Scribed by Sandre the Giant
I had very little context of Fear Factory when 2004’s ‘Archetype’ came out, other than watching the video for ‘Linchpin’ on Kerrang numerous times and being amazed that a band could actually sound that mechanical. So when I first saw ‘Cyberwaste’, the lead single from the band’s sixth full length (or fifth, depending on your feelings about ‘Concrete’), I was blown away. ‘Archetype’ was the band’s first record without founding guitarist Dino Cazares, and thus began a modern legacy of lineup weirdness and records that could hit or miss.
‘Archetype’ was a hit though, even with bassist Christian Wolbers stepping up the guitar role. His play style was obviously modelled on Cazares to get that Fear Factory sound down right, but his guitar work sounded warmer and richer than the mechanical, serrated chug that Dino specialised in. The result is that ‘Archetype’ is inimitably Fear Factory, and yet sounds very different to the other albums. That crisp, sleek metallic riffing has tempered in tone but not in execution. Like cold steel encased in warm flesh, tracks like ‘Drones’ and ‘Bonescraper’ possess this feeling in spades, while the melodic gallop of the title track and ‘Bite the Hand That Feeds’ are yet more reminders that Burton C Bell’s voice is one of the genre’s most potent weapons. He is on top form here, belting out guttural roars and beautiful clean vocals without effort. He’s always had an immediately recognisable tone, and it is as much of Fear Factory’s sound as Dino’s riffing. That’s why the band’s best records have featured them both, but ‘Archetype’ is a good argument for why their style and sound have always succeeded.
I love ‘Archetype’; partially because it was that first new record that came out when I’d first got into the band, partially because I think it has actually held up a lot over the past 20 years. Perhaps it is a nostalgia thing, perhaps not, but for me it stands close behind ‘Demanufacture’, ‘Obsolete’ and ‘Soul of a New Machine’ as one of the best Fear Factory records. One that suffered a more reactionary analysis in the moment, but over time has reinforced its quality.
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