Review: Fear Factory - The Industrialist

 You have to admit, Fear Factory are a pretty underrated band in all circles of metal as we know it. Their wide range of influences has made their take on metal truly unique as they've brought together elements of industrial, groove, thrash and death metal to combine in a steel cocktail of metallic beauty. Even with a wide influence on the likes of Machine Head, Chimaira and Devin Townsend, they still remain relatively unknown when put in comparison to the bands they've gone on to inspire. Which is a sham because even after two split ups, lineup changes and a lifetime of watching bands that they've inspired grow bigger than them, their eighth release The Industrialist shows them to be sounding as strong as ever.

 Fear Factory's winning formula of mixing the most chilling and awe-inspiring industrial backdrops with the most intense and teeth-rattling heaviest of metallic grooves with sci-fi based imagery and concepts returns on The Industrialist, and returns more beefed up and sterile than ever. Basically, there isn't a moment on the album that isn't completely breathtaking, able to captivate and spark listeners minds in the warm beauty of the industrial moments or able to make the same heads rattle with delirious acceleration to the monstrous riff-athons.
 Seriously, Dino Cazares effortlessly proves why he's received a nomination for best guitarist in this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and is really causing me deeply think of wether voting for Mr. Townsend was such a good idea after all. The brutality of his machine gun riffs and breakdowns heard in... fuck it, the entire album wonderfully display Fear Factory's ability to craft groove metal with the tightness and intricacy that only manages to escalate the soul crushing heaviness of the music. The tightness of Cazares' riffing is especially complimented by admittedly programmed drumming, which increases the strength and steely intensity of the entire album performance.
 Admittedly, Fear Factory is all about Cazares seven-string pummeling and it definitely serves as the driving force on The Industrialist, but it is severely complimented by the monolithic growls and genuinely touching and awe-inspiring melodic vocals of Burton C. Bell, who emphasizes the brutality of God Eater and the beauty of New Messiah with this varying vocal range.
 The band's use of synthesizers and backdrops still remains as dynamic and captivating as ever. As the graceful tint of Depraved Mind Murder and Virus of Flesh add a extra charm to the song, the extra suspense added to the song also sets up the gripping science fiction element to their music effortlessly. While the backdrop of Religion is Flawed Because Man is Flawed emits a sense of absolute tragedy which leads to the mass collection of industrial soundscapes of closer Human Augmentation, one of the most haunting moments in metal so far this year.
 With the album serving up a concept that eventually leads to the demise of man, the crushing heaviness of The Industrialist is recklessly suitable for the entire album. Whether it be through the furious riffing of Dino Cazares, the fronting performance of Burton C. Bell that sets up a wide emotional impact just as the range of immense industrial backdrops do, there's such an immense level of heaviness poring from this album musically and emotionally, there's little doubt that this is one of the band's strongest efforts. And if they remain as underrated and overlooked as they have until now, it will surely be one of the biggest metallic atrocities in recent years.

 Fear Factory's The Industrialist is out now via Roadrunner. The band will play at the Underworld in London on 7th June and will play at Download Festival at Donnington Park, Derby on 8th June.