Soul of a New Machine
Soul of a New Machine is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Fear Factory, released on August 25, 1992, by Roadrunner Records. Although this record was Fear Factory's first studio album to be released, it was actually their second album to be recorded, after Concrete, which was recorded earlier but not released until 11 years later. The album's sound mixes together many elements of metal music, described by AllMusic as an early example of alternative metal. German magazine Rock Hard described it as death metal with many other elements such as industrial metal.
| Soul of a New Machine | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 25, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | May 1992 | |||
| Studio | Grand Master, Ltd. (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 55:14 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Colin Richardson | |||
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| Fear Factory studio album chronology | ||||
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Soul of a New Machine was remastered and re-released on October 5, 2004, in a digipak, packaged together with the remastered Fear Is the Mindkiller EP.
Overview
Guitarist Dino Cazares has stated that Soul of a New Machine is a concept album, concerning man's creation of a machine that could be either technological or governmental. It was also confirmed by bassist Christian Olde Wolbers in an interview.[1] The particular concept would later play a more prominent role in some of Fear Factory's later albums.
Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic described the album as ushering in the alternative metal era of the 1990s.[2] Soul of a New Machine has also been described as death metal with elements of genres like industrial metal and, to some extent, grindcore.[3][4][5][6] Author Colin Larkin of The Encyclopedia of Popular Music wrote "Soul of a New Machine established Fear Factory as a genuine death metal force, with a good collection of songs delivered with originality and ferocity."[7]
The record featured a different conceptual style from Fear Factory's later works. "Martyr" is about someone who dies for a cause; "Leechmaster" is about relationship problems; "Scapegoat" was based on how Cazares was once wrongfully accused by the law; "Crisis" is an anti-war song; "Crash Test" concerns animal testing and "Suffer Age" is based on serial killer John Wayne Gacy. The other songs contain different themes. Samples from the movies Full Metal Jacket, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now are heard sporadically throughout the album.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[8] |
AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier gave the album three stars out of five, remarking that "Fear Factory were quite ahead of their time in 1992". The critic also noted the diversity of the genres featured in the recording, saying that "Soul of a New Machine was so groundbreaking because it [fused] together some of the best aspects of numerous metal subgenres", which "[resulted] in a unique sound".[2]
Rock Hard rated the album highly, saying that the sound of the album was strange, indescribable yet required listening. Rock Hard also complimented the blending of various sub-genres, with particular note to Burton Bell for managing such an eclectic set of vocals.[8]
- Kerrang! (p. 61) - "[The album] contains all the unrefined qualities that would soon make Fear Factory legendary."
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Burton C. Bell except where noted; all music is composed by Dino Cazares and Raymond Herrera
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Martyr" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Leechmaster" | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Scapegoat" | 4:33 |
| 4. | "Crisis" | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Crash Test" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Flesh Hold" | 2:31 |
| 7. | "Lifeblind" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Scumgrief" | 4:07 |
| 9. | "Natividad" | 1:04 |
| 10. | "Big God/Raped Souls" | 2:38 |
| 11. | "Arise Above Oppression" | 1:51 |
| 12. | "Self Immolation" | 2:46 |
| 13. | "Suffer Age" | 3:40 |
| 14. | "W.O.E." | 2:33 |
| 15. | "Desecrate" | 2:35 |
| 16. | "Escape Confusion" | 3:58 |
| 17. | "Manipulation" | 3:29 |
| Total length: | 55:14 | |
Credits
Fear Factory
- Burton C. Bell – lead vocals (credited as "Dry Lung Vocal Martyr"), programming ("Hardware, Utilities"), intro programming (10) Lyrics
- Dino Cazares – (credited as "Discordant") guitars, bass, arrangements
- Raymond Herrera - (credited as "Variable Percussive Wrecking") drums
- Andrew Shives – bass ("Discordant Bass") (credited but did not participate in recording)
Additional personnel
- Colin Richardson – producer, mixing, add. performer (9)
- Steve Harris – engineer, mixing
- Bradley Cook – assistant engineer
- Rober Fayer – assistant engineer, add. performer (9)
- Eddy Schreyer – mastering
- Ted Jensen – remastering (Expanded Edition)
- Satok Lrak, Karl Kotas (spelled backwards) – computer graphics, art direction
- Joe Lance – photography
- Lora Porter – executive producer, add. performer (9)
- Otis – sampling (credited as "Sample God"),
- Darius Seponlou – introduction (5), intro programming (5)
- Monte Conner – A&R
References
- Bart Nijssen (September 17, 2001). "KindaMuzik - Interview with Christian Olde Wolbers". KindaMuzik. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
- Allmusic review
- Boyd, William (August 19, 2016). "Every Fear Factory album, ranked from worst to best". Metal Hammer. Louder Sound. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
Nobody else was merging the toxic combination of death and industrial metal except Fear Factory
- "Song of the Day: Fear Factory, "Scumgrief," from Soul of a New Machine (Roadrunner, 1992)". Aversionline. August 14, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- "Oldie But Goldie: Fear Factory – Soul of a New Machine". Moshville. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- Keenan, Hesher (October 12, 2022). "You're Gonna Want to Pick Up This Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set of Fear Factory's Soul of a New Machine". MetalSucks. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
The Colin Richardson-produced Soul of a New Machine established Fear Factory as a genuine death metal force, with a good collection of songs delivered with originality and ferocity.
- Frank Albrecht. "Soul of a New Machine review by Rock Hard". Rock Hard. Retrieved January 29, 2019.