01. Recode
02. Disruptor
03. Aggression Continuum
04. Purity
05. Fuel Injected Suicide Machine
06. Collapse
07. Manufactured Hope
08. Cognitive Dissonance
09. Monolith
10. End Of Line
When it comes to 'drama albums', I think this new Fear Factory record may be the big one. It was originally recorded in 2017. Since then, front-man Burton C Bell quit the band, apparently for the last time, leaving Dino Cazares as the sole original member. The original four guys have been at each others throats for years, suing each other, slagging each other off in the press etc, so maybe this break-up is for the best? Anyway, Dino had all the music re-recorded and left Burton's vocals in place, creating this 'new' album.
I've loved Fear Factory since their first record. I saw them on their Demanufacture and Obsolete tours and have seen them at many festivals since. They're hugely influential, but, in all honesty, I feel that they don't have a great deal to offer anymore. Most of their albums from the last 20 years are very samey and don't particularly do anything for me that the first four didn't do better. I may be being a little harsh there as the same applies to many artists. Having said that, Fear Factory have never put out a shit album.
Aggression Continuum does everything you'd expect and nothing you wouldn't expect. It's rhythmically a bit more 'Djent' in places than on previous releases, but other than that it's intermittent blasts of triggered kick drums, machine gun riffing from Dino, and Burton doing his usual thing.
Having said all that, I like it. Aggression Continuum is probably my favourite Fear Factory record since Mechanize, which was the best since Obsolete in my opinion. So yes, this is certainly one of their stronger albums. Recode and Collapse are absolute bangers, and Fuel Injected Suicide Machine had me hitting the replay button a few times too.
Aggression Continuum is a decent record and Fear Factory fans don't have anything to complain about here. It also serves as a great book-end album for this chapter of the band. It'll be strange hearing a future Fear Factory with just Dino from the original line-up, but I'm quite excited too. Hopefully the new blood will change things up a bit more.
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