Local lads Twelve Foot Ninja, with their highly progressive take on heavy music, proved to be a nice surprise in a live setting and a solid warm up for headliners Fear Factory.
Sounding more organic than their somewhat self-conscious and affected efforts on their recordings, they helped set the mood for what would prove to be a killer night.
With an interesting history to them, having formed in 1989, splitting up in 2002 and reforming in 2007, American band Fear Factory has, over that time, maintained a strong and loyal following in Australia, with this country giving them their only gold album for the sophomore release, 1995’s Demanufacture.
Loosely inspired by the 1984 film TheTerminator, it was an album that truly rewrote the rules of what ‘metal’ should be, setting the template for what would become known as ‘industrial’, a sub-genre of heavy music.
Eschewing the posturing, misogynistic dick swinging that had, unfortunately, come to categorise metal of the late 80s and early 90s, this was, to paraphrase Star Trek, metal, Jim, but not as we knew it. Demanufacture was a concept album that refused to disappear up its own arse, depicting a near future where the government was run by machines and about the people that fought against this regime.
Lyrically, it had something to say about the world around us which, nearly 20 years later, still holds up. Sonically, it was a real game changer, especially in its drum sound, using click tracks and triggers to create a truly ballistic and affecting bottom end which really anchored the sonic template the band created.
Tonight, the faithful were out in full force, with passion and fire in their hearts. This was something akin to spiritual nirvana for long-time fans, as the band, lead by the one consistent member throughout the bands history, vocalist Burton C. Bell, played this iconic album in full.
Arriving onstage to strong sonic atmospherics, smoke machines and highly effective lighting, this blistering set from the foursome was a brilliant lesson in focus and economy, without an ounce of musical flab on it. Playing the album in its original order and sequence, from the title track which grabbed you by the throat right through to the epic “A Therapy For Pain”, this was one of the most tight and focussed sets this scribe has had the pleasure of seeing in a long time.
The already infectious and powerful vibe amongst the crowd truly went into overdrive when the band hit the fourth track off the album, “Replica”. This was metal at its most emotionally pounding, where you could feel what was being played before you in your spine. The mosh pit was one of those areas you would go only if you were brave and/or crazy, with limbs, fists and feet flying everywhere.
Bell is a wonderful frontman, motivational but never preachy or over the top. He told the assembled crowd that this show, with the album in full, was only for their Australian fans, which made the night all the more special. For their encore, the group finished with an excellent cross-section of their back catalogue, featuring some killer tracks such as “Shock”, “What Will Become” and finishing off with an insane version of “Martyr”, off their first album.
Powerful and visceral, this was one of those nights that was utterly electric on both a sonic and spiritual level. One can easily understand why Fear Factory have such a strong fan base here when they put on shows of this calibre.
