For twenty-one years, Fear Factory has been creating head pummeling metal. They have been credited with pioneering their own sub genre of music, Cyber Metal, with their trademark machine gun riffs and lyrical fascination with everything from artificial intelligence to Orwellian notions of surveillance and manipulation.

Over the course of their career, they have also developed a healthy relationship with their Australian fan base, with this year marking their third Big Day Out appearance and the band having even shot the music video for Cyberwaste with their fans in a dilapidated factory on the outskirts of Perth during their last visit in 2004.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, as their shaggy haired and black t-shirt clad followers began filling Prince Bandroom tonight, few would realise how close Fear Factory came to liquidation recently.

Since their last Australian tour, Fear Factory has undergone a significant lineup change. After years of bad blood between the two, vocalist Burton C. Bell has welcomed original guitarist Dino Cazares back into the mix, with newly appointed drummer Gene Hoglan and touring bassist Byron Stroud rounding out the machine.

However, this current formation has proven contentious with long-time members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera claiming they are still members of the band and that this lineup has resulted in a “”big legal battle””:http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/19089/Fear-Factory-cancels-tour.htm over use of the Fear Factory name.

Pressure like this from ex-band mates and the fact that Bell and Cazares have only rekindled their friendship in the last year following a six-year long separation had me intrigued as to what their performance would be like tonight. Would there be an element of tension in the air between the band mates? Had their new lineup really gelled yet? Would Cazares do a John Frusciante and refuse to play any material off albums to which he had not featured? These questions buzzed around my brain as I stood in front of the stage where the answers to these queries would reveal themselves following a short support slot from Melbourne’s Blood Duster.

Reeking of equal parts vulgarity and attitude, Blood Duster lumbered up on stage and proceeded to deliver short bursts of their brand of stoner metal to a generally unappreciative audience. Vocalist Tony Forde gave a muffled growl while performing and made clear his apathy for the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm by taunting them with four letter words and flipping them off on occasions. His banter was crude but somewhat entertaining, introducing songs with titles like Porn store stiffi and Drink, Fight, Fuck with a smug grin.

Blood Duster’s songs were kept brutally concise in length, with both of their guitarists furiously chugging out power chords up and down the neck of their instruments and drummer pounding away at songs that were only a minute or two in duration. This approach to songwriting made for a few enjoyable moments, but with most of their songs finishing just as you managed to nod your head to their groove, they were ultimately a little forgettable.

In accordance with their futuristic theme, Fear Factory entered the stage to the sound of various artificial gurgles. Heavily tattooed vocalist Burton C. Bell hovered in the centre of the stage and thanked the crowd for welcoming the band back to the country before the intro to Shock began to rumble over the PA. The solid shredding mass that is Dino Cazares then began the jackhammer riff to the song, and from this point onwards, the audience was exposed to a set of exclusively Cazares-era Fear Factory.

The solid jam of Edgecrusher and epic proportions of Resurrection, both from 1998’s Obsolete album, fired up the crowd early on and showed that the new lineup could belt out songs in the same furious manner that their previous arrangement could.

Elsewhere, choice cuts from 2001’s more mundane Digimortal were greeted warmly, with Linchpin and Acres of Skin reminding fans that even during their more radio-friendly period they were still keeping an abrasive edge to their sound.

Fear Factory then proceeded to reach even further into their back catalogue, breathing new life into Martyr and Scapegoat. Both of these songs were delivered with an added degree of venom and proved a treat for their long-term fans craving the sound of their more death metal inspired songs.

Contrasting the old with the new, Bell introduced Powershifter next, a track off the upcoming Mechanize album and a song that shares the brutal attributes of the band’s early work. With only a minority familiar with track, the band seemed to offer it as a teaser in terms of new material.

With the sweat now dripping heavily from every member’s brow, Fear Factory upped the intensity for the second half of the show by concentrating on the landmark album Demanufacture. As an album widely credited with being their best work, it was a logical way to end the evening and one that brought out the most affectionate responses from the audience. Shouts echoed for Self Bias Resistor and H-K (Hunter-Killer), but it was closer Replica that inspired the most frenzied movement from the crowd.

If there was any fault in the gig this evening, it was the band’s decision to play only material that was written when Cazares was a member. Their most recent albums Archetype and Transgression have spawned decent songs, but none of which were featured tonight. The result was a performance that was bound to have pleased long-term fans but might have left new fans in the dark.