Fear Factory

The leagues of FF minions are gonna hang me for this one, but Archetype is such a predictable, safe and sleepwalked disc I can barely make it through the damn thing. I had high hopes for this reunion disc (seems like just yesterday they broke up…), given the effect the band’s incredible Demanufacture album had on my psyche while I was a troubled teen. I guess therein lies the problem though. I’m not a troubled teen anymore, and FF’s music hasn’t changed with their age, still riding that one emotion they’ve always been riding. All the same elements that made Demanufacture so great are here, but man, it’s been a long time. Those quick stop-start riffs, the double-bass/computerised typewriter attack, hell, even the song titles make my eyelids feel suddenly heavy. It’s a tough one, because taken one song at a time it sounds pretty good, but throw a few of ’em together and it becomes so tiring. Don’t get me wrong, the band does a great job with the songs on Archetype, but we’re talking about an hour of music that we all know the band has recorded before. At this point, we expect more. Or maybe it’s just me, given the good response this album seems to be getting elsewhere. Ok, it’s just me; I expect more. So hang me.