Digimortal

Fear Factory: Burton C. Bell (vocals); Dino Cazares (guitar); Christian Oloe Wolbers (bass, background vocals); Raymond Herrera (drums).

Additional personnel includes: B-Real (rap vocals); Jordan Plotnikoff (spoken vocals); Rhys Fulber, John Bechdel (keyboards).

Recorded at Ocean Studio, Burbank, California from Spetember 30-November 4, 2000.

Japanese edition contains four bonus recording: "Dead Man Walking," "Strain Vs. Resistance," "Repentance," and "Full metal Contact."

Fear Factory was a pioneer of new metal long before the sub-genre took shape and found its name. With DIGIMORTAL, its fourth full-length release of new material, the band revisits its brand of thinking-man's sci-fi themes and painstakingly executed musicianship. Here, the battle between man and technology finds man broken, but not beaten.

In "Linchpin" and "No One" the band resolves to escape from the machines that have enslaved mankind, though these songs are faint glimmers of hope against a bleak prophecy that finds technology the new dominant paradigm. Musically, the band has grown, retaining its brutally syncopated rhythms while adding some tasty hooks and clean, melodic vocals, particularly in "Invisible Wounds." "Acres of Skin" will please thrash metal fans, while "Back the Fuck Up," featuring B. Real, is the album's metal/hip-hop showpiece.

What the critics say...

Q (5/01, p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Ethereal and breathtaking..."
Alternative Press (6/01, pp.84-5) - 3 out of 5 - "...Executed without a flaw and mixed with great scutiny....more melodic and more consumable than many recent metal albums..."
CMJ (4/9/01, p.17) - "...Demented disco....DIGIMORTAL is cybercore: digitized, overdubbed metal with crunchy, machine-like production..."