Architect - D. Batistatos

Advantages: Immersive, massive electronica-cum-breakbeat-cum-ambient-cum-everything
Disadvantages: Nothing

...the effect, the attraction. The enormous layers of sound have to be the winner and the key: it's that impossible number of layers that cause you to return, each time you listen there is something else in there you thought that you'd heard before but actually you hadn't. That curious analogue rhythm in the background; the unnoticed beat; the swirling ambience drifting behind the myriad rhythms; these bring us back. But moreover there is a sense of richness of sound, there is a connectedness about the tracks, both within and without them. We have abstraction and we have beats. Each track is in itself a small world of electronica, embracing almost everything but at the same time uniquely Architect's. I must admit I do love abstract and I do love a solid, meaty rhythm and The Analysis Of Noise Trading has them both, in spades, and, as I said... Read review

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Advantages: Classic, diverse songs that continue to define early heavy metal.
Disadvantages: Flawed experiments.

...is favoured. The tom-tom percussion from the older song 'Supernaut' rears its head again, as does a jazz piano that sounds alternately entertaining or out of place whenever I listen to this. Perhaps Sabbath couldn't think of a way to continue and conclude 'Sabbra Cadabra' naturally, so this radical departure was used as a way out. In this case, I'd still rather this have been a short and sweet two minute piece of giddy optimism amidst the waste. Metallica covered this song for their 1998 covers album and surprisingly managed to improve upon it, though by mixing it with 'A National Acrobat' they butchered that great song in the process. More consistent is 'Killing Yourself to Live,' the start of the album's second half and grunge-esque style, favouring accessibility and focus on bluesy guitar over the mad experimentation that ruined track four... Read review

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Advantages: A real return to form
Disadvantages: The cover of 'School' is a bit out of place, and it doesn't really offer much new on previous albums

...Fear Factory were respected as pioneers of industrial-metal crossover but after three consecutive top 30 albums (Demanufacture, Obsolete and Digimortal) it appeared they’d never achieve the commercial success of imitators like Spineshank and Static-X, and they sadly disbanded. A couple of years down the line, however, it’s become apparent they didn’t really have much better to do, and the core of the band has reformed - only with Christian Olde Wolbers moving over to guitar to replace the absent Dino, and new ex-Strapping Young Lad bassist Byron Stroud rounding out the band. The question we’re all asking is, of course, was it worth it? The band’s second album proper Demanufacture was (and is) widely regarded as a classic blueprint for the genre, while to my mind the more commercial Obsolete was actually an improvement. By Digimortal... Read review

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