Obsolete
Obsolete gives Fear Factory more room for melody without abandoning their tight industrial metal. Guitars and drums often move so precisely together that they seem to form one enormous rhythm. Burton C. Bell can scream against that backing before choosing a much more open vocal line. The change supplies human tension inside an insistently mechanical setting.
Shock begins with sounds establishing the dark atmosphere before the band arrive forcefully. Short guitar movements and fierce drums make the opening immediately clear. Edgecrusher follows with heavier riffs and a forceful shouted chorus. The different instruments support the rhythms without having to sound exactly alike. Their coordination supplies much of the record's impact.
Descent makes the melodic direction especially convincing. Singing moves further forward, and the guitar allows more softness into the arrangement. The song has a recognisable chorus without leaving the album's world behind. Freedom or Fire then returns attention to substantial bass and restless drums. These changes prevent precision from becoming a single unchanging pattern.
The title track uses a mechanical spoken contribution from Gary Numan to develop its threat. The rhythms create enough tension to offer more than a story about humanity and machines. Resurrection subsequently demonstrates how substantial Fear Factory can sound when melody gains real room. The weight remains present, making the more open singing especially effective against it.
Not every chorus is delivered equally convincingly, and some riffs follow a familiar pattern. Greater emphasis on melody consequently does not succeed automatically throughout. Timelessness closes with voice and strings, giving the record a much more vulnerable ending. Such changes make Obsolete strong: the band retain their recognisable precision while allowing several different feelings inside that hard construction. Their mechanical approach becomes more expressive without losing its essential force.
