Search - Fear Factory :: Soul of a New Machine

Big God of this Earth...

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 11/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I hate most death metal with a passion, but this album is something else. I already had Obsolete and Digimortal before I got this, and I wasn't so sure about getting this because most people on this site say they're so different and you "might not be able to handle it". DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! Although this is a different style, and it's more death metalish, this is much better quality than any of the aforementioned FF albums. Unlike usual death metal, this has singing vocals as well as the usual low growling, some dance beats, and movie samples. It doesn't have as much industrial influence as others say, but there still is some. The double drums also actually stop during some portions of the album. Note- These songs are a lot better if you look at the lyrics while you listen.Here's what I think of the tracks-THE FIRST HALF OF THE ALBUM (THE GOOD HALF)1) Martyr (10/10) Very good opener. The spoken verse at the start is creepy and cool. There's a section about halfway through where the music stops and he sings "Suffer, bastard" repeatedly and I love it.2) Leechmaster (9/10) Good song, but overrated. About a relationship. There's some awesome singing in the background of the "I loved you once, now go away" is you listen closely.3) Scapegoat (10/10) The riff to this purely nu-metal. It uses the same 3 chords, and it could have been one of the things that influenced Korn. This song is totally awesome, I love everything about it, especially the awesome singing in the bridge.4) Crisis (11/10) My favorite death metal track ever recorded, and that includes all of Opeth. An anti-war song with movie samples. The chorus is one of the highlights of the album "Not my war, soldiers marching on".5) Crash Test (8/10) Not quite as cool as the first 4, has some decent riffage and lyrics. No singing. About scientific experiments done on animals.6) Flesh Hold (9/10) I don't particularly like most of this song "Wasted life, TASTED!", but the "I want more life, f--ker" sample is AWESOME!7) Lifeblind (11/10) One of my favorites on the album. Kind of sounds like trashy death metal chaos (with a happier mood) until the chorus, but once the chorus hits, the crowded riffage and drumming ends and they mix screams and singing together, which is another highlight of the album "ALL! (scream) is lost (singing), PAIN! (scream) is lost (singing)" Cool lyrics, very technical.8) Scumgrief (10/10) The song that convinced me that death metal could be good. More singing than the rest, a dance-ish beat, and a melancholy, depressing mood that is just plain awesome. One of the ones with industrial influence.9) Natividad (?/10) Don't know what to say, it's kind of just industrial noise.THE SECOND HALF OF THE ALBUM (THE INCONSISTENT BUT STILL HAS SOME GOOD SONGS HALF)10) Big God/Raped Souls (10/10) Fantastic. Screamed intro by Burton about the sad state America is in. Blasting riffage with singing in the background "Into the eyes of death...". Slower section where "Ah-ah" is mournfully sung. The end is just chaos.11) Arise Above Oppresion (5/10) I like the lyrics, but this kind of song is I don't like death metal. The first really bad song on the CD. Screaming over a blast beat and bad tempo changes. The singing at the start is cool, however, and I do think the 1st verse had potential.12) Self Immolation (11/10) Hell yeah! Death metal over a dance beat. Awesome all the way through. Scary mood "Self Immolation, crying out!". The guitar in the chorus is ingenious.13) Sufferage (7/10) Awesome creepy intro, but then explodes into another death metal thrash fest like "Arise Above Oppression". Lyrics aren't so great, same kind of trying-to-be-scary garbage death metal lyrics usually are. 14) W.O.E (Weight of Existence) (8/10) Good Lyrics, not really a thrash fest song, just not really memorable. I'm listening to it right now, and I guess the riff is cool and the "Drowning..." part is quite good.15) Desecrate (8/10) I suppose they suceeded in being menacing with their anti-religious ranting... Not too memorable either, except the "Fill the abyss, with your hatred, slaughter my child, before your eyes".16) Escape Confusion (9/10) Nice creepy intro again. Some singing. This half's equivalent of Leechmaster. The "Terror, terror..." part is cool. I like it.17) Manipulation (6/10) See "Arise Above Oppression" and "Sufferage". They could have chosen a much better closer.Overall, this album is great and was very innovative at the time of its release. Get it as soon as possible, even if you don't like death metal. If you're already an FF fan, don't stay away from it just because it's different from their other albums."

This Is What Death Metal Should Have Been...

Nicholas Alla Koholick | 11/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fear Factory, needless to say, have been one of the heavyweights in the metal scene for the past few years. They mixed death metal, thrash metal, grindcore, techno, industrial, hip-hop, electronica, orchestral music, and a ... stage show together to entertain fans and listeners alike for close to ten years. With the release of Concrete, now anyone can watch the transformation and growth of this phenomenal band over time. However, Soul Of A New Machine is an album that should be mentioned in its own right as a landmark album. Here's why:In 1992, death metal was still relatively new and unexplored. Bands such as Obituary(yikes), Deicide(ummm...), Cannibal Corpse(cough, cough), Death(sure), Morbid Angel(oh dear), and Napalm Death, were key players in this brutal form of underground music. Not much innovation had talen place. People were still trying to be faster and heavier than the next band, and it all kept getting elevated to the point of noise. Industrial was also being developed by Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. The idea of fusing the two was both crazy and ingenius. Fear Factory pulled it off.This album has demon growls, insane double bass, technical guitar, and a gutter production--all trademark of death metal in 1992. What set this apart was the abundance of dance beats, samples, lack of solos, and clean singing. Plus, the fact that it was accomplished with ONe guitar, ONE bass, and little to no vocal distortion was very odd. It was revolutionary. It scared people. Death metal fans were eager to see what this band would do...if only they knew...Many reviews here mention that the tracks are redundant. Duh, it's death metal! It is slightly better than Obsolete, but Digimortal beats it by a long shot. Eardrum-piercing mayhem does grow tiresome, but never boring. ... Speaking of Dino, on this album, his guitar is a lot crunchier than on others. I have yet to find an equally crunchy album. Not to mention that Raymond is also awesome here. His blastbeats are great, and he never overuses the double-kick. Bell is awesome as usual. He loses the growl soon, and that's good, but I really like the way he sings on this album. It beats Obsolete and Digimortal's wailing by a mile.Key tracks are "Scapegoat," "Big God/Raped Souls," "Crash Test," "Self-Immolation," "Crisis," "Scumgrief," "Desecrate," "Martyr," and "Manipulation". "Natividad" is a minute-long industrial tribute to Dino Cazares's late father, and provides a nice intro to track 10. Many signs here point to what was to come on Demanufacture. That album is a classic. This is a major-label debut. A salute to a great band. .."

If you thought "Demanufacture" was heavy...

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 10/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The follow up to this album, 1995's "Demanufacture," was very heavy, but it wasn't an unabashed, full speed ahead death metal album, like this one. Maybe Fear Factory were struggling to find a sound of their own, or maybe they wanted to make their first album a death metal album so they could show their evolution as a band. Whatever the case, those who are new to Fear Factory will probably find it hard to believe that the same band that made a C.D. like "Digimortal" also made "Soul of a New Machine" (and "Concrete"). Yes, they actually were (at one time) this heavy! This C.D. has nothing but pounding riffs, blinding drums, and very mean (almost monstrous) vocals.



Some songs (i.e. the multi-speed "Scapegoat" and "Scumgrief") feature clean, backing vocals, but most of this album is skull crushing. "Martyr" builds from whispering/growling to bellowing; tracks like "Crash Test" and "Lifeblind" have fast, pounding riffs and heavy, thumping drums, whereas "Flesh Hold" is so thrashy, it could pass for an old-school Sepultura song. "Big God/Raped Souls" and "Arise Above Oppression" are short, explosive blasts, "Leechmaster" and "Suffer Age" show case Raymond's great drum work with lightning fast blast beats, and, finally, "Manipulation" has buzzsaw guitars and drums.



Their debut may not be a good place to start if you're new to Fear Factory (because it's not a good representation of the band), but it shows they have really come a long ways in just over a decade. And if you don't enjoy Fear Factory's later works, like "Digimortal" and "Transgression," (or if you think "Demanufacture" is their best album,) you should definitely check into "Soul of a New Machine."Also recommended to fans '80's Sepultura, Deicide, and the like."