Honorable Mention: Fear Factory – Mechanize (2010)
Fear Factory spent a good chunk of the 2000s with bassist Christian Olde Wolbers taking over guitar duties from Dino Cazares. This time period produced mixed results, with 2004’s Archetype and 2005’s Transgression lacking compared to Fear Factory’s past releases. But in 2009, Cazares and singer Burton C. Bell reconciled and began working together on new Fear Factory music again. However, Cazares’ return meant Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera had been given the boot, which lead to a public game of “he said/ she said” and a potential legal battle. While such public drama would diminish most projects, Cazares and Bell moved forward and released Mechanize in 2010. The album gave Fear Factory newfound critical acclaim and made many happy that they decided to reform after all.
Favorite Track: “Oxidizer”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIKMjbedXU8[/youtube]
