I was introduced to Fear Factory when i was in high school. I was a relative newcomer to the world of heavy metal, with natural starting points of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, etc, but hadn't expanded much farther yet. Then i became friends with another metal fan in marching band, and he brought me on board with (among others) Cannibal Corpse and Fear Factory.
Fear Factory's (then latest) album Demanufacture grabbed me *immediately*. First hook was the machine-gun drumming synchronized perfectly with fast guitar riffing (i'd never heard anything like it before, and being a drummer myself i was particularly amazed at the speed and precision). Then the angry vocals. And finally, the melodies and lyrics. Songs about rising up against oppression, dealing with anger & isolation, man vs machine - perfect content for an angry, misunderstood teenager.
I soon picked up their debut, Soul of a New Machine (and practically mainlined the album), as well as the EP, Fear is the Mindkiller. By the time their next album, Obsolete, dropped, i had their entire catalogue in heavy rotation. I also had the pleasure of seeing them play live a few times (once at Ozzfest '97, once as the main support for Slayer in '98).
As the years went on, i meandered through different musical spaces, sometimes spending months or even years away from metal. But i kept coming home to metal, and especially to "Demanufacture" (even though i'd otherwise lost track of Fear Factory during the 2000s). Some of my other favorite albums from high school feel flat or played out now, but Demanufacture still feels as fresh and powerful as ever. I can still spin it end-to-end and never get bored. It is a *flawless* album; easily on my top 10 list of all-time favorites.
So when Fear Factory announced that they'd be celebrating the 20 (!) year anniversary of Demanufacture by playing the entire album straight through on tour, i knew i had to go. I made a pact with a good friend (another huge FF fan) - we'd each go solo to the FF shows in our respective towns, and then compare/contrast our experiences.
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I arrived at Slim's around 20h30, so i'd missed OmniKage's set (new band from Italy; the first of the four bands on the bill). I've grown to find large bills tiring (for me, 3 bands is ideal), but i'd enjoyed the little of OnmiKage's music i'd heard, so i was bummed to have missed them. Hopefully will catch them another time.
I found a spot on the main floor to watch the screen and wait for the next band. Slim's pulls down a screen in front of the stage between sets and projects music videos and clips from classic movies & tv shows for attendees to watch while waiting. Very nice touch. Also interesting because the soundsystem plays whatever the crew has on, so it's always an interesting juxtaposition. Tonight the mix included clips from Evil Dead 2, an old Wonder Woman episode, and Reservior Dogs - with a heavy metal mix coming out the speakers. At one point there was some 80s pop video on top of a Motorhead song.
Screen up, lights off, Spades and Blades. These guys have huge energy on stage and a solid sound, but don't quite strike my fancy. Part of the problem was that the mix was awful; could barely hear anything other than bass and vocals. But moreover, i just don't enjoy hardcore very much. These guys blend in some metalcore elements as well, but overall it's not my cup of tea.
Also, the frontman (like many others) kept demanding mosh pits and circle pits for every song, which i find annoying. I love me a good mosh pit, but i'm a purist - it has to happen organically. As the frontman, you can get away with asking for a pit maybe once or twice during your set, but not every five minutes.
On the other hand, i did enjoy a moment near the end of their set where he followed up the requisite "Is anybody here to see SOILWORK? And how about FEAR FACTORYYYY?" with a genuine, "We want to thank these guys for bringing us out on tour, and treating us like *family* for the past six weeks." I've heard some horror stories about opening bands getting treated badly on tour, so i'm always glad to hear when bands have good experiences and are treated well by the headliners. Overall, props to these guys for going all out for their set.
Next up was Soilwork. I was familiar with some of their older work, but lost track of them after the early 2000s. They nailed their set too, but i lost focus halfway through. I just felt off, and wasn't able to rev it up without being familiar with the songs (also, the mix still wasn't very good). I did enjoy their performance of "Nerve" (great track from '05), and there was an awesome surprise when Chuck Billy from Testament (!!!) rolled up and joined them for a song. Fuckin' awesome. Also, i spotted the entire lineup from OmniKage rocking out near the front of the floor. It hit me - i (and most fans, i'd guess) view the bands on stage as famous rock stars, but it's easy to forget that newer bands like these kids grew up listening to the same legends that we did, and are genuinely excited to see them play live. I can only imagine how it feels to share a bill with these bands.
Anyway, Soilwork wrapped up their last song, and mentioned that they'd be back on a headlining tour this fall. Maybe i'll try to catch up on their newer work and come see them again; they really are a solid band. I grabbed a drink and staked out a good spot on the floor, watching the next round of video clips up on the screen.
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Finally, the lights went down, the audience roared, and the familiar intro of "Demanufacture" started up. Then the double-kick drumming that first ensnared me when i was 16 years old and never let go. Then Dino added his fast guitar riffing, and the excitement grew as the synth layers built up. Such an epic way to start a show (and an album). Starts decisively, and keeps building up. Burton stormed onto the stage, eased in with the opening lines, "Desensitized by the values of life..." as the crowd waited for the drop...then BAM! "REVENGE! SO STRONG! TASTE IT ON MY TONGUE!!!" I lost it - charged forward through the floor, singularized with the vortex, and ended up surprisingly close to the front. I was maybe 5 feet away from Burton, all of us screaming along with the lyrics. MAN that felt good.
Most of the Demanufacture playthrough is blurring together in my mind. I turned off deliberate thought and just surrendered to the sound and let the experience wash over me. I'll try to pull out some details:
"Self-Bias Resistor" was my #1 catharsis of the evening. Even though i've outgrown teenage rage and oppression, the song so perfectly captured those sentiments back then, my enjoyment & appreciation are hardcoded. Back then, it was so comforting - riffs/rhythm/lyrics that overwhelmingly expressed how i felt. So hearing the song now, played full-force to perfection (Burton & Dino went all out) brought back that feeling of relief that someone else "gets it".
During the intro of "Zero Signal", i stole an idea my friend had mentioned and yelled "MORTAL KOMBAAAT!". The crowd cranked it up and sang along as the band played this with fury. Next, they took it up another notch with "Replica", and then kept it going as Burton led us in chanting, "We! Are! The 'New Breed'! We! Are! The Future!" and launched into yet another fan favorite.
Which brought us to "Dog Day Sunrise". Solid performance, and a welcome chance to catch my breath after holding my ground against nonstop shoving and mosh pit ejectees. The energy level of the crowd mellowed out, with this slower, more atmospheric track after the intensity of the first five songs.
But then the energy level seemed to crash altogether during "Body Hammer". I'm guessing a lot of attendees were mostly just familiar with the hits, or the first half of Demanufacture. (Or just wanted fast songs to mosh to.) It's a solid track on the disc, but felt a little off in the live setting. They played the song well enough, but it seems like the room was collectively waiting for the next song to pick it back up.
Which "Flashpoint" did. Slow climb to rebuild the intensity, but by the time we got to "Lies sink in like gasoline!", the pit (such that it was) spun back up to an intense ending, collectively yelling "Damned! In Flames!" Back to 100% for "H-K (Hunter-Killer)", another crowd pleaser. It occurred to me that there are a lot of singalong/anthem passages on this disc, not the least of which is "I...AM...A CRIMINAL!"
[Sidebar: It's natural to wish for the original lineups of favorite bands, but life happens and lineups change. I had walls full of drummer posters and magazine tear-outs in my dorm rooms, including Raymond Herrera. But i have to say, Mike Heller is fucking rock solid, and forms a killer rhythm section with long-running metaler Tony Campos on bass.]
"Pisschrist" is one of my top 3 songs from the album, and seemed that the audience felt the same. Again, no coherent thought; i've been hooked on this riff & rhythm since the dawn of my heavy metal days, and i just rode the waves of pure energy of this live performance. I'd seen them play this one in concert before, but there's just no comparison to being on the front row with this song as the pinnacle of the full album played live.
By the time they got into "A Therapy For Pain", the audience was maxed out from the intensity of this experience. I definitely welcomed welcomed this slow, moody, atmospheric conclusion of the set and the album. As with the other highlights of the album, Burton *really* brought it - empathetically conducting the instrumentation with both arms, putting everything he had into his singing. [Side note - it amazes me that some of the best screamer/growlers also have fantastic singing voices. Burton has the dual-vocal gift, in good company with guys like Corey Taylor, Howard Jones, and Mikael Stanne.] The meat of the song wrapped up, and the band members left the stage and let the long outro of synthesizers & effects close out the set.
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Brief break with nonstop cheering & screaming, and it felt like no time at all before the band stormed back onto the stage and launched into "What Will Become?", snapping the audience back into action. I have mixed feelings about the Digimortal album, but they really drove this song home. Definitely taken up a notch when played live.
Next was "Archetype", my personal favorite from the transitional era. This was during my years away from the band, except for one highlight when i stumbled onto this song on a compilation disc, and remembered "Oh yeah, FEAR FACTORY!" Finally caught up with this album years later, after finding my way back to the band. Another fan favorite, everyone singing along with "OPEN YOUR EYES!"
The band didn't take a lot of breaks - especially in the first set, they powered through song after song (presumably because there's no introduction needed for what they were doing). But they broke for a minute here, and Burton said "We've been playing a lot of old songs tonight. Is anyone here familiar with our new album, 'Genexus'?" "YEAAAAH!" from the audience. "Well we appreciate that, since your support is what allows us to keep going. Do you guys want to hear some new songs?" "FUCK YEAH!"
With that, the band tore into a pair of brand new tracks. "Soul Hacker" showcases some of the nu elements from the Digimortal era, but is very hard hitting in a contemporary FF vein. "Regenerate" is just an amazing song, straight up; all of the best elements of Fear Factory, plus the added bonus of the live energy - definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
I think everyone knew what was coming next - the ultra-heavyweight one-two punch from Obsolete: "Shock" and "Edgecrusher". The audience was in an absolute frenzy at this point, jumping, thrashing, screaming along with the lyrics. During one of these two (i can't remember which), the guys from Spades and Blades came out on stage to dance & headbang, and their vocalist grabbed a spare mic and joined Burton on the chorus. Like family, indeed!
At this point i was so saturated with music and adrenaline, i barely understood what Burton was saying. But then the familiar grind/thrash intro started up, and my first thought was "Fuck, this is 'Martyr' - the show can't be over already!" I quickly recovered and thrashed out the song with the rest of the front row, screaming out when Burton held the mic out to us, "I GOT TO GET AWAYYYY!", and overflowing into oblivion one last time.
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The show concluded, the house lights came on, the background music started ("Never Gonna Give You Up" - the road crew Rockrolled us), and the floor started to drain. I stayed up on the boards, hoping for a high-five or maybe a pick. The band members made their exits, Dino tossed out a few picks, then folded the last setlist in half, tossed it out, and i GRABBED it out of the air! Half-expecting to get tackled for it, i crumpled it to my chest like a football and looked around, but it was all mine. A big, bearded fan standing behind me clapped me on the shoulder and said, "You deserve that, brother!" "Thanks!" i replied, then saw what shirt he was wearing and added "Cannibal Corpse, YEAH! That was my first death metal band!" So appropriate, since i was introduced to CC and FF in tandem, and both blew my mind wide open to the possibilities of heavy music.
I stopped by the merch booth to buy a copy of Genexus and a tour shirt. I'm so glad that merch booths have started stocking t-shirts in size small (and decent fabric quality to boot). Clutching my new cd, shirt, and setlist in both hands like a kid hauling buried treasure, i strode out the front door, headed to my car, and drove home. (Ended up driving over the bay bridge for the first time in my life. That felt appropriate too.)
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Conclusion: Absolutely rock-solid show from Fear Factory tonight. I came in with high hopes, and they not only delivered, but strenuously exceeded. Easily one of my all-time favorite concerts.
This show made me remember that it's important to support your favorite bands - especially their new material and shows - to make sure they're able to continue creating this music that means so much to us. I'm going back and buying all of their albums i don't already have, and i'll catch them on tour whenever they come around again. Looking forward to next time!
