Obsolete

Whenever one thinks of a band, they usually think of a particular sound from a particular album as being the essence of that band. 'Master of Puppets' for Metallica, 'Far Beyond' or 'Vulgar' for Pantera, arguably 'Deliverance' for Opeth, and so on. It's usually the third or fourth record in a band's discography simply because it takes time for a band to reach the point of maturity in song-writing and to nail the trademark sound for each instrument. With Fear Factory, 'Obsolete' was that record. The technology available towards the late 90s was harnessed perfectly for the record, along with each band member maturing as men and understanding better than ever what their role in the band was.

So if you think of Fear Factory: the band with dystopian lyrical subject matter and atmosphere, with super heavy slightly digital sounding guitars with staccato riffs locked in with triggered drum kicks and punctuated by hard snares, alternative metal passages for choruses or interludes, ultra aggressive parts taking turns with clean sung sections, ambient synths and samples... you'd be right on the money if you pulled out 'Obsolete'.

Now for a bit of criticism: some chorus hooks are good in theory but were executed poorly. The best example of that is the opener, "Shock", where the chorus is just not on par with the intensity and quality of the intro (which is positively titanic). Burton C.Bell just going down the chromatic scale sounds uninspired and out of place, and it ends up sounding oddly happy in the end. Just a mistake for that avalanche of an opener, simply. Another would be the chorus to "Securitron". Fantastic track, and again great core melody for the chorus on paper, but it just sounds a bit botched. That same melody is played as the outro, on a synth this time, and it's one of the most touching moments on the album. So failing to organize the songs to get the most out of them is sometimes an issue. The end track, "Timelessness", is forgettable at best. The setting and all the atmospheric elements were there, with quality sounding strings, and being at the end of such a brutal record, had the opportunity to really seize the heart of the listener with a sentimental slow-motion type dirge, and yet, nobody ever mentions that track. Especially when compared to the previous album's excellent "slow" finale, "A Therapy for Pain". "Hi-Tech Hate" is yet another. Same symptom: strong song, subpar chorus. Good ideas there but a forgettable hook.

In opposition to that, the "Salvation" chorus to 'Smasher-Devourer' for example is super effective. It totally opens up the song, both melodically and in injecting energy to the dynamic plot of the track, and serves as the backbone to the song and riffs rather than the other way around for those aforementioned tracks. It should be said the album has a really nice catalog of various moods and genre blending. 'Freedom or Fire' brings a bit of that late 90's Godflesh/UK electronic music vibe while 'Descent' plays the role of the alternative metal F.F. song (a bit like 'Replica' on the previous album, or 'Linchpin' on the following record) as is often traditional with the band, and they're both done very tastefully in how they avoid sounding generic, and never step outside the album's identity.

But all in all, that Fear Factory came up with a blockbuster scifi metal album this accomplished, that explored this many areas and angles of the Obsolete sound is special. What other band during the late 90's were coming up with a record like 'Obsolete' ?
Which band could compare in style, massive sound production and intensity with tracks like 'Shock', 'Edge Crusher', 'Smasher-Devourer' or 'Resurrection' ?

An essential and unique chapter for metal music.

It was the summer before entering high school and by that time, I had been jamming out to a stable mostly fixed of Pantera, Overkill, Metallica, but I was beginning to yearn for more metal. As fate would have it, my older brother would offer me a CD that he said he didn’t enjoy, but knowing I loved metal as much as I did, thought I might. The album in question was Fear Factory’s 1998 release, “Obsolete”.

I remember staring at the cover of the album, not knowing what to expect, but I was intrigued. I had never heard of the band before that point, so whatever I would hear on this album would have to serve as the focal point of my perception of the band. After my first listen, I was introduced to a new and invigorating sound that hooked me from the get go. Now, of course, at that time, the metal world was being turned upside down with the Nu metal movement beginning to take over the mainstream airwaves and while I was aware of such bands, I had yet to experience much of said craze. The same could be said for any type of industrial metal as well, so I would essentially be listening to an album with both Nu metal and industrial elements for the first time. “Obsolete” would open my eyes to a world beyond the thrash and American groove metal that had constantly been blasting from my old boom box and introduce me to what would eventually become, my all-time favorite band.

Being 14 at the time, I was young, wet behind the ears and filled with teenage angst. Music had always (and still is) been one of my methods of dealing with the rigors of life and while the heading banging thrash assault of Metallica and Megadeeth combined with the pissed off shouts of Pantera were always at hand, “Obsolete” offered something new and unique. I remember listening to Burton C. Bell’s harsh vocals and couldn’t help but lose myself in the rage and violence in his voice. His unique blend of hoarse yells and angry shouts convey so much emotion and conjure many internal images within the listener. However, the true curve ball I experienced while listening to “Obsolete” would be the use of Bell’s clean vocals. Up until that point, aside from a few ballads from the aforementioned bands or some glam metal that I still listened to, clean singing was simply not something that I sought out to hear in my metal. (Which is why I didn’t get into power metal until late high-school) The chorus on “Shock” at first caught me off guard. I was almost ready to pop the CD out as I thought anything that wasn’t shouting, growling or guttural (I was really into Testaments’ “Demonic” at the time.) than it simply wasn’t metal enough. But, after hearing Bell’s voice, I simply couldn’t bring myself to stop the song. He had captivated my attention and had me at a disposition. After replaying it from the beginning, I immediately fell in love with the blend of his harsh and clean vocals. Bell’s voice would continue to carry on throughout the album, offering me the outlet to transmit my teenage aggression, but also transport me to a more calming state of mind when his cleans kick in. To put it mildly, they had a euphoric effect on me and still hold a certain mesmerizing effect on me to this day.

Now, at the time, I was rooted in the sound of guitar greats such as Kirk Hammett, Marty Friedman and Dime bag Darrel, so when I heard Dino’s take on guitars, I’ll admit, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. Of course, this was not thrash metal, so to expect a shredding display of leads and solos would be foolhardy however, after multiple listens (and I listened to this album many, many times) the simplistic, yet catchy riffs would begin to resonate with the sound of the album as a whole and I began to appreciate them more. Their sound offers a robotic bite to the futuristic and cybernetic sound of the album, a sound that is both groovy and crushing, but blissfully simple in nature. Although I found myself initially disappointed that there were no solos to be heard, eventually, I began to realize that their absence did not affect my enjoyment of the album. The lack of solos may come off as a wasted opportunity to poor songwriting, but they simply are not necessary to create the foundation of sound for the album. The guitar’s offer enough substance and power to root the songs to the industrial nature of the band, while creating plenty of memorable hooks along the way.

The drums on “Obsolete” were like nothing I had heard before. Granted, I had the pleasure of listening to Lars Ulrich and Vinnine Paul for years, but Raymond Herrera’s blistering assault of percussion was an entirely different beast altogether. The power and energy in the drums on “Obsolete” are constantly in your face and force you pay them the attention they deserve however; they are not so overbearing that they steal any other instrument’s thunder by any means. In fact, the drums aside from serving as one of the major rhythm generators of the album, create a sound that both sets it apart from the rest of the instruments, yet at the same time, serves as a beacon of harmony. This beacon allows the guitars, bass, vocals and special effects to come together as once cohesive sound.

“Obsolete” was the first album where Dino no longer had to man the bass duties, which would be handled by new comer; Christian Olde Wolbers. Unlike “Demanufacture” the bass on “Obsolete” is felt throughout the album and is even put in the spotlight on the song “Edgecrusher” It delivers a thick and crunchy sound that reverberates with the mechanical sounding drums and futuristic sounding vocals.

Once again, Rhys Fulber adds his industrial touch, giving “Obsolete” a very unique sound and vibe to many of the songs. I’ve long heralded his abilities as an unofficial member of the band and it’s easy to understand once you hear his work on obsolete. Listen to the opening of "Shock" to hear Rhys Fulber's work on programming. The sound is a simple guitar riffs that he put through various programming modules to create the awesome and unique sound.

Music aside and being a dumb kid at the time, it wasn’t until on about my fifth listen that I finally decided to read the liner notes and discovered that “Obsolete” was a concept album. It’s a story about Edgecrusher, the protagonist, rising up and trying to destroying the machines that humanity has become far too dependent upon. The booklet contains part of the story, which is then intertwined with the actual songs and lyrics, which is a neat concept in both ideal and execution. Almost like a graphic novel only audible. Either way, it adds another awesome feature to this already wonderful album, one that was like a second, first listen once I discovered the story behind the music.

Although "Demanufacture" may have been Fear Factory's most influential album of all time, "Obsolete" would become their most successful in terms of sales. Along with their digipak material, industrial rock legend, Gar Numan is featured on the band’s remake of “Cars”, which would propel the album to gold status. Speaking of the digipak material, it contains 5 additional tracks including the “Cars” remake. Although the others are decent sounding sounds and fit the sound of “Obsolete” they had nothing to do with the story and were ultimately left of the original track list (as far as I can tell, as they don’t just sound like throwaway songs)

This was my first experience with Fear Factory when I was kid and it immediately spawned my affection for the band. I always recommend "Demanufacture" to any fan looking for metal suggestions, but almost always suggest this as a follow up due to its mainstream success and overall sound. It may not be a masterpiece in the eyes of others, but for me this album is pure gold Jerry!

Highlights: "Shock" "Hi-Tech Hate" "Descent" "Timelessness" (Just listen to the whole album!)

Into the Abyss of Oblivion

Back in 1998. Fear Factory have already unleashed the cult "Soul Of A New Machine" and the solid "Demanufacture". How can FF progress from there? After an album as important as ''Demanufacture'', this album is almost a perfect exemple of a good sequel. So it was the most logical step but also a risky concept album based on the war between men and machines.

The artwork puts you directly into the atmosphere of this war against the machines. ''Obsolete'' starts with the splendid ''Shock''. A totally recognizable riff where Burton enters the scene by screaming "Shock!" Using his harsh voice to better bring out the coldness of the sound, "Shock" is incredibly full of violence and power. After such an opening, ''Edgecrusher's'' unparalleled groove plunges us into the story. Quickly you feel where the band is heading with this cortex of unleashed energy. The implacable violence of ''Smasher-Devourer'' with his monstrous chorus is counterbalanced by the clean vocals with a dazzling accuracy. It is 5 minutes of pure pleasure. The Cybernetics "Securitron (Police State 2000)'' reminds us of ''Demanufacture'' with great riffs. Burton's voice is irremovable and yet unparalleled.

While the first part of ''Obsolete'' made us think that the band had reached its climax, the second half is where FF pulls the trigger of a shotgun at close range. Behind, ''Freedom Or Fire'' there is an incongruous melody with Burton still screams at us out loud. Dino always comes out with the most effective rhythm sections that work perfectly with Raymond Herrera. This guy is a superman with supersonic play and precision. The title song is in the form of greetings addressed to those who survived this war and the conflict with the machines.

Here is the ultimate tube for the radios: "Man is obsolete, man is obsolete, erased, extinct!"
This is a refrain that does not require translation.

The war has progressed well, the final assault can be put in place with ''Resurrection''. The song is focused almost totally on the clean vocals and the only song to reach the 6 minute mark. Never before had the band sounded so energetic.

''Obsolete'' is a memorable concept album with cohesion and precision without fail, showing us that Fear Factory is at their peak and assuming themselves here. ''Obsolete'' is an album less frontal than ''Demanufacture'', but otherwise more successful. It should be noted that the digipack edition of ''Obsolete'' contains the cover of ''Cars'' by Gary Numan and also 4 unreleased songs of good quality.

After hitting a solid note with Demanufacture, Fear Factory set their sights on making a name for themselves in the metal climate of the late 1990s. This would give us Obsolete, a concept album that reads out much like the script to a sci-fi movie with tales of monstrous machines lording over humans in a dystopian future where robotics has become advanced enough to dominate all aspects of life. This being the late 90s, people were obsessing over computerization and the rapid advancement of the Internet, as well as the rise of alternative music. Fear Factory on Obsolete is very exemplary of the times and their concerns. They combine their signature metal sounds with a passionate spin on a possible and quickly approaching future. Obsolete is as strong as they come.

Obsolete sees Fear Factory going for a more catchy and epic sound. The start-stop chug riffing is structured in a way that pummels the listener like a supercharged jackhammer. Some of the heaviest and catchiest riffs and choruses are found on songs such as Shock, Edgecrusher, and Freedom Or Fire. Everything on Obsolete has enough force to blast skyscrapers into oblivion, from forceful growls and soaring clean vocals with a mechanical filter to give a robotic sound to Burton Bell's singing, to earthshaking mechanical riffs, to pummeling drums that put as much gust into the music as they can, often syncing with the guitars for an added robotic kick, Obsolete displays Fear Factory as truly proficient musicians. There are hints of alternative metal in this album with catchier songs and the use of turntables on Edgecrusher, which helps memorability and adds to the futuristic vibe if this release. There are also songs such as Descent and Resurrection which focus on a clean vocal style and catchier lines to give the album some variety and balance. These all help the more accessible and ambitious Fear Factory.

The album itself is structured off of a story the band made that strongly resembles an action movie. With the thunderous intro being handled by the first few songs detailing a robotocracy and the police state it upholds. The middle songs express themes of conflict, danger, and stress as the hero, Edgecrusher, sees the true extent of the horrors and threats he faces from his cybernetic overlords. This makes sense as the most menacing and melancholic tracks are in the middle. The ending is shown by the last two tracks which are the softest and most optimistic songs on the album, as if to show Edgecrusher in relief after his victory. The idea to structure this album like the movie Fear Factory always wanted to make, but never could, is a unique feature for an album, especially a non-progressive one.

Obsolete is Fear Factory's industrial push for the big time, an album that is at the same time accessible and ambitious. They go for a catchier, hook based style rooted in alternative metal and show off a knack for creating powerful and agile songwriting that shows off their robotic style. They also get creative, building a sci-fi world based in cyberpunk film and centering their album and its dynamics around their story. Obsolete is a strong album that any fan of industrial or groove metal can find a lot to enjoy about it.

Not that this is techno… but it is Fear Factory. The typewriter drums of this band have always perplexed me. Too perfect, seemingly, but after seeing these dudes live with drummer Raymond Herrera I can rest assured that it’s real. That was 2001, on a tour for the rather sub-par Digimortal, but despite the weak album, the live performance was aggressive and flawlessly executed.

“Shock” is exactly fucking that, a perfectly named and heavy as fuck opener to a brutal cyberthrash journey into the ionosphere. Here’s the thing with Obsolete, the only real downfall, which indeed becomes apparent within this opening track, is repetition. Coming off the success of Demanufacture, Obsolete finds Fear Factory at a creative plateau; this album may well be the peak of this band’s potential, it’s angry yet polished, but at any rate, probably the darkest and most hateful of what this band would go on to do. Let me reiterate that Herrera is an absolutely crushing drummer. He and Dino seem to be locked into a formulaic system of composition for Obsolete, which lends to this conceptual album its needed feeling of continuity. The synchopated 32nd note machine gun riff of “Securitron” is jaw-dropping in its pin-point accuracy. The soaring clean vocals of Burton C Bell spellbind the listener with Om-like vibration. Say what you will about the ‘uplifting’ melody of the single “Descent,” but the utterly nihilistic lyrics make for an aesthetic dichotomy. This song fucking rules. Fuck it, I don’t care how poppy it sounds, there’s no way I can keep from screaming “NOOOO-THING” when I hear it.

“Freedom or Fire” is where things start to get nice and heavy. Can you say drum 'n' bass? Despite the dancy groove, this shit is fucking heavy, and as much as I hate this fucking word, the ‘breakdown’ that begins at 2:55 is absolutely ball crushing. The schizophrenic and thrashing chaos of the title track will fuck you up. “Obsolete” flows flawlessly into the operatic grandeur of “Resurrection,” a sci-fi disasterpiece that resolves itself in that weirdly uplifting feeling that is recurrent throughout this album.

“Reach for the sky, touch the sky. Reach for a hope for mankind.”

Such is the refrain of “Resurrection,” which is at once an atheistic proclamation as well as a triumphant destroyer of conditioned boundaries. This is a great album. It’s intellectual and catchy. It’s well orchestrated and abrasively heavy. The closing piece, “Timelessness” is a brilliant rendering of the talented Burton Bell. An ambient end to a violent album, but conveys a feeling of closure nonetheless.

Obsolete also comes in a quite worth-it extended version with five additional tracks. A guilty pleasure, yeah, so what, but Fear Factory’s cover of Gary Numan’s “Cars” is a total feel good rock and roll song, which is great if you feel good, and its waaay better that the original. Wiseblood tribute“0-0” is just plain evil, and very tastefully done, truly scary in its stark and sinister delivery. The other three tracks are FF originals, with “Concreto” being a particularly devastating beast.

I dig this album a lot, though whether that enjoyment hinges more on musical quality or on nostalgia to when I was first getting into metal is anyone's guess. To deny the obvious and pervasive nu-metal leanings of the material here is essentially impossible, but equally impossible is to deny some of the purely excellent songwriting that is indeed present. Well, excellent as far as pop music goes; by this point, Fear Factory had left essentially all vestiges of death metal behind apart from the barest of aesthetics, and was clearly leaning towards a much more mainstream direction. If you can get past that, though, you can find a core of great songwriting, which is not only accessible, but also surprisingly deep and a worthwhile listen for even the more jaded metal listeners among us.

Weirdly enough, I feel that the most ignorant and lame songs on 'Obsolete' are those that stubbornly cling to the 'Demanufacture'-era sound instead of just abandoning that. 'Shock' is a clumsy attempt at an aggressive opener, and it's hard to enjoy beyond a sort of 'WHOA THIS IS HEAVY' adolescent fervor. But it's for that same reason that I can still enjoy 'Edgecrusher', with it's ridiculous tough-guy lyrics and silly hip-hop influence: instead of masquerading as death metal, it finds that big, stupid delight in the new sound and delves fully into it, resulting in what's possibly the ultimate metal 'guilty pleasure'. The title track is similar to 'Shock' in clumsiness, but that's about as far as the particularly offensive tracks go; the rest range from a tad mediocre ('Hi-Tech Hate') to really excellent ('Descent'), and unsurprisingly, the most fundamentally pop-leaning are the best on here.

The trio of ballads- 'Descent', 'Resurrection', and 'Timelessness'- are legitimately great songs that stand as some of the best that Fear Factory ever turned out. Burton C. Bell's clean vocals are used to amazing effect on these tracks, and are woven into the fabric of the music much better than on previous releases. 'Descent' and 'Resurrection' are the obvious standouts, with anthemic choruses and mammoth riffs, but closer 'Timelessness' is a more subtle beast, devoid of percussion and relying on pure, keyboard-soaked melody. It works. Each of this trio is a great example of what stereotypically progressive influences can do FOR an album instead of TO it, and, open mind provided, could likely convince a lot of people that the inclusion of poppy melodies, keyboards, and (to some degree) uplifting things can, in fact, be used to the benefit of extreme metal.

On the more genuinely underground side of things, there's two more standouts: 'Smasher/Devourer' and 'Securitron (Police State 2000)' are particularly of note, with sets of great riffs and memorable song structures in each. Admittedly, a great deal for my admiration for them comes from the past: they were some of the first extreme metal songs I'd ever heard. I have to say, though, that they're still great in their own right, even if they are a very poppy and accessible version of extreme metal. Even in their earliest, heaviest days, Fear Factory was never lacking in catchiness, and in this regard, I can't really accuse them of selling out as much as resorting their priorities in songwriting. Is 'Obsolete' essentially a pop album? Yeah, I'd say that's a fair assessment. However, it is a pop album geared to a metalhead crowd, and it does succeed in the attempt of crafting such a release. Plus, you have to give them credit for attempting such an ambitious concept and pulling it off so well; clearly a lot of time and energy was put into it.

I feel about this album the way many people probably feel about, say, 'God Hates Us All'. I still like it, even though my tastes have 'advanced' past it in a lot of ways. It's a disc that I like to bring out occasionally to remind myself of that feeling of discovery when I was first getting into metal. It makes me happy to hear; transports me back to being eleven or twelve years old, furtively downloading Meshuggah MP3s off Kazaa nonstop and always sharing what new musical discovery I'd stumbled upon with my friends. Such a view is a bad way to critique music. It's a great way to experience it, though.

Not a bad album at all, but the combination of repetitiveness and cheese (sweet lord the last two tracks are shit - tastic) brings it down a bit. Tracks like "Shock" and "Obsolete" are why you are happy you bought it, songs like "Securitron" and "Hate -whatever whatever" tire you out, songs like "Timelessness" piss you off.

"Shock" is pure gold, one hell of an aggressive, angry song and the stop - start section at the end with Bell screaming SHOCK! is extremely headbangable. "Edgecrusher" is fucking sweet as well, an actual good use of scratching, I can see why they called it "acid scratching," caustic and hissing sound. I have always liked the more deathy side of Fear Factory as opposed to the melody, but Bell's singing does hold them apart from other death bands. Then again, it was also their downfall into cheese, and while "Descent" is a good tune, you can tell it forebodes dark times of rancid radio filth for FF. "Freedom or Fire" is a good, chaotic and speedy track, "Obsolete" is good as well with an intro by Mr. Gary Numan (who, by the way, is a kind of punky -new wave space alien wierdo whose album with the Tubeway Army is worth checking out), and a very entertaining chorus.

Overall, good, but the fear that Concrete - era FF will become Shitbag -era FF soon overwhelms the listener, and at the end there's no denying which era will soon be dominant.

Fear Factory released two albums previous to this that I thought were good but not great. Then this monster came along and totally realigned both my opinion and my spinal column while it was at it. This is, for me, the heaviest, best-structured, and most cohesive album FF released before they degenerated into nu-metal suckage and is my personal favorite of the lot.

The concept of the album is fascinating and intelligently-delivered, spinning a yarn of one man's (cyborg's?) search for freedom and independence in a post-apocalyptic scenario where individuality is devalued to the point of nonexistence (hmm...sounds kinda like the direction the USA is heading in politically these days...), and the intense struggle within and without he goes through to find it. During this story he questions everything including the existence of god and his own self-worth, and it is actually a pretty cool little story once you latch onto it. I find it really adds to the album's feel.

OK, but is the music any good? Hells yes, it is! Raymond Herrera, although I HATE his drum sound (triggers to the max), is one of the most precise drummers I've ever heard, anchoring every song with grace as well as perfect time and killer double kick chops. Witness the rapid-fire flurries of double kick he tosses into the bridge part of "Smasher/Devourer" right after the second chorus...oh, man, is he TIGHT. Sounds like three-round bursts from an Uzi.

Dino is, of course, the MAN in the riff department--his writing style really defined FF's sound in the beginning, with his crisp yet deep downtuned 7-string (down to A, but this ain't no Korn wussjob). He gets in a nice clean chorused part in the chorus of "Securitron (Police State 2000)" that really suits the shifting of gears to a more melodic feel on those parts, as opposed to the syncopated, Pantera-like verses and the absolutely devastating mosh part that immediately follows the first chorus with a machinegun-like riff that chugs along with gut-wrenching intensity. As if you can't tell, this is one of my favorite songs on this album.

Dino also really owns on "Edgecrusher" with its simple, ultra-heavy riffing that is perfect for the song, and guest DJ Zodok's scratching on that tune adds to the chaotic-ness of it. The title track will compress your head down between your shoulders with its odd-meter verses, frenzied segue riffs, and its chorus is great to scream along to at the top of your lungs ("MAN! IS! OBSOLETE!!! ERASED! EXTINCT!"). Bassist at the time, Christian Olde Wolbers, doesn't let himself fade away, either; he gets plenty of exposure in the excellent and appropriately chilly-sounding mix with a variety of tones--from deep fuzz to clear and resonant, to even a bit of upright plunking and strumming on "Edgecrusher".

My other two real fave tunes here are the last two, "Resurrection" and "Timelessness". The first one is unabashedly melodic and catchy and features some nice and unobtrusive string parts on the chorus that really make the song soar and seem hopeful as the hero talks about finding the courage to go on in the face of incredible odds. And the last track...well, it takes a huuuge set of cojones to end a staggeringly heavy album like this with a song that is nothing but soothing strings and Burton singing his heart out, and it achieves the feel of the title perfectly. Before FF disappointed us all with their "Descent" into suckage, this was their apex--get it, already!