April 24, 2001

Fear Factory : Digimortal

Grunty techno-goths, like, rokk fukken hard

6 / 10 Men and machines, who needs 'em? A chauvinist might say women. But what of your favourite cyber-meninblack, Fear Factory? Well, they've come to a profound conclusion: remove one and the other won't survive. So they've constructed a near-concept album 'Digimortal' (geddit?) which, like, combines digital sonics with, sort of, real blokes doing vocals and guitars... and that. The future may be unwritten but it seems that'll never stop gangs of hairy, hoary haddocks from having a go.

So how in God's name does such philosophical pondering (choice excerpt: "Time has given us no reason to live") end up sounding like old Metallica records remixed by airborne right-winger Gary Numan? Lads, capturing that biology/technology interface is gonna take more than getting
B-Real to rage unconvincingly through 'Back The Fuck Up' or soaking primeval guitar rifforama in tons of computer kick-drum thuds ('What Will Become'). But, to confess, FF still rokk fukken hard. And, with some lustrous vocal melodies (see title track) coupled with ruck-worthy rhythms popping through the grunty mush, they certainly maintain an air of metal majesty when at their best. Now, to lose those doomsday gothic affectations...

Darren Johns

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