Fear Factory - Demanufacture

This is were it all came together, the FF boys hitting their stride and redefining an entire genre. Vocalist Burton C. Bell slightly altering his previously Barney Greenway like roar to a slightly more palatable Max Cavelera growl, probably in a move to distance the band from the death and grind scene which was going down hill around the time. Drum machine Raymond Herrera locking perfectly in-sync with sole guitarist (at the time, since replaced by Christian Olde Wolbers), the duo perfecting their machine like rhythms. New addition Christian on bass lays down a solid foundation for the music to crush. The man versus machine theme is predominate throughout, and the music only adds to the feeling. Absolutely crushing (there's that word again) production courtesy of Colin Richardson, the man turning in what could be his best production to date (maybe second only to Burn my Eyes). Whether you like the band or not, it's hard to ignore the effect this band and this album in particular had on the metal scene as a whole. Nothing souned like them than and no band can crib their sound without sounding like a blatant rip-off. Unfortunatly they started to lose the plot on subsequent albums.