Fear Factory "Transgression" (Calvin)
By Taylor Green
Thursday. Sep 15, 9:26 AM
Innovators on all fronts who continue to surprise even the most diehard fans.

The Fear Factory logo may be the most telling thing about each of the band's previous five releases. Starting as an almost militaristic badge of death, and evolving into a sharper, electric signifier of change and refinement, Fear Factory's logo changes became indicative of their ability to redefine their sound as well as their image. And when Dino left, yet another logo change, reverting to a more primal and even sharper logo, Fear Factory went back to the roots of the band, fusing their electrically charged industrial atmosphere with some of the heaviest stuff the band had put out to date.

But where's the logo change with Transgression? Or are those jagged teeth at the bottom enough to make it an official changed logo? But is that logo change even necessary anymore? Fear Factory proved all the naysayers who thought there would be no life after Dino dead wrong with a gripping compilation of everything that made Fear Factory great. But rather than evolving to the next step, Fear Factory are expanding on what they did with their previous release, Archetype. Transgression is leaping out further than Archetype, into some of the band’s most melodic material yet and some of the most brutal drums and riffs to hit your ears since Soul of a New Machine. After Dino left, it seemed as Fear Factory were going to refine rather than redefine their sound as they did over their near decade. So the limited change in the logo go justified. It suggests the same band we saw on Archetype, but more vicious and, most importantly, more assured of themselves than they might have been on Archetype. Vocalist Burton C. Bell described this recent album as "experimental" (I know, that seems to be the biggest quote floating around the internet right now), and in a way he's right. It's not immediately evident, but as the album plays out over time, the expansive vocals, the welded styles, and the constant ability to take things to a whole different level than before prove that a logo change wasn't needed.

For Fear Factory, this is probably the most alien thing to date. While every Fear Factory album has literally been a redefinition, this album claims that Fear Factory have finally found themselves. From the powerful opener "540,000 Degrees Fahrenheit," rivaling "Martyr" as most aggressive opening track for the band, to the industrially operatic "Echo of My Scream," the band embark on their biggest quest yet. The names say it all: tracks like "Spinal Compression," "Contagion," "Supernova," "Millennium," and obviously the title track tell you everything you need to know.

The listening experience is unreal, offering a truly "experimental" take on elements already existent in the band's repertoire. Vocals on tracks like "540,000 Degrees Fahrenheit," "Contagion," and "Supernova" are oddly perfect and add so much to the backing music. It is like nothing you've heard from Fear Factory, but only because of the way it is placed together. The band has finally mastered their own sound and it's truly unexpected. My first few listens through I wasn't too impressed, but the deeper and deeper I reach into each listen, the puzzle found another piece.

All fans of Fear Factory, minus those who can't come to grips with the band's commercial success, will come flocking to Transgression, yet another slap in the face to those who thought there could be no Fear Factory without Dino Cazares. Fear Factory are not so much four musicians as it is an approach to music. Still the only truly successful band to offer the sound they do, they are innovators on all fronts and continue to surprise even the most diehard fans. But what did you expect? It is Fear Factory after all.

Highlights: "540,000 Degrees Fahrenheit," "Contagion," "Echo of My Scream," "Supernova."

WARNING: Fear Factory cover U2's "I Will Follow." I think we can all agree that wasn't necessary. "Cars" was pretty awesome sounding, but come on... U2!!!??? At least they didn't add Bono to the song like they did with Gary Numan for "Cars."
www.fearfactory.com
www.calvinrecords.com

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Taylor Green

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