Fear Factory

Aggression Continuum

NUCLEAR BLAST Dino’s cyber-brutes mark the end of an era.

Completed against the odds, due in part to the sudden departure of frontman Burton C Bell, Fear Factory’s tenth studio album can hardly avoid being a pivotal moment in their story. Bell recorded his vocals before leaving, which ensures that

Aggression Continuum sounds as it should, like the next last word in extreme metal futurism, with guitarist and driving force Dino Cazares serving up countless new variations on his still unique robot-riff formula.

The tunes are huge, too: Disruptor and Monolith are instant classics and will plainly bring houses down on future tours, irrespective of who is gripping the mic at the time. Elsewhere, Fuel Injected Suicide Machine and Manufactured Hope embrace a more cinematic vibe, with echoes of the Californians’

Demanufacture peak.

This is a fine closing statement from Bell and also the sound of a band with shitloads of rocket fuel left in the gleaming titanium tank. Confusing times, killer record. ■■■■■■■■■■