I hated the original album of The Industrialist. Burton's vocals were weak, the drumming was not good. The production was all wring. It was one of the worst Fear Factory albums ever... worse than Digimortal or Transgression. It was such a huge let down, especially considering how excellent it's predecessor Mechanize was.
When the band said it was getting a complete re-master with re-recorded drums I was cautiously curious. The main problem I had with the original was that it sounded so impotent. Nothing hit with the power and authority that Fear Factory is known for. Outside of the excellent intro to the album and some very brief moments I found the entire affair to be a big waste of my time.
Re-Industrialized is essentially a rerecording of the original album. The drum machine has been replaced by the excellent drumming of Mike Heller. The guitars have been beefed up and have the tightness and control that I expect. The industrial elements have been beefed up as well. This is a HUGE boon, Fear Factory are at their absolute best when the electronics and metal are in symbiosis - this is what distinguishes them from other groups.
Outside of the obvious changes to the production, there are some small changes to songs as well. I think Virus of Faith is a bit faster than the original, if not it is certainly more intense. Disassemble hits harder than it ever did previously as well, there is a venom in Burton's voice that I don't think was present previously.
The band also included Enhanced Reality as an additional track. The song is possibly the best one on the album, and it's a huge shame it was left off before and the whole album is better for it.
Re-Industrialized is quite a large step up from the original release. The album is also incredibly back loaded, with the last three to four songs being some of my favorites on the album. The band also threw in five bonus tracks on side D as a nice bonus. This is how you do a re-release of a sub par album and bring it up to the standards set by previous releases.
No comments:
Post a Comment