Fear Factory was one of the first "serious metal" bands I ever heard, and it was a good place to start, because they are also among the best. "Demanufacture" is one of the most revered metal albums of the 90's, and it's easy to see why. The album is packed with crushing, thrash-inspired riffs that continue the tradition of bands like Slayer, Pantera, Metallica, etc. But Fear Factory are not just rehashing the sounds of those bands, not in the least. They are one of the most original bands in the genre, and their innovation is just as evident as their ability to make your head bang.

The album starts off with the title track, beginning with frontman Burton C. Bell singing softly over a thrashy industrial riff, finally elevating into a brutal growl. In this one song, we get a glimpse of the extent of Bell's amazing versatility. He can sing in a unique, ethereal voice, and switch to unbridled aggression in the blink of an eye. "Self Bias Resistor" is further proof of his vocal ability, featuring an excellent melodic chorus to contrast with the overall heaviness of the song. Likewise, electronic keyboard sounds underscore the crushing riffage, adding unique flavor to the familiar metal-isms.

From here, the greatness is nearly nonstop. "Zero Signal" begins with an eerie, ambient intro, finally erupting into ferocity by the end. "Replica" and "Body Hammer" are crunchy groove-monsters, while "New Breed" and "HK (Hunter-Killer)" are fast and relentless. The album is propelled by Dino's machine-gun-like rhythms, and Ray Herrera's pounding drums. Both are accused of being "simple" musicians, due in large part to Ray's lack of conventional fills, and Dino's lack of shredding solos. However, both are undeniably skilled. Listen to Dino's jackhammer of a right hand, or Ray's impeccable double bass control, and you'll see what I mean.

The album ends on an unexpectedly soft note, with the incredible 9-minute "A Therapy for Pain". The song is uniformly slow and moody, with overwhelming ambience and beauty. The guitars and keys lay down a huge, encompassing backdrop, and Burton's vocals are just unreal. The song gives the feel of being surrounded by a dark, cold, futuristic setting (think "The Matrix", minus Keanu Reeves). Maybe I say this a lot, but this is one of those songs that you just have to hear for yourself.

Despite all of the things that make this album so incredible, there are a few small shortcomings. The cover track "Dog Day Sunrise" is glaringly weak, as compared to the rest. It's not really bad, per se, but amid all the other great songs, it definitely stands out. Even if you aren't aware that it's a cover, it still feels as though it shouldn't be there. Also, the production is a little weak. Burton's vocals feel a little too pushed back in the mix, and they don't pack quite the punch that they should. On the follow-up release, "Obsolete", the growls just hit you like a freight train, and here the music almost drowns them out at times. But that's a minor complaint. It's really not that distracting for the most part.

Anyway, the important thing is this: "Demanufacture" is a masterpiece of metal, with few flaws. If you love music that's equally heavy and creative, you have no excuse not to have this in your collection. Buy it, or forever be unmetal.

Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" is without question, the greatest Fear Factoy album recorded. No filler tracks here. Just spine-crushing riffs by Dino, INCREDIBLE drumming by Raymond, AWESOME bass playing by Christian and great singing and screaming by Burton C. Bell on EVERY track. You can't go wrong on this album - it's too damn great!

Tracks are:

1. Demanufacture: MASSIVELY heavy song. Set's the mood for the rest of the album. Dino riffs are AWESOME! Burton C. Bell proves he can sing as well as scream on this song.

2. Self Bias Resistor: This song should be a drummer's anthem. Raymond's work is Unbelievable! This is many people's favorite track on the album and rightfully so! Awesome riffs, but Burton C. Bell vocals stand out in this song. This Song has one of the, if not THE greatest chorus in Metal music history. A plain GREAT song.

3. Zero Signal: GREAT SONG! One of the best on the album. This should have been a single!!!! Dino's work on this song is GREAT with bone-breaking riffs. Raymond also is great on this song. Great use of Synthesizers as well.

4. Replica: The album's most popular song. Fear Factory even did a video for this song. It's an great song. Awesome intro and great lyrics. Again, a great song.

5. New Breed: A interesting mix of Techno and Metal. This is probably my least favorite track on the album, but it still is pretty cool. Great use of Synthesizers to get that Techo sound. It's kinda weird at first listen, but you'll start to like it as you listen to it more.

6. Dog Day Sunrise: A cover from the band Head Of David. GREAT SONG! Very cool riffs (although there are only 2 in the whole song. They definelty blew the original version away.

7. Body Hammer: AWESOME riffs! A great song with good lyrics and Raymond again kickin' massive @$$ on the drums.

8. Flashpoint. One of the most Brutal, Fast, and INSANELY heavy songs EVER. And all packed in under 3 minutes. AWESOME bass intro and Massive vocals by Burton. Too bad they don't play this live often.

9. H-K (Hunter-Killer): My favortie song on the Ablum! INCREDIBLE SONG! HEAVY guitars and GREAT lyrics and singing by Burton. They need to play this live more often. Just a plain great song.

10. Pisschrist: Wow. That's all I can say about this song. I never knew how opposed to religious hypocrisy Burton is. An GREAT song and Dino has some of his best work on this song. But be warned, if you are deeply relgious, you will most likely be offened by this song. However, it still rules!

11. A Therapy For Pain: A Nice, slow way to finish the album. Clocking just under 10 minutes, this song seems VERY long. When Burton stops singing, we hear the Synthesizers yet again for 4-5 minutes. A very moving song.

Well, like I said, This is the BEST Fear Factory album. All Fear Factory beginners should start here. All fans of Techo Metal will love this as well as just-metal lovers. One of the greatest metal albums EVER. Definetly check it out.

To commemorate their 25th Anniversary, Roadrunner Records will be re-issuing a series of landmark releases with plenty of extra and previously unheard material. To honor one of the most unique and ground-breaking metal albums of the 90's, Roadrunner pulled out all the stops and spared no expense. "Demanufacture," Fear Factory's epic masterpiece from 1995, as presented here, in a deluxe two disc set, with a grand total of 33 tracks, is everything and anything a hardcore Fear Factory fan could ever want.

Aside from the classic "Demanufacture" album being remasted with all it's b-sides and scattered remixes intact, within this package, you also get "Remanufacture," the previously released and appropriately titled remix album. So, if you're not up on your Fear Factory discography, this is a good way to kill two birds with one stone. If you already own the originals (and even the "Demanufacture" digipak), there are still a few treats to make this worth your purchase. And let's not forget how crisp the newly remastered "Demanufacture" sounds in 2005! The original had a rather crushing, spacious sound, but somehow they managed to take things up a notch with a few minor alterations.

As for the actual album itself, "Demanufacture" is arguably Fear Factory at their best. While fans tend to bump heads as to which album is their best, I don't think anyone can deny that this is the one album that perfectly captures ALL of Fear Factory's dynamics. The signature rhythm section of Raymond Herrera and Christian Olde Wolbers, the buzz-saw riffs of Dino Cazares and the brutal growl and beautiful melody of frontman Burton C. Bell -- it's all perfected to a science here. The electronic influence the band aquired after the "Fear Is The Mindkiller" EP (which contained remixes from the unusually thrashy "Soul Of A New Machine") becomes a huge element of the band's sound here, and really helps set them apart from their peers -- at the time at least, as many bands have popped up over the years, whose influence can obviously be traced back to Fear Factory. Also, as noted in the liner notes, it helps to push along the theatrical element of the band, their interest in sci-fi that got them dubbed as "Terminator Rock," with "H-K (Hunter-Killer)" being the prime example. Fear Factory truly carved out a name for themselves with this album. They really did something that no one had done before, and if someone were looking for a place to start on Fear Factory, I would point them in this direction.

I recommend this re-release to any Fear Factory fan. There is just so much material to absorb, and you get it all at a rather fair price. Although the remixes that are tacked onto the end of "Remanufacture" (and also appeared on the "Hatefiles" release) are rather redundant, most of the remixes, which were experiments in themselves, are pulled off rather well, and add new elements to songs that already had so much potency to begin with. And I really can't say enough good things about "Demanufacture." As far as I am concerned, it's an essential metal record. It is by far one of the most interesting and original things to come out of the 90's, and really broke down a lot of walls. If you don't own it already, what better time than now?

Brutal, tight, furious. These are the proper words to describe this industrial-metal masterpiece. In my other reviews I've already stated that "Demanufacture" is one of the four albums that elevated industrial-metal genre from zero level to state-of-the-art perfection and spawned countless clones.

Fear Factory style is different from what other icons of the genre like Ministry or Nine Inch Nails have to offer. After all, in the beginning Fear Factory played Napalm Death-style death-metal, and it shows. The music is built with incredibly catchy and rhythmically effective guitar riffs backed by similar sounding bass-lines. Think of the riff in Ministry's "Thieves" and you get the idea. Drumming is absolutely superb. The speed and precision of those double-bass kicks is incredible, I even thought it was a drum-machine. But it was not. To add even more industrial feel to the sound, various factory noises are played in the background. Burton C. Bell varies his vocal tone from angry death-style rasps to clean anthemic singing. The latter, being sound-processed with a little reverb, makes the record sound kinda epic at times. The album is a relentless sonic attack, that, being played at considerable volume settings, has all the power to knock you off your feet and shatter glass windows.

Conceptual lyrics add more depth to the album. They tell a story of a man who grew tired of government lies and started up a rebellion. In the end he turns into a killing machine, then surrenders to regret, but when death comes, it refuses to take him away, so he has yet another day to live. Not the finest story, but it mixes with aggressive industrial music perfectly.

This album is one of the landmarks of rock, and surely Fear Factory's finest hour. If you are even mildly interested in metal or industrial music, you must give a listen to "Demanufacture".

PS I found myself among those few people who actually liked the remix albums "Remanufacture" and "Remanufacture v2.001". I think it shows the diversity of this band excellently, because I can't think of anybody else who feel themselves perfectly at home as with death-metal and grindcore, as with industrial, breakbeat or digital hardcore. While the lyrical integrity is lost in remixing, yet the music is good. Underground dancefloor DJs might also take notice.

Fear Factory's 1st CD was a great CD, and now they have changed it around a little for #2.Starting up the CD is the title track "Demanufacture." Probably the best song on the CD, it crushes everything you knew about life and spits it in your face again."Self-Bias Resistor" is a wake-up call for the world with speedy guitar shots and drums that are breakneck hard."Zero Signal" is at first a slow rush through space until you get hit with a hardcore riff of energy."Replica" is a drumfest with a great start."New Breed" is a destructive bloodfest with a sweet techno background.A lot of people like "Dog Day Sunrise" but it really isn't that great in my eyes.Still hardcore and all, but just not as good.A hard guitar shot from "Body Hammer" opens up a gun full of pure energy upon your ears."Flashpoint" is a symphony of chaos all packed into less than 3 minutes. (H-K) Hunter-Killer is a strange blast of guitar and hammer drums at the same time. "Pisschrist" is a buzzsaw of steel and fire. "A Therapy for Pain" is a epic 9:43 airborne ride through life and death itself. Buy this, u will NOT be dissapointed at all.