Digimortal
On Digimortal, Fear Factory make their music more compact and easier to approach. The tight rhythms and heavy guitars remain clearly present, but the songs reach their choruses sooner. Burton C. Bell moves between harsh singing and plenty of melody. The album consequently has a different appeal from the more aggressive earlier records, although the combination of human and machine remains recognisable.
What Will Become opens with enough weight to demonstrate the familiar force. Guitar and drums lock together, while electronics give the sound a cool edge. The title track then draws much of its character from the relationship between rhythm and vocal melody. Linchpin makes that approach even clearer. Its chorus provides an easy way in, with the heavy backing maintaining the tension.
The quieter material works surprisingly well within this direction. Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies) and (Memory Imprints) Never End introduce a melancholy colour and give Bell's clean voice more space. The band show that restraint can add something useful. The album needs those differences to offer more than variations on the same compact structure.
The change of direction is not entirely convincing. The aggressive passages lack some of the earlier threat, and B-Real's rap contribution on Back the Fuck Up adds less than the guest appearance might suggest. The story about technology and humanity also has less substance than its presentation promises. The music works best when the band concentrate on a clear song.
Digimortal is an uneven but well-played record. Strong choruses, clear melodies and precise rhythms make it accessible without removing Fear Factory's identity altogether. Expect a different balance, including a few convincing quieter moments among the heavier material.
