Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Fear Factory - Fear Is the Mindkiller (1993)

I hate to admit this, but this is the worst release ever done by Fear Factory, worse than Transgression. BUT... Not all of it is bad. Fear is the Mindkiller is the transition release between Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture, being a remix EP of a few tracks from the former. The remixes add more synths and programming to the deathly sound. They prove how well the band can stand in the line between death metal and industrial techno without leaning too much into one or the other, and that can't be denied.

The problem here is, the remixes sound too detached from the originals. As much as I consider Rhys Fulber a genius for his remixing skills, his electronic usage could've been better played and less distorted, with a more dimensional balance.

"Martyr (Suffer B****rd Mix)" is actually a promising start, the way a remix is supposed to sound, more industrial while staying metal. Fear Factory can really maintain their extreme industrial metal in these remixes. H*ll, this is probably close to proto-cyber metal! A great throwback for longtime Fear Factory fans. There are two remixes of "Self Immolation", starting with the "Vein Tap Mix" that doesn't work as well as the second one which we will talk about shortly.

"Scapegoat (Pigf*** Mix)" manages to maintain the best of Burton C. Bell's harsh growls and clean singing, but it's still as flawed as the original song with too much industrial repetition. "Scumgrief" (Deep Dub Trauma Mix) starts off promising with its original proto-melodeath riffing. However, the overuse of techno beats can be quite traumatic for the more deathly metalheads. On the other hand, the more atmospheric sounds in "Self Immolation (Liquid Sky mix)" have paid off well. The death metal aggression is in perfect flow with the techno groove, another remix saving the EP from being a total disaster. The first edition includes the original "Self Immolation" from the debut.

Fear is the Mindkiller is a tough release to get attached to for pure metalheads. The remixing really could've been done better, and I can say the same about the rhythm and some vocals. Still it's an all right trip to get you geared up for the power and glory of Demanufacture, if you're going through the band's discography chronologically....

Favorites (only ones I truly like): "Martyr (Suffer B****rd Mix)", "Self Immolation (Liquid Sky mix)"