Fear Factory's laters Obsolete is anything but

Obsolete

Fear Factory

Fear Factory's most recent release, Obsolete, is by far their best work to date. They seem to grow more mature with every album. While Demanufacture was slightly calmer than their previous album, The Soul of a New Machine, it is considered by most to be an improvement.

Well folks, Fear Factory has far outdone even Demanufacture this time. Every song on this album gives a different look into the tormented souls of the members of the band, while unfolding an album-long short story about machines taking over the world. With insane head-pounding songs like "Edgecrusher," "Shock," "Hi-Tech Hate," and "Securitron," Fear Factory keeps its crazed, wall-banging fans happy, despite the fact that Raymond Herrera toned it down a bit with his basslines. They accomplish this while displaying their new-found eclectic style in songs like "Resurrection," which combines Burton C. Bell's steely yet melodic voice with the nasty riffs and power chords of Dino Cazares' seven-string, in an amazing display of song-writing genius. Fear Factory even shows a mellow, compassionate side as they conclude their pessimistic, machines-ruling-man tale with the emotional song "Timelessness," which is accompanied by a string arrangement.

The album's jacket includes a story-line, which fills in the missing details of the plot between the song lyrics. This album is Fear Factory's greatest creation to date, and is a must-have for any collector of heavy metal or industrial.