Written by Brian Furman, July 3, 2016, at 2:51 p.m.
I’m not sure what defines heavy metal. I like to think that there is “heavy” metal, and then there is the, face melting, machine-gun double bass, machinery sound of Fear Factory’s defining record Demanufacture.
Released in 1995, the 11 song massacre on the senses is unreal, and left a blueprint for future “nu-metal” bands to come, albeit none come close. Some just don’t get how important the record was in terms of the precision double bass of drum whiz Raymond Herrera, and the way drop tunings of Dino Cazares’s guitar and bass mirror the drums blast beats.
Burton C. Bell’s vocals grunt their way to actual singing of the chorus’s, but even then they sound like they are sung during an exorcism adding a mystique and otherworldliness to the records vibe. All that to say that the album was way ahead of its time, and needs to be discussed on a larger level.
The album is said to be inspired by The Terminator films, and is conceptual speaking in reference to a man’s struggles against a machine-controlled government. The sci-fi album cover artwork, eerily similar to a metallic spinal cord, cements this home.
The album as a whole moves fast and offers the listener a cold, and hollow sound paralleling the narrative of the record. There is a stark industrial layers utilizing loops and synths to bring about periphery sounds on a few choice songs that take multiple listens to sort out, but again adds to the overall alien signature of the album.
The title song “Demanufacture” sets the record in motion with the chill of metal in the veins.
“Self Bias Resistor” takes on a warring faction of double bass needling through the harsh guitars with Bell’s graveled voice in tandem with the clean vocals.
Lead single “Replica” is a bloody pop song on speed with a brick wall of a chorus.
“New Breed” is a straight metal classic.
“Dog Day Sunrise” could be a distorted version of a Doors song.
“Body Hammer” drops the bass in a metal song before it was cool.
“Flashpoint” is just angry, and so on… Until the last song “A Therapy For Pain” turns the record on its head with an over nine-minute opus slowing down the rapid beating heart of the monster.
The record was hailed by critics when it was released and has gone onto land on some “Best of” all time metal records. There is a definite struggle between organic textures, and machine-like layers over the top, with an almost pop sensibility that comes out in the wash.
It’s easy to hum the songs when you’re bored. The music showcases a shift into a new form of metal in the mid-90s, and should be required listening for those wanting a “heavy” history lesson. Fear Factory is still recording and touring, but has never quite match the intensity of Demanufacture.