction at least for itself, than that for which it has been known. By contrast, the musical arrangements featured throughout the record are more familiar from one to the next. That familiarity, paired with the new direction taken in the song’s lyrical content, makes for plenty of interest here. When the record’s production is taken into consideration, it puts the finishing touch to the presentation, ensuring the noted engagement and entertainment for the mentioned audiences even more. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make the album a work that regardless of the band’s fate from here, is mostly a success.
Aggression Continuum is available now. More information on Fear Factory’s new record is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Approximately three months after the release of its latest album, Fear Factory has released a companion piece to that record.
The band released its new record, Aggression Continuum: The Instrumentals Friday through Nuclear Blast Records. The record follows the release of Aggression Continuum, which was released June 18 through Nuclear Blast Records.
Founding member and guitarist Dino Cazares talked about the new record through a video posted Friday to Metal Injection. The record is available to stream and download here.
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