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Good news about Dino Cazares return drowns a bit in the fight about name rights between singer Burton C. Bell, guitarist Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera & bassist Christian O. Wolbers - who played guitar at Archetype and Transgression. Dino was a founding member of Fear Factory, but was fired in 2002. And so the happiness about Dino's return to Fear Factory was minimized. Due to the quarrels about the name Fear Factory 2010 is: singer Burton C. Bell, guitarist Dino (ex-Brujeria, Asesino, Divine Heresy), bassist Byron Stroud - who played on the last 2 Fear Factory albums as well as being part of Zimmers Hole - and drum legend Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death,Testament, Strapping Young Lad). After the release of their last album I feared that Fear Factory is going to drown in mediocrity, coz Transgression no longer sounded the way I loved Fear Factory for. The last one sounded like a light version of Fear Factory, I missed the heaviness... the catchiness. With Mechanize they return to the time of Obsolete with all it's heaviness, aggression and so the album sounds like Fear Factory again! Atmospheric keyboards combined with industrial sounds, brutal staccato riffs, precise drum attacks and Burton's vocals will haunt you soon! This is Fear Factory as we all love them! The title track attacks you with staccato riffs and Burton's screams, a little bulky first, but a very heavy industrial tune to open up Mechanized. Double bass drumming and a lot aggression they show at Industrial Discipline, but also a catchy refrain. This one will make you shiver! With a primal scream Fear Campaign begins, samples force the track forward, then the guitars fire riffs at you and Gene's inhuman drumming crowns the track. Powershifter is a killer track and will surely make it onto the set list. Again they offer fat riffs and a great refrain - this one will haunt me til the end of my days! And with Christploitation they deliver another monster track with spheric piano opening it becomes a thrash inferno full of aggression. While Oxidizer is based on wild industrial sounds and a shouted refrain, Controlled Demolition is more in the vain of Powershifter. What a refrain! They slow down for Designing The Enemy, a song with spacy sounds, breaks and down beats combined with industrial sounds. I think this one is the most average track... And together with the odd instrumental Metallic Division the weakest track on Mechanized. No idea why they put the instrumental onto the album, I wouldn't have missed it. The quite melodic tune Final Exit doesn't really fit among the aggressive tracks, but if you listen to it a few more times, then it shows it's beauty. Towards the end of the album Fear Factory can't keep the high level, but still it's a great piece of work and make one hope for some more. Cyber metallers Fear Factory are back! For me the album of the month!
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