Fear Factory Album: “Digimortal [PA]”

Digimortal is one of Fear Factory's best albums. Some of FF best songs are on this album! If you only listen to death metal then this ablum might be a little soft for you. But if you like quality music you'll enjoy this cd. It has songs that range from really heavy to really soft. I say its at least as good if not better than obsolete. Demanufacture and Archetype are there best albums so if you're a new fan start there.

I've learned to never trust reviews anymore. I've read so many "professional" reviews about this CD saying it was their worst CD, that it completely sucks, etc. This CD is a DEFINATE must-have for any fan of Fear Factory. Newcomers may say it's on OK album, but all newcomers should get Obsolete or Demanufacture, before this. Here is a run-down:

1. "What Will Become?" - This song is an awesome opener song for this CD. It starts with a nice guitar riff, then the drums start pounding in with the vocals close behind, it may not be an outrageously outstanding song, but it's very well put together if you ask me. 4/5

2. "Damaged" - This song, being the most plain of the songs on the CD, is quite an OK song. The guitar and bass riffs seem to be just slapped together though, yet the drumming is as phenomenal as ever. 3.5/5

3. "Digimortal" - Digimortal is a great song, though dips sometimes throughout the song. The chorus for this song is a personal favorite. 4/5

4. "No One" - The fourth song on the Digimortal album is one of the best, the samples and riffs in this song really seem to compliment each other and Burton's vocals all at the same time. 4.5/5

5. "Linchpin" A.K.A. "Lynchpin" - The lyrics to Lynchpin are very inspiring, yet Burton's vocals on this particular song make him sound hoarse. 3.5/5

6. "Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)" - Invisible Wounds is possible one of the greatest "slow" Fear Factory songs ever. This song can be found stuck in your head at the strangest of times. The riffs are pretty soft, yet near the middle of the song Burt gets into it and does his usual dry yell. One must be crazy to belittle this song. 5/5

7. "Acres of Skin" - This song takes some getting used to if you ask me. Once you listen to it a few times it really sticks to you. This is my favorite song on the album. The chorus gets stuck in my head all the time. Very heavy, too. Burton does a strange thing with his voice in this song. When he gets to the chorus, and on the last line, he drops his voice on the last word. It striked me as weird, at first, but I gre to love it. 5/5

8. "Back The F**k Up" - Back The F**k Up is the most controversial song on the album among Fear Factory fans. The thing being -- it's a RAP song. This song is actually fairly heavy though. But the weird thing about this song is, you either sorta like it, or you don't at all. You listen to it only a few times, or at least that's the norm. It's a very very strange song to have on an Industrial Metal album, however I personally like it. 3.5/5

9. "Byte Block" - This song, being of exceptionally heavy riffs, slamming vocals, and great drumming makes for an awesome song. When I first heard this song, I really liked it. I mean REALLY liked it. I listened to it on repeat for almost an hour and a half. Even though, it's not the best Fear Factory song ever, nor even the best of the album. But it is very debatable in that matter, though in my opinion no one ever gave this song - or even this album - any time, due to Back The F**k Up. 4.5/5

10. "Hurt Conveyor" - I love the samplings on this song. Though this song is quite the plain, it is special in it's own way. 3/5

11. "(Memory Imprints) Never End" - This "slow" song is a great song. It tops even "A Therapy For Pain" in my opinion. Though it comes nowhere near "Timelessness" this song really hits. 4.5/5

12. "Dead Man Walking" - This song is the best "added" song to any album in my opinion. This one has one of the best choruses, lyrically, of the Fear Factory songs. 4.5/5

13. "Strain vs. Resistance" - I REALLY love the beginning to this song. Other than that it's not really worth noting in the Fear Factory arsenal. 3.5/5

14. "Repetance" - Another song not necessarily worth noting, it seems liek it was just slapped together. Great "light" vocals in this song, though. 3.5/5

15. "Full Metal Contact" - Being one of the extremely few instrumental Fear Factory songs, this one rocks. Just listen to it. I really wish they would have made this song 5 or 6 minutes though. Makes great background music to a hardcore game. 4.5/5

So, from my opinion. This album is one of the best, don't believe those "professional" reviwers and listen to a long time and forever FAN of FEAR FACTORY.

This was the first Fear Factory cd I bought. I saw the video for Linchpin and thought it was awesome, I bought the cd. This cd is very focused on technotronic sounds and digital soundscapes, which, blended with heavy guitar, death metal drums, and Burton C. Bell's incredible vocals, makes a flawless formula. One song(Back The F*** Up)in this cd takes up a rap/metal element that is pulled off exceptionally well, combining death metal drums, digital soundscapes and rap vocals from B-Real of Cypress Hill. The only thing I didn't like about this cd was the ending song, which, though good, did not quite match the sound of Fear Factory. There wasn't any heaviness in that song at all. Had there at least been some heaviness in part of it, like in Invisible Wounds(Dark Bodies), this cd would've gotten the full five stars.

I noticed the cd digipak case in my brother's shelf and I thougt Burton C. Bell so cool that I bought the digipak edition for myself. It was my first FF album and I loved it when I first "Linchpin" and "Damaged". I loved it so much that I bought Demanufacture. I did not like it at first because I was not used the metal vocals and guitar rhythms so I just listned to Digimortal.

Then I tried Demanufacture a couple of times, and I just went crazy when I heard "Demanufacture","Zero Signal" and "Pisschrist". Then, I bought Obsolete and I liked that album too. Then, I realized, that Digimotal was not so good after all. It has it moments but, just not good enough. It is too "musical", Burton sings like a choirboy if you compare it to Soul of a new Machine and Demanufacture, Raymond doesn't have his famous fast pace drumming and Burton sings with a rap vocals rhythm thing. My favorite tracks are Damaged and Linchpin but Acres of Skin and Hurt Conveyor are my least favorite songs. The bonus tracks are all right but they sound too similar.

My final verdict, is that this album is good for FF beginners but not for the owners of the previous albums.

While overall, this might not be Fear Factory's greatest achievement, it certainly comes close. Digimortal finds FF slightly changing their style by frequently incorporating electronics and a hip-hop vibe. Whatever you may think about that, if you enjoyed their other works then there really isn't a reason to dislike this one either. Digimortal contains some of Fear Factory's best songwriting. "Linchpin" is one of their best, right up there with "Replica" and "Self Bias Resistor". The song captures a great deal of emotion, mostly in part to Burton C. Bell's entrancing voice on lyrics like "we will never see the end" and "you can't change me" that really makes you take him seriously. "Invisible Wounds" is one of the best "ballads" they have ever done. The title track is just brutal, kickass metal, as is "No One" and "Hurt Conveyor"; which both greatly rely on that industrial edge of the band. "Back the F*** Up" is strange but not that bad after a few listens, it features B. Real of Cypress Hill; he raps on the verses - it's better than Limp Bizkit, I promise! Raymond Herrera is still one of the best drummers ever. He tunes his kit perfectly. Christian Olde Wolbers' bass is excellent - you can actually hear it! I would have liked to have seen a little more from Dino Cazares. He was great on Demanufacture, but he doesn't do nearly as much on Digimortal (I do like his riffs on "Linchpin" though). Overall, this album is great, I'd give it a 9.5 out of a 10. Also be sure to check out Demanufacture, and their new one Archetype, and then all their other albums. They are one of the most inspiring bands I have ever heard.