Style: Industrial metal, death metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Man vs. machine, fear, the decline of mankind
Thoughts: Let me tell you of the story of those who came before. The heralds of the warning against the machines. They called themselves Fear Factory - little did they know how accurate that title would be after the worlds demise.
They were prophets of the war against the machines, those that would now rule this land. They saw the dangers before anyone else and warned us all... but we we're all fools. We embraced the robots and AI as only imbeciles would, we gave them everything - and now we lie here in the wastes. Humanity in shambles... extinct.
The Factory of Fear offered guidance and warning against the great enemy. The mighty Oxidizer was spoken of before the world was lit ablaze. They warned of the Fear Campaigns and their insatiable lust for power and domination over mankind. They warned of the Powershifter and its incredible precision when it came to the dealing of death. We we're all fools, for we did not listen.
~Anno 2153, The Nameless Chronicler
Mechanize was a big deal for me when it released. Dino was back, Byron was still on bass and they got fucking Gene Hoglan on drums. This may have been the best lineup that the band ever had (no offense to Raymond, but Gene is an objectively better drummer).
I remember when I first put the album in my CD player, when the bass drop hit at the beginning of the title track I knew that the band had returned to form. The previous album had been less than stellar, and I was hoping that the renewed lineup would be a welcome change. It was.
Not only is the music tighter than it ever has been, Burton's vocals sound in top form (at least in the studio). Better than Obsolete, his previous high water mark. He has this weight and power to his voice that comes through in places like the end of Oxidizer or the title track. He has p o w e r coming from his growls... and I do feel confident in calling them growls on this album. They are not the controlled shouts that he had previously, this is almost back to Soul of a New Machine.
At this point it's been long enough that I can call Mechanize my favorite Fear Factory album. Demanufacture will still be a special album for me, but this one is the best.
Written September 7th 2023
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