PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Tonight was a night I was so excited about, Fear Factory celebrating 20 years since the release of Demanufacture. I was 8 years old when this album came out, I was lucky enough to be raised on a diet of copious amounts of metal very early on; as I got older this became an album that has always been very special to me! Not only that but I get to check out Dead Label and Once Human too, which I have wanted to do for a long time.
First up are Irish metallers Dead Label. Having been lucky enough to interview this lovely bunch before the show I couldn’t wait to see them in action at their first London appearance. Delivering an incredibly polished set these guys work incredibly hard! Having previously played 23 gigs in 27 days they are no strangers to hard work. It’s not an easy task opening for the legendary Fear Factory, but within moments Dead Label have the crowd in their hands, packing such a punch it’s easy to forget they are a 3 piece. All 3 members are fantastic performers and do an incredible job especially considering they are still relatively new to the bigger stages. A killer performance and next time you are in London I’ll be back head-banging along in the front row! (8)
Members –
Dan O’ Grady: Bass/Vocals
Danny Hall: Guitar
Claire Percival: Drums
Next up are LA based Once Human, fronted by newcomer Lauren Hart. I learned in my interview with legendary producer/musician Logan Mader that Lauren’s first time on stage was with Once Human earlier this year when they opened for Fear Factory on their US tour. Considering that she does a hell of a good job stalking the stage and showing she very much belongs up there. I was impressed with her growls and clean vocal work, I would have liked a little more clean vocal though as it added a nice contrast which worked really well their metal. Having a symphonic and groove feel to it, it made a very interesting mix. An absolute highlight of the set has to be them finishing off with a powerful cover of Machine Head’s ‘Davidian.’ It was pretty special to see one of the guys that helped write the track perform it, and it really was flawless and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Once Human are another great new band, I suggest you watch what the future holds for them. (7)
Members –
Vocals- Lauren Hart
Guitars- Logan Mader
Guitars – Skyler Howren
Bass- Damien Rainaud
Drums- Dillon Trollope
The crowd is buzzing for Fear Factory to take the stage, we all know what is about to come yet when those drum beats kick in for title track Demanufacture there is a surge of energy and adrenaline through the whole venue. It was good to see such a range of fans, from the old school fans, right through to the new fans that had first discovered Fear Factory from their most recent release Genexus. This really shows how after over 2 decades in metal Fear Factory are just as relevant now as they ever were, especially now Dino is back and they are back to their best. On hearing the incredible Demanufacture in full I really thought how this album easily fits in the metal world now, and is still very much relevant.
I have been very lucky over the last decade and have seen Fear Factory a number of times with the varying line-ups; even at the iconic London Astoria (R.I.P.). Also at quite possibly the hottest gig of my life; a warm up show at the Camden Underworld! I have been very lucky and each time Fear Factory have delivered. However tonight there was just something very special about this performance, not only getting Demanufacture in full, but seeing how strong they are now as a band. Mike Heller and Tony Campos are a fantastic addition, and I was moved by how strong the bond is now again between Burton and Dino. There was a moment in the gig where Burton took the time to introduce all his band mates, and in turn Dino gave Burton a really great introduction as one of the originals in founding the style of having the clean and heavier vocal styles together. The encore closed the show with Obsolete favourites Shock straight into Edgecrusher; followed up with 3 new tracks which fitted very seamlessly into the set, and finished with fan favourite Martyr. Overall an incredible performance from Fear Factory tonight; showing us just how strong they still are today. (9)
Set-list –
1- Demanufacture
2- Self Bias Resistor
3- Zero Signal
4- Replica
5- New Breed
6- Dog Day Sunrise
7- Body Hammer
8- Flashpoint
9- H-K (Hunter-Killer)
10- Pisschrist
11- A Therapy for Pain
Encore:
12- Shock
13- Edgecrusher
14- Soul Hacker
15- Dielectric
16- Regenerate
17- Martyr
Members –
Vocals – Burton C Bell
Guitars – Dino Cazares
Drums – Mike Heller
Bass – Tony Campos
Links –
https://www.facebook.com/DeadLabel
https://www.facebook.com/oncehuman
https://www.facebook.com/fearfactory
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