In Profile: Fear Factory
July 14, 2010 No Comments
Every month, MLNI profile some of the best international artists coming to Northern Ireland. First Up: Fear Factory, who are playing the Spring and Airbrake on the 3rd August…
It is a rare occasion indeed that a band can lay claim to be being a true pioneer…
It’s also fair to say that the 90s were far from a prosperous decade for metal bands , both in terms of revenue and innovation. The burgeoning grunge scene in Seattle was seen by many as being the final nail in heavy metal’s coffin, effectively killing off all those late 80s thrash heroes. Realistically, unless your name was Madonna or U2, there was little chance that you’d be able to persevere in the shadow of Kurt Cobain and his following.
There was sporadic resistance throughout the decade but the most significant and lasting impression can be traced back to 1989 in Los Angeles, California.
Fear Factory began life as Ulceration but opted for their now famous moniker in 1990, to better convey their musical direction and conceptual themes that would become a trademark on later releases. Fusing the percussive barrage of Napalm Death, the mechanical bludgeon of Godflesh and a more direct Death Metal styling, the blueprint was established and new ground was already being broken. Industrial Metal was born.
On their first full length album, “Soul of a New Machine” and genre defining follow up, “Demanufacture”, Fear Factory left their indelible mark on a largely stagnant decade for metal music. The legacy of these two records could easily be quantified by observing the liner notes of Fear Factory’s contemporaries and noting just how often they are cited as an influence. It’s no coincidence that all of metal’s shining lights in the 90s have at one point or another doffed their caps to the Godfathers of Industrial Metal. Machine Head, Strapping Young Lad, Static X and Disturbed to name but a few. Even with the turn of the millennium, their impact is still duly noted by modern bands such as Trivium, Chimaira, Threat Signal and Sybreed.
Returning to these shores on the back of their strongest album in years and, re-invigorated by a reshuffle of personnel, Fear Factory have rekindled that formidable intensity that so defined their early releases. With an indomitable line up and a renewed vigor, they are scheduled to lay waste to Belfast’s fair city in August. The most important band of a generation…be there!
Fear Factory play 3rd August @ Spring and Airbrake, Belfast. Tickets cost £15.00 + Booking Fee and can be purchased by phoning 0844 277 44 55 or online @ www.cdcleisure.com
By Ryan Bentley