RISE OF THE MACHINE

WHILE THE CLICHÉ that metal was in a bad spot in the 90s will be debated until the end of time, few could argue that it wasn’t, at the very least, in a fascinating state of flux. Come 1995, Pantera had taken over as the genre’s new leaders, nu metal was still in its infancy, Metallica were recording their most divisive album ever and the likes of Marilyn Manson, Sepultura, Rob Zombie and Cradle Of Filth were at least a year away from releasing the albums that’d define their careers.

Meanwhile, Fear Factory were about to drop their own magnus opus. Demanufacture wasn’t just one of the best albums of ’95; it was one of the most influential metal albums of the 90s. Eleven tracks of relentless, pulverising industrial metal anthems with a production that made it sound like it had been sent from the future by John Connor, it would have a profound effect on the scene around it.

“We had this vision of how we wanted Fear Factory to sound and it took us a while to grasp and understand our craft, and how to get to that point,” singer Burton C Bell would tell Metal Hammer later. “At the time of Demanufacture, everything came together.” The record would see them embark on a colossal world tour, including this stop in New York, hot off the album’s release.

Turning 25 next month, Demanufacture still sounds as vital, cutting edge and visceral as ever. Alarmingly, its dystopian musings on humanity and our relationships with technology seem more prescient than ever.