Concrete

So this is the end of Fear Factory. Concrete was originally recorded way back when in ’91, the band’s very first studio effort, with the then unknown metal producer Ross Robinson at the helm (coincidentally, his debut production role as well). The Ross Robinson Demos, as it came to be known, donated 8 of its 16 tracks to 1992’s Soul Of A New Machine, Fear Factory’s label debut, 4 were re-written into other songs and 4 have never been released. The now fully remastered Concrete is the last ever release from the band.

Fear Factory are notoriously heavy at even their softest moments, so caution must be noted when listening to their earlier stuff. Heavier, rawer, growlier and more rampant than ever, this is Fear Factory exploding with teenage angst and fury, and taking it all out on the kick drum. Still, that’s hardly something to complain about.

Concrete sees Fear Factory going out in style, giving us an aural excuse to remember them at their most lethal.