"FF decided to release a remix album of "Demanufacture". Hearing new versions from the excellent "Demanufacture" seems great, but the result is quite disturbing: the tracks were remixed by many "techno celebrities" who all have their style. This album is therefore incoherent, ranging from boring factory noises, to gabber (ultra hardcore techno), to quite good tracks. Track 6 is my favorite. Fatboy Slim, Junkie XL and others worked on this album. It's great to innovate, but it's a bit too experimental for me!"
Second "Cloned" Album: Industrial-Metal Meets Techno
03/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For a band that pooh-poohs technology somewhat (read the bit in the booklet), Fear Factory has turned out a fabulous second "cloned"/remix album, taking their earlier CD, "Demanufacture," and having various artists (like Junkie XL and Rhys Fulber) remix several of their songs. The turnout is quite good. While Fear Factory is basically an industrial-metal band, throw some hip-hop/electronica/techno beats in, and they still have their edge, which is probably a big relief to Fear Factory fans who may be a little apprehensive about crossing the line into electronica. Not to worry. "Remanufacture" is a full-throttle energy boost, though a couple of the last tracks on here can be considered very mild and ambient-like. Take "Bound For Forgiveness," for instance--an eerie track that sounds perfect at night--or "Refinery," a well-named track with great background noises. Close your eyes and you can almost imagine being in a refinery, the sound quality's that good. Besides these two, most of the remaining tracks are loud and fast, the kind of music I love listening to while I exercise.A few tracks worth mentioning are "Remanufacture" (the same-named track as the album, which has a twin version on track 13; neither is really radio-friendly, even though the second one is referred to as the edited version), "Genetic Blueprint" (a favorite), "Bionic Chronic" (a 33-second "answering machine" track), "T-1000" (ideal for the bass-hungry crowd, though it gives me a headache after awhile; it's a bit monotonous), and "21st Century Jesus" (another favorite; this one can almost be lumped in with the aforementioned slower tracks, but it picks up tempo after awhile; great guitars).Overall, "Remanufacture" is a first-rate combination of metal and techno. It's a good example of how remix albums should sound--using electronica to enhance tracks, not to take away a band's aggression or warp tracks into unrecognizably softer songs. "Remanufacture" is definitely worth a listen if you're a Fear Factory fan."
Remanufacture
Scott Newman | Canada | 12/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Remanufacture album was the next level of remixes following Fear is the Mindkiller. If you have an open mind and enjoy something different from the normal metal then Remanufacture is an album to own."
Interesting idea...
digireplica | Nanaimo | 10/04/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Although this is an interesting idea, it doesn't quite work. I'll admit first off I'm not a fan of remixes for the most part, so maybe I'm biased. For some reason, Fear Factory sought to have every song (with the exception of Dog Day Sunrise, since it's a cover) from the jewel-case version of Demanufacture remixed. Sometimes it works out good, such as Genetic Blueprint (New Breed), Remanufacture (Demanufacture) and Cloning Technology (Replica). But these tracks are really the only things worth listening to on this album, unless you're a remix freak. I don't recomend this album except for the most diehard of Fear Factory completists, like myself."