Factoring in the Fear!

And so we come to the second night of our summer of slaughter... and the long awaited return, after nine years, of Fear Factory.
Like Soulfly the previous evening, a visit by Burton, Dino and co always promises something brutal: unlike the former, however, the latter delivered brutality of a completely different, and much more welcoming kind.
From opening chords of 'Mechanize' to the dying embers of 'Replica', this was a battering ram of blastbeats, a barrage of booming bass and a slaughterfest of stunning shredding, all topped off with the restrained vocal violence of Mr Bell, on the top of his game.
This was very much a crowd-pleasing set, concentrating on the highlights from 'Obsolete', 'Digimortal' and 'Demanufacture', plus a triumvirate of tunes from their latest masterpiece, 'Mechanise', and the mighty 'Martyr' thrown in for good measure. But, to be honest, that was exactly what was wanted.
This was a tight 85 minutes of just exactly was expected from a band who are masters of their craft.
And, once again, a mention must be made of the S+A sound - once notorious for its muddiness and ability to destroy even the best sound performance, once again it was crystal clear. Well done to whoever is responsible (but not for the fucking ridiculous 10.30 curfew to let in a bunch of smiks seeking cheapo chavification: the fact that all the metallers hung about for another couple of hours and continued pinting like it was going out of fashion should show the powers that be where their audience really lies!)