Well-well, it's been four years since Fear Factory released a metal record. All this time the band were too busy making those remix albums. Eventually, they remembered that they are a metal band and recorded "Obsolete." On the positive side, it's a return to form. Unfortunately, on the negative side, it's a rather disappointing return. There is absolutely nothing on this album that Fear Factory haven't done before. The band employs the same power riffing, robotic drumming and electronic backdrop that were witnessed on "Demanufacture" and "Soul Of A New Machine." Sure, the music is heavy and crushing, but it is also monotonous and mechanical. A couple of good songs can be found here, but for the most part it's a continuous raping of the same old corpse over and over. Fear Factory fans may want to start looking into Meshuggah's back catalogue.

© 1999 boris