It's good to see that Fear Factory has finally managed to shed some of their apparent Iron Maiden influences to create a truly well-balanced original album. Digimortal is easily the cleanest and best produced heavy metal album to come out in years. Unlike other bands, the overall sound of the album isn't dirty and muddled. Guitars are clean, crisp and varied. The drums varied from a solidly paced tempo to various staccato speed beats, while Burton Bell's vocals are consistent to previous efforts.

There is a great variety in the songs. While some tracks, like Damaged and Acres of Skin, sonically borrow from previous efforts, there are some catchy tracks like Linchpin and Hurt Conveyor which shake the formula up. Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies) is also a great change of pace, showing that the band isn't always stuck on high speed. Even Back the **** Up with B-Real is a step-up from the competition, mainly because it doesn't try to sound too much like a track for another band.

It's nice to find a band that isn't so focused on it's own personal pain or ego. While there may be hints here and there, the overbearing ego of most aggro groups nowadays is almost devoid on this disc. Also, if you have the opportunity, purchase the limited edition digipak version. It comes with four extra tracks, all of which are better than the average crop of "bonus tracks" you see on alternative editions.

To say of the least, Digimortal is one of the better metal albums to be released in the past five years. If you've ever liked their music, then by all means, go out and get this. Even if you're not a huge fan of heavy metal in general, this album is at least worth a listen to.

- - Vane