Factory vocals again I Fear (Demanufacture - Fear Factory)

Member Name: mpeh

Product:	Demanufacture - Fear Factory
Date:	02/05/01 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Musical, nice keyboards and some sung vocal sequences

Disadvantages: Vocals are shouted like a lot of metal. Drmming is a little repetetive.

Right, at the start I have a confession to make: I am a metal fan. Now be aware of this when you read this review. I am a metal fan cos I like heavy guitar, heavy rumming, the type of music that GOOD metal bands do and the fact that lots of them really ARE musical. I do get incredibly pissed off at the dire and pointlessly screamed vocals a lot of bands exhibit in their music.

Right got that out of the way. This album combines the best things about Fear Factory and, unfortunately, all the worst things about them as well all paked into 11 tracks and 55 minutes. If you don't know Fear Factory then they're your typical metal band, long hair, black sleveless shirts with unintelligable designs and hair, or did I mention that? The first track, 'Demanufacture' starts with fast drumming, good fast drumming but fast drumming none the less. This continues pretty much until the final track. The vocals are, unfortunately, as and as I feared they might be, lots of horse shouting of unintelligable (probably a good thing) lyrics. On the other hand the thing that makes this one of my favourite heavy albums is the musicality. There are patches where various members of the band sing in almost choir like harony. Now don't get me wrong they aren't singing high but they are singing, it is musical and it does sound a hell of a lot better than them screaming. Oh and the wonderful drumming and heavy guitar (no sarcasm these really are strong elements of the album) is going on in the back ground.

Track one doesn't contain much of this but track two, 'Self Bias Resistor' does and as a consequence is a much better song. In general the tracks on the album are quite simialr but they differ enough that I can listen to the album right through without getting fed up. I'm not sure of the band's line up but there is certainly vocalist, lead and bass guitars and drummer but if there was keyboards or another guitar I wouldn't be surpr
ised. The guitars are heavily distorted but not so much that they (sorry track 3 ('Zero Signal') has just started and they definately have keyboard) where were we? oh yes: The guitars are not so distorted as to be silly or an unpleasant noise, they have that guitar sound but also the 'wall of noise' effect that makes them great. The drumming is good, it is fast though and so there isn't enough noticeable variation throughout the album. Listening to it now track 3 contains quite a lot of singing as well which works really nicely, be warned there is also enough shouting as well to almost spoil it.

Ok, track four 'Replica', I was wrong, there is quite a variation in the drumming, in the intros, once into the songs the drums fit the guitars brilliantly, the match is very close but I don't think anyone but the most die hard fan could tell you which track was which just from a snippet of drumming. This track also contains quite a lot of singing which really does make the song very good.

What really holds this album apart from the others by Fear Factory and others in the same genre is the noises like the keyboards and the singing, it's really musical. Now I know there are a lot (I should be so lucky like this'll get more than 10 reads) of people out there who'll go 'A metal album , musical, No' but in fact there is a lot of musical talent in the metal world and Fear Factory evidently have their fair share. The keyboard is used as a kind of background noise providing chords and washes to push te music in one or another direction, kind of like the background strings in an orchestra providing a swelling noise which pushes the main noise (the guitars in this case) in one or another direction.

This album isn't really similar to anything else I've heard. It has a peculiar and unique mixture of guitar and drums that could come from another album and slow singing which isn't really placeable
and the keyboards chords which are more like something you might hear on a good Paradise Lost track. Having now progreesed my way, skipping, through more of the cd I'd say that most tracks contain the element of keyboards and sung vocals which make them pretty good, only the first one doesn't really have that and even track one as it's redeeming features, like it rocks and you find yourself moshing to it without realising.

Right, to be honest the real point of this review was to review the last track on the album, 'A Therapy For Pain' which weighs in at a whopping 9.45. It starts with washy slow keyboard chord based riff which is then picked up by the guitars and played nicely for a while with slow drumming not overdone. When the vocals start after about a minute they are sung and teh 'chorus' is another layered singing affair with a lot of voices in what I guess are over recorded harmony. In general what makes ths track the best on the album is the fact that it is slower, it doesn't rely on crazy drumming, the vocals are sung well and the general quality musically is higher as a result. The tune is clever and much deeper than the rest of the cd and if the song had to be classified it'd probably be goth metal or black metal like My Dying Bride although it's nothing like that. There are some nice sound effects and some really good atmospheric thigns done with the guitars and keyboards. The most important thing about this track is probably that all the vocals are sung,that's right; no screaming, no shouting, no voice box ripping and no... anyway you get teh picture. Much better for it.

A good cd but it still has all the problems that makes a lot of metal annoying, the vocals. It does redeem itself with a lot of tracks, especially the last one, even if the playout is a little too long. 4/5.

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