Saturday, November 21, 2009

Fear Factory/Transgression

Transgression is the 6th studio release from Industrial Metal band Fear Factory. The release was issued in 2005 and marks the last appearance of drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers. This also marked the beginning of the end of this iconic band which only issued one other CD before it’s split.

540,000 Degrees Farenheit—-From the onset. you notice a missing power to the sound of the music….the vocal is very clean and full of melody…the one point that I have always loved about this band. The interludes between verses reminds me of the old days, but the music lacks an urgency and punch at times…all in all, this is pretty great…just sounds a little empty to me.

Transgression—-Still very bass laden and not sounding as crisp, the song opens up with dramatic flair and really comes alive. The guitars make an upfront move and drive the song….the vocal is brutal and intense…just what the doctor ordered. The blast of guitars match the brutal vocal beat for beat…the entire tone of the song makes you angry and crazy….this is classic FF. Even the clean vocal fits into the song with an appropriate place and manner. Beautifully brutal.

Spinal Compression—-Beginning once again with a deeper bass sound than normal, the guitars and drums lead the song at an almost blistering pace…..the voice is full of ire and disgust….sounding even more passionate and serious than ever. The tone of the song lacks the previous…the muted sound of the guitars suck the life right from the track. The voice is fabulous….never letting up or relaxing for a moment.

Contagion—-Delivering further doses of blistering brutality, the vocal is maniacal at times nut allows for the clean and melodic voice to even the song out and give it emotion and substance….this is pretty fantastic….wonderfully brutal when it needs to be and marvelously melodic in the interlude.

Empty Vision—-Beginning with a deep drum sound and incredible bass, the clean vocal enters the fray and drives the song….intermittent rough vocals accentuate the tone of the song and gives it a bit of an edge…this is wonderful…one of my favorite tracks.

Echo Of My Scream—-Oddly acoustic and sedate at the onset, the song seems out-of-place and like a chore.I do not really care for this…this is not what we require from the band…we need that brutality without all of the unnecessary sludge to cloud the experience. A big disappointment!!!!

Supernova—-Sounding more Alternative at thew onset, the song does open up in a nice way that gives you hope and promise for what is to come. The vocal enters the fray and you are let down….the tone is too relaxed and seems to lack a true passion. I do not like this…this is almost terrible. A really big disappointment.

New Promise—-God……what the hell is going on. Where is the passion and the anger, the energy and the need to bleed….this is terrible…..finally the song opens up with a new sense of energy and speed. This is much better…why the terrible interlude? It is unnecessary and not an important part of the song by any means….the drum track on this song is brilliant!

I Will Follow—-Yes, this is a U2 cover. The guitars are true to form and sound even fresher that the original could ever make them…..there is a sense of energy and excitement that builds the song up…a nce mix of vocal styles keep the song interesting and sounding almost brand new…this is wonderful…love it!!!

Millenium—-With an incredible plodding sound to the bass delivery, the song hold high hopes for me…when the vocal enters the fray you are further bolstered by the sound. This is aggressive, crunchy and nicely intermixed with a clean vocal that keeps things interesting. This is classic FF, despite being a little mainstream.

Moment Of Impact—-What a fantastic way to end a rather lackluster release. The vocal is intense, and the sound f the band is huge….with great walls of sound and power. This is great…..

*** out of 5

No comments:

Post a Comment