Tuesday, May 18th, 2004
The Commodore Ballroom
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Review and live pictures by
Lord of the Wasteland
Like
the mighty phoenix itself, Fear Factory has come back from a
poorly-received album (2001’s DIGIMORTAL), a band breakup and
quick reformation with new members (and old members on new
instruments) to release one of the best records of 2004,
ARCHETYPE. The band has a bit of history with Vancouver as parts
of 1998’s OBSOLETE were recorded here and ARCHETYPE was mixed
here, as well. The last time I saw Fear Factory was on the 1999
Ozzfest jaunt, where they headlined the second stage. They did
pass through town on the DIGIMORTAL tour but some genius
scheduled that show the same night as Pantera/Slayer—good
move—and I’ll give a shiny Canadian dollar to anyone who guesses
correctly which show I attended. I was as sorry as anyone to
hear that Fear Factory decided to pack it in, but once the dust
had settled between vocalist Burton C. Bell and former guitarist
Dino Cazares, the band got back together (minus Cazares) to
record again. The resulting album saw Fear Factory play
something of a one-off show immediately after their stint on the
Jagermeister tour with Slipknot and Chimaira. On this Tuesday
night, Vancouver fans came out in droves to cheer on the newly
energized and invigorated Fear Factory. The crowd was filled
with long-haired metalheads, bald hardcore dudes in
wife-beaters, a few industrial Goths, and guys in Machine Head
t-shirts and Korn braids. I could tell that this was going to be
one crazy show!
There
were two opening acts billed—Full Blown Chaos and Just
Cause—neither of which I had heard of and wasn’t in any hurry to
see. I ended up at the venue earlier than expected and saw that
Full Blown Chaos would not be playing, though no reason was
given. Once inside, the usual suspects were around including
drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Dark
Angel, Testament, Death) and Devin Townsend, who I assumed were
on hand to cheer on SYL bassist Byron Stroud who is also playing
with Fear Factory. Any Vancouver metalhead knows that seeing
Hoglan at a metal show is nothing special because he is in the
crowd for EVERY show. He’s a cool guy and always loves to meet
people. The stage was set for Just Cause and at 9:30, the lights
went down. Suddenly, Gene Hoglan strolls out and settles in
behind the kit! It turns out that Just Cause is a
thrash/hardcore side project that Hoglan has been a part of
since the late 90s. Once things kicked into gear, Just Cause
killed! Their music is mind-numbingly fast, but retains rhythm
and a little groove. The band released an album called FINGER IT
OUT in 1999 and their set covered all of that but one track and
included one new song. One standout track was called “Slayer?”
and vocalist Patrick Beaudoin introduced it by saying, “This
one’s called Slayer. Why don’t do you this anymore?” The band
launched into an old school Slayer-type riff that could have
been a lost track from SHOW NO MERCY or HAUNTING THE CHAPEL.
Great song with a touch of humor to it. A mystery bass player
with a shag of red hair at the back of his bald head shared
vocal duties with Beaudoin, while guitarist Ricardo Forrester
headbanged furiously. Of course the spotlight was on Hoglan who
pounded away at the drums with such fury and precision that he
looked like he was going to go right through them! The band
turned in an energetic performance and had an insane moshpit
going through most of their set.
JUST CAUSE Setlist
Sheep
H.T.G.
Damnation
Slayer?
Paint Brush
Fingers
Stay The Fuck Away
Old No. 7
Better Than You
Vivre
After
a ridiculously long FIFTY MINUTE changeover (?!?!?!), Raymond
Herrera’s drums had the curtain around them removed and Fear
Factory emerged with a plain black backdrop behind them. This
told me one thing—the music was going to be the focus here and
not a fancy lighting show and stage effects. Fear Factory had
some ground to make up after releasing nu-metal/rap rubbish like
“Back the Fuck Up” with Cypress Hill on DIGIMORTAL and the band
has certainly wiped their hands clean of that debacle. This was
a METAL show and not a trace of DIGIMORTAL was to be found on
the setlist. Right from the get go, the double barrel attack of
“Shock” and “Edgecrusher” from OBSOLETE tore through the crowd.
The set was heavy with tracks from that album and DEMANUFACTURE
and the band even played three dusty classics from their first
album, 1992’s SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE. What I noticed most about
these, though, was the fact that Bell’s voice wasn’t hitting the
low, brutal death growls of the originals. His range is still
incredible and he hits the highs extremely well, but his lower
range is definitely not what it once was. On tracks like
“Archetype” and “Replica,” his soaring clean vocal is
unsurpassed. “Timelessness,” an excellent showcase for Bell’s
vocals was the only encore and while it boasted a cool light
show, the energy was clearly lost with the choice of a
six-minute plus ambient number to close the show. Christian Olde
Wolbers’ transition over to guitar is seamless and though he
certainly lacks the flash of Cazares, his playing is nothing to
scoff at. Herrera’s drums were triggered for maximum effect and
hearing him AND Gene Hoglan play on the same night was a
skinsman’s wet dream. Stroud kind of stayed out of the spotlight
as if to give the rest of the band the audience’s attention. His
playing was top notch, of course, but his stage presence was
noticeably subdued.
Overall, the band was on and deserved the massive response
that they received. With ARCHETYPE, Fear Factory have created
their best album since DEMANUFACTURE and they still know how to
whip up a crowd. Unless you think DIGIMORTAL is the be all end
all of Fear Factory albums, this tour will please fans old and
new.
FEAR FACTORY Setlist
Shock
Edgecrusher
Demanufacture
Self-Bias Resistor
Zero Signal
Scumgrief
Dog Day Sunrise
Archetype
Slave Labor
Cyberwaste
Pisschrist
Resurrection
Arise Above Oppression
Martyr
School
Replica
ENCORE
Timelessness
Like
the mighty phoenix itself, Fear Factory has come back from a
poorly-received album (2001’s DIGIMORTAL), a band breakup and
quick reformation with new members (and old members on new
instruments) to release one of the best records of 2004,
ARCHETYPE. The band has a bit of history with Vancouver as parts
of 1998’s OBSOLETE were recorded here and ARCHETYPE was mixed
here, as well. The last time I saw Fear Factory was on the 1999
Ozzfest jaunt, where they headlined the second stage. They did
pass through town on the DIGIMORTAL tour but some genius
scheduled that show the same night as Pantera/Slayer—good
move—and I’ll give a shiny Canadian dollar to anyone who guesses
correctly which show I attended. I was as sorry as anyone to
hear that Fear Factory decided to pack it in, but once the dust
had settled between vocalist Burton C. Bell and former guitarist
Dino Cazares, the band got back together (minus Cazares) to
record again. The resulting album saw Fear Factory play
something of a one-off show immediately after their stint on the
Jagermeister tour with Slipknot and Chimaira. On this Tuesday
night, Vancouver fans came out in droves to cheer on the newly
energized and invigorated Fear Factory. The crowd was filled
with long-haired metalheads, bald hardcore dudes in
wife-beaters, a few industrial Goths, and guys in Machine Head
t-shirts and Korn braids. I could tell that this was going to be
one crazy show! 
There
were two opening acts billed—Full Blown Chaos and Just
Cause—neither of which I had heard of and wasn’t in any hurry to
see. I ended up at the venue earlier than expected and saw that
Full Blown Chaos would not be playing, though no reason was
given. Once inside, the usual suspects were around including
drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Dark
Angel, Testament, Death) and Devin Townsend, who I assumed were
on hand to cheer on SYL bassist Byron Stroud who is also playing
with Fear Factory. Any Vancouver metalhead knows that seeing
Hoglan at a metal show is nothing special because he is in the
crowd for EVERY show. He’s a cool guy and always loves to meet
people. The stage was set for Just Cause and at 9:30, the lights
went down. Suddenly, Gene Hoglan strolls out and settles in
behind the kit! It turns out that Just Cause is a
thrash/hardcore side project that Hoglan has been a part of
since the late 90s. Once things kicked into gear, Just Cause
killed! Their music is mind-numbingly fast, but retains rhythm
and a little groove. The band released an album called FINGER IT
OUT in 1999 and their set covered all of that but one track and
included one new song. One standout track was called “Slayer?”
and vocalist Patrick Beaudoin introduced it by saying, “This
one’s called Slayer. Why don’t do you this anymore?” The band
launched into an old school Slayer-type riff that could have
been a lost track from SHOW NO MERCY or HAUNTING THE CHAPEL.
Great song with a touch of humor to it. A mystery bass player
with a shag of red hair at the back of his bald head shared
vocal duties with Beaudoin, while guitarist Ricardo Forrester
headbanged furiously. Of course the spotlight was on Hoglan who
pounded away at the drums with such fury and precision that he
looked like he was going to go right through them! The band
turned in an energetic performance and had an insane moshpit
going through most of their set. 
After
a ridiculously long FIFTY MINUTE changeover (?!?!?!), Raymond
Herrera’s drums had the curtain around them removed and Fear
Factory emerged with a plain black backdrop behind them. This
told me one thing—the music was going to be the focus here and
not a fancy lighting show and stage effects. Fear Factory had
some ground to make up after releasing nu-metal/rap rubbish like
“Back the Fuck Up” with Cypress Hill on DIGIMORTAL and the band
has certainly wiped their hands clean of that debacle. This was
a METAL show and not a trace of DIGIMORTAL was to be found on
the setlist. Right from the get go, the double barrel attack of
“Shock” and “Edgecrusher” from OBSOLETE tore through the crowd.
The set was heavy with tracks from that album and DEMANUFACTURE
and the band even played three dusty classics from their first
album, 1992’s SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE. What I noticed most about
these, though, was the fact that Bell’s voice wasn’t hitting the
low, brutal death growls of the originals. His range is still
incredible and he hits the highs extremely well, but his lower
range is definitely not what it once was. On tracks like
“Archetype” and “Replica,” his soaring clean vocal is
unsurpassed. “Timelessness,” an excellent showcase for Bell’s
vocals was the only encore and while it boasted a cool light
show, the energy was clearly lost with the choice of a
six-minute plus ambient number to close the show. Christian Olde
Wolbers’ transition over to guitar is seamless and though he
certainly lacks the flash of Cazares, his playing is nothing to
scoff at. Herrera’s drums were triggered for maximum effect and
hearing him AND Gene Hoglan play on the same night was a
skinsman’s wet dream. Stroud kind of stayed out of the spotlight
as if to give the rest of the band the audience’s attention. His
playing was top notch, of course, but his stage presence was
noticeably subdued. 
