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Mechanize
by
Mechanize Image
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

  • Summary: The metal band returns with original guitarist Dino Cazares for the group's first album in over four years.

Top Track

Final Exit
"It's quite an experience to hold the hand of someone as they move from living to dead." "Final Exit... The practicalities of... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Rock Sound
    80
    Mechanize is without doubt their heaviest and most powerful, and considering the stark, foreboding lyrical subject matter it seems totally relevant that it should be. A truly emphatic return.
  2. Sputnikmusic
    80
    Quite simply, Mechanize corrects all of the band’s past missteps including those made prior to Dino’s departure. It is a collection of everything that made them great without any of the extraneous influences that came later.
  3. BBC Music
    70
    Fear Factory’s slices of digital dystopia no longer sound futuristic or groundbreaking, but Mechanize is a powerful statement from a revitalized and still-relevant band.
  4. AllMusic
    70
    Mechanize isn't quite in a class with Demanufacture or Obsolete, which are widely regarded as two of Fear Factory's most essential releases. But it's still an album that longtime followers will welcome.
  5. Slant Magazine
    60
    Fear Factory has always been most appealing as a thinking man's metal act, and if Mechanize largely dials down the thinking in order to ratchet up the metal, its final act suggests that a better balance is within the band's reach.
  6. PopMatters
    60
    If there’s one big sticking point, it’s the lyrical content, which, despite the palpable energy of the arrangements, recycles clichés a bit too often.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. SDS_IV
    Nov 1, 2015
    9
    This is absolutely different than what I was expecting. The Fear Factory I know was one part metal and another part futuristic soundscape.This is absolutely different than what I was expecting. The Fear Factory I know was one part metal and another part futuristic soundscape. Albums as a whole usually dealt the hand 50/50. I hadn't heard anything as aggressive as Demanufacture from Fear Factory since its landmark release in the mid 90s so I was surprised the Mechanize kicked on and knocked my teeth out in the first minute. This record is heavy. I mean really heavy. Even by Demanufacture standards this album is knockout heavy. If Demanufacture is the Louisville Slugger of the bands catalogue this is the sledgehammer. I was a little sad to see the sonic soundscape futuristic nature of the band give way to a more traditional powerhouse knock down drag out metal album but at this point in their career is was absolutely necessary. This more than makes up for the subpar records in the bands catalogue like Digimortal or Transgression. I was impressed and if you haven't picked up Fear Factory in a while I wouldn't suggest starting here. Use Archetype as a starting point to see that the band didn't abandon their roots, then come to Mechanize so it can punch you right in the face. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!… Expand