Fear Factory - Genexus

Has been a while since I checked for fear factory so I was pleased when I randomly heard this in the gym last week. I know im a bit late on it but what an awesome album!

Burton C Bell's transhuman/terminator obsession is more relevant now than ever. The drums and riffage are just as sick and tight as they always were and they still have the strange 80s pop synth stuff running through it that weirdly holds it all together. I think it might be the best stuff they've put out since demanufacture.

Anyway, here's the title track..

youtu.be...

There was some John Lee Hooker playing at the same time I listened to this. I think I have stretch marks on my brain now. Maybe some Amy Winehouse will massage my aching ears.

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

My ears are Anodized.

The sound hasn't changed much over the years but the they are the kings of the metal concept album.

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
I think it might be the best stuff they've put out since demanufacture.

I don't know if I would go that far. It's certainly better than its predecessor, The Industrialist. And it's light years ahead of the 2 albums they did without Dino but I think Mechanize is a lot better than Genexus. Maybe it's the snob in me, but I much prefer Fear Ffactory when they go into the studio as a band and use a real drummer even though they're going to sample and replace all of the drums in huge end. Gene Hoglan on Mechanize was every bit as good as, and perhaps even better than, Ray Herrera.

On The Industrialist they programmed all the drum parts to save money and the final product showed the shortcomings of that error. Genexus is definitely better than its predecessor but the intermixed use of multiple drummers along with programmed drums just left a sour taste in my mouth. My biggest complaint though is that while they're a great studio band, live... They just can't pull it off.

Dino is a machine but Burt is a whole different story. I was really embarrassed for them when I saw them in 95 and the ADAT machine with the backup tracks went down mid set. You could instantly hear the difference between how they actually sounded vs. how they wanted you to think they sounded. The theme of technology and man being intertwined isn't just used for thematic back drop of their albums, it's an essential part of their live show too, to their detriment. Without the triggers, the drums sound like ass, the guitars weren't a lot better and the vocals were horrendous.

I worked for them once in 94 when they toured with Sepultura, Fudge Tunnel and Clutch and even back then, while still touring on Soul of a New Machine, it was like that just to a lesser extent. Don't get me wrong... They put on a great show and were great to deal with and cool as hell to the fans and Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture are 2 of my favorite albums of all time. It just bums me out that a band I looked up to 20 years ago relies to much on the technological aspects of recording and fail to properly translate that to a live setting.

But like I said, it's probably just the snob in me. I still record to analogue tape and go out of my way to make sure everything we are writing is able to be played live before I go near the studio whereas FF take a different approach and write a batch of really good songs and then after they're done recording they figure out which ones they can play live. Apples and Oranges I guess. Dino and Burt need to get off their high horses and get at least Ray involved again because I think that's the missing ingredient... A drummer who's is integral to and a part of the songwriting process. It's what Genexus and The Industrialist are lacking in my opinion.

a reply to: peter vlar

That's a cool insight, have heard mixed views on their live show over the years but I can see how it would be difficult to pull off. I hear you on using a real drummer too, Herrera was an absolute beast. Do you have stuff I can listen to?

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

Yeah, I sent you a PM with a link from a recent show. I'm pulling up a couple of demos and studio tracks right now as well

a reply to: peter vlar

Nice one man, sounds good! I'll be buying the ep when payday rolls around.

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

Thanks, that means a lot! I appreciate the feedback.


ETA the EP is free to download. Just put in $0 for the price. I'd rather people have the music and share it with others that might be into it than bag people for a couple of dollars here and there.