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Album Reviews

If Fear Factory's 1992 debut album, Soul of a New Machine, was a groundbreaking effort for its time, the EP that followed it a year later, Fear Is the Mindkiller, was even more so. Clocking in at 30 minutes, this five-track remix EP is the perfect length -- longer than a single, shorter than an album. Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly take four of the best songs from Soul of a New Machine -- "Martyr," "Self Immolation," "Scapegoat," "Scumgrief" -- and give them a further industrial spin. They don't remix them to KMFDM or Front 242 extremes (of monotony), thankfully leaving the bulk of the songs intact and simply extending them, adding layers of industrial effects (ambiences, samples, digital beats), and looping the vocals and music à la techno (think Godflesh). The result is a logical extension of the man-machine sound Fear Factory had sought to achieve on Soul of a New Machine, the difference being that this EP greatly furthers the machine side of the equation. Don't be surprised if you prefer this EP to the LP. These remixes are still heavy as hell (that is, still "metal" rather than "dance"), and they run for a good half-hour, resulting in a succinct run-through of the standout moments from the 17-track album. Ideally, you should pick up both the LP and this EP, given their relation to one another. Thankfully, in 2004 Roadrunner remastered and reissued both in a single, deluxe repackaging of Soul of a New Machine. Listened to side by side years later, these two releases sound remarkable, especially in comparison to one another. Again, don't be surprised if you prefer this EP. In a way, it pointed toward the direction Fear Factory would move toward with their next album, their breakthrough Demanufacture. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide