The Tivoli theatre, a long-standing icon in Brisbane’s inner north, played host to a somewhat unexpected crowd on Thursday night, when American heavy metal band Fear Factory kicked off their Australian tour.
For Australian fans, this tour was unlike any they have witnessed previously, as the Industrial Metal pioneers are embarking of a full album tour dedicated to their second, and most revered album, Demanufacture.
On this tour, Fear Factory are joined by their Australian supports Twelve Foot Ninja; a Melbourne-based heavy metal band who in 2012 released their debut album Silent Machine. When Twelve Foot Ninja emerge, they were welcomed by the already impressively large audience, and leap into an entertaining set displaying characteristics of an early Incubus with an almost reggae-like laid back melody. Vocalist Kin’s crowd interaction and Anthony Kiedis-like dance moves made for an interesting stage presence.
Overall, these guys held it together and the crowd loved them.
Demanufacture smashed its way into music history and became not only the defining work from Fear Factory, but the album by which all others would be judged The use of haunting loops and samples intertwined with an almost over-produced industrial metal sound gave the whole album a dark, synthetic techno vibe, and whether or not this could be replicated on stage in all its deserved glory was a question on the minds of more than a few punters.
After a short interval, which gave fans a chance to completely ravage the merchandise stand, the lights went dim. Fear Factory make a casual entrance and don’t waste much time with pleasantries before the unmistakable rumbling sample introduction to the title track “Demanufacture” begins, and is soon accompanied by a soul-penetrating kick drum section and the unmistakable crunch of Dino Cazares’ 7-string Ibanez guitar.
The audience, who had until now been unexpectedly well behaved, were now completely transformed into a frenzied mob of batshit-crazy lunatics, and within moments security guards were dragging people out of the mosh pit.
Fear Factory pound through the first few tracks without much conversation, but deeper into their set they open up and acknowledge the crowd erupting before them, and give thanks on more than one occasion for being fans and making them who they are today.
Any doubts about the possibility of replicating such a unique album sound in a live setting were soon squashed, and even though the current lineup features only two band members who were involved in the album’s recording as the new additions of Matt DeVries on and Mike Heller on drums helped the band deliver an incredibly tight sound that was unfolding to be arguably better than the original recording.
To list the notable crowd favourites would be to re-write the setlist, although there was an impressive reaction to the track “A Therapy For Pain”, which until now has never been played by the band in a live show. The energy from the audience seemed to be consistently intense as they all sung along in unison throughout the whole show, which complimented the seemingly choreographed head-banging from Cazares and Devries.
At one point Bell proudly exclaims “Without Australia, we wouldn’t be here today!”.
The final track on the album was met with tremendous applause, and what seemed to be a very short headlining set was extended after a short interval of chanting, with a few notably memorable songs from previous albums,
“Shock” and “Edgecrusher” – the opening tracks from the 1998 release Obsolete, “What Will Become” – the opening track from 2001’s Digimortal, “Archetype” – title track from the 2004 release of the same name, and “Martyr” – the opening track from their debut album Soul Of A New Machine made for a terrific end to an awe-inspiring set that will be spoken of with great fondness for years to come.
Set List
• Demanufacture
• Self Bias Resistor
• Zero Signal
• Replica
• New Breed
• Dog Day Sunrise
• Body Hammer
• Flashpoint
• H.K (Hunter Killer)
• Pisschrist
• A Therapy For Pain
• Shock
• Edgecrusher
• What Will Become?
• Archetype
• Martyr
