Fear Factory
Hatefiles
Terminate
"Terminate" is the final song ever recorded by the original Fear Factory line-up (at the time of
writing, Fear Factory are planning to continue on with a new guitarist). It was nearly finished,
except for the vocals, when Burton left the band, prompting their break-up. Despite the split, the
band honored their commitment to the company who arranged to have it recorded for their video game,
Terminator: Dawn of Fate, and Burton eventually came in to lay down his vocals. The track was mixed
with no band involvement and despite the fact that it sonically sounds quite different than what FF
fans are used to, especially the treatment on Burton's vocals, it all works nicely and the result
is a killer track. Ironically, in what is the original line-up's final song, Burton's very personal
lyrics address some of the issues that tore the band apart.
Frequency
This song was written for use in the video game Frequency. It was recorded four months after the
Digimortal album was complete, making it the newest Fear Factory song on Hatefiles other than
"Terminate".
Demolition Racer
This song is one of four recorded for use in the video game Demolition Racer. You may recognize a
section that later became the chorus of "Acres of Skin"
Machine Debaser
Another song from the Demolition Racer video game. Parts of this instrumental were later recycled
and became the chorus of "Hurt Conveyor" and the bridge of "What Will Become?"
Invisible Wounds (the suture mix)
This is a radio remix done by FF producer/mixer/programmer Rhys Fulber. The main difference between
this and the album version is the omission of the heavy section in the middle, and the addition of
a healthy amount of ear candy that Rhys added (loops, keyboards, etc...). Most fans who have heard
"The Suture Mix" agree it is superior to the version on Digimortal.
Resurrection (T.L.A. big rock mix)
The mix is very different from the now-classic version that appears on Obsolete. It was decided
that "Resurrection" would be the first single from that album, but as the album version was very
long and quite heavy, plans were made to have it both edited and remixed to make it the right
length for radio as well was give it a smoother feel. Mixer extraordinaire Tom Lord Alge, who
specializes in radio mixes, was hired to work his magic. Maybe he worked it too well, because in
the end the band flat-out rejected the mix, with Roadrunner in complete agreement. Though the mix
itself was solid, everyone felt it made Fear Factory sound too much like a rock band, with
uncharacteristically raw, natural, analogue tones that were the exact opposite of the cold, harsh,
digital sound that is their trademark. It just didn't sound like Fear Factory. In the end, the
album version was edited the same way and remixed by original mixer Greg Reely, who pulled the
guitars down just a hair, but kept the basic FF sound intact. This remix is included here mainly
because it is fascinating to hear the band in such a different light.
Edge Crusher (urban assault mix)
Descent (falling deeper mix)
Body hammer (Colin Richardson mix)
Few FF fans know that the album Demanufacture was actually remixed before it came out. The original
mix of the entire album was done by the man who produced the album - Colin Richardson. But for
various reasons, it was decided the mix was not as strong as it needed to be and Colin's mixes were
scrapped. Strange decision, looking back, as the two Colin mixes included on this compilation
certainly sound great. One could argue that the guitar tones on these mixes sound crunchier and
heavier than on the final mixes, and the bass is fuller and growlier. "Body Hammer" was chosen for
inclusion on Hatefiles because it is one of FF's most underrated songs as well as one of Colin's
best mixes from the session. An interesting thing to point out on this mix is the bass riff at 3:41
that can now be heard for the first time, as it was muted during the final mix of the song.
Zero signal (Colin Richardson mix)
As with "Body Hammer", this track was changed prior to the final mix, but in a much more
significant way. After Colin's mix was done, the band felt the two verses could be stronger, so
Burton completely re-sung them just prior to the final mix, greatly improving them in the process.
This original version will give you a glimpse into the way songs are reworked, changed and improved
right up until the very last minute before becoming set in stone forever.
Cars (Numanoid mix)
Few know the real story behind the cover "Cars". From day one, the band intended the song to be a
B-side, since they were worried about how fans would react to it. Still wanting to do the best
possible job with it, they invited original vocalist Gary Numan to guest on vocals. Three versions
were recorded: one with Gary and Burton trading vocals, one with just Gary and one with just
Burton. All three versions were mixed, and the Gary/Burton combo version was included as a bonus
track on the European Obsolete digipak CD. A few months after the album was released, Roadrunner
"Cars" had serious potential as a single, provided it was given more attention in the studio and
reworked a bit. Rhys Fulber took the Gary/Burton combo version, spiced it up with new parts and ear
candy, and gave it a fresh mix with tougher sounding guitars. In the end, this became the definite
version of the song, blowing the original out of the water. Radio in the U.S. jumped all over it,
resulting in one small problem - as the song was not on Obsolete, people could not buy it! To solve
this problem, it was decided to issue the European digipak in America, but with the old "Cars"
replaced with the new and improved version. In Europe, new pressings of the digipak also had the
new version substituted. In addition, both in the U.S. and Europe, the new "Cars" was tagged onto
the end of the regular album for all future pressings. Needless to say there was lots of fan
confusion abotu all the different versions of Obsolete in the stores. In the end, however, the song
became a hit in the U.S., driving Obsolete to Gold. Very few FF fans gave the band any grief since
the rest of Obsolete was so bone-crushing in every way. The version on this CD is the version with
only Gary singing (though Burton does show up at the very end) and as it says above, it was mixed
prior to Rhys overhauling the song, so you will notice things missing from the version you know.
Dark Bodies (demo)
"Dark Bodies" was the original title of the song "Invisible Wounds". As with "Zero Signal", this is
another peek into the behind-the-scenes creative process that all bands go through. This is a very
different version than the one on Digimortal. Here's the story: The band initially demoed "Dark
Bodies" both for themselves and Roadrunner. Soon after, a producer was brought in to work with the
band in preproduction - to help with ideas and arrangements on all the new songs. This producer
focused heavily on "Dark Bodies", completely reworking the chorus to try and add dynamics to the
song. The result was a second demo, which is what is on this album. The quality is quite strong for
a demo as it was mixed at a professional studio. In the end, most of the producer's ideas were not
used because the band felt their sound was being compromised, and "Dark Bodies" went back to its
original form when it was finally recorded for Digimortal - a move also endorsed by Roadrunner.
They say hindsight is always 20/20 and in this case that is true, as the chorus on the demo of the
song is clearly superior to the one you all know on Digimortal.
Replica (live)
Cyberdyne
Junkie XL's remix of "H-K (Hunter Killer)" is an out-take from the Remanufacture (Cloning
Technology) sessions. There were a lot of extra mixes that were done for that album, and although
they were all strong, there was simply too much material, and in the end a bunch of songs had to be
cut. Most of these out-takes can be found at the end of this CD (tracks 14-18)
Refueled
A second and completely different Junkie XL remix of "H-K (Hunter Killer)"
Transgenic
These Gabber-style remix of "New Breed" has also appeared on the FF European 12" single The Gabber
Mixes (Mokum Records), wheer it was re-titled "New Breed (Steel Gun Mix)". Mokum Records was a
Gabber label owned by Roadrunner. Gabber is a very extreme and fast form of techno (hardcore
techno) with speeds ranging from 180-200 BPM (beats per minute). Remixers Technohead were also on
the Mokum label.
Manic Cure
This song is interesting not only because it was the first Gabber-style remix done for the band,
but because the mixers did not have the multi track tapes to work from, and chose their samples
working from a finished CD of demanufacture. Not the ideal way to work, but they sure pulled it
off, combining pieces of "New Breed", "Replica", "Body Hammer" and "Self Bias Resistor" to create
a hardcore dance explosion. This track originally appeared on a Mokum Gabber compilation called
Fucking Hardcore #4.
New Breed (spoetnik mix)
The final Gabber-style mix on this album and by far the most "out there" remix ever done for Fear
Factory is "New Breed (Spoetnik Mix)". Love it or hate it, it's infectious and you will find it
stuck in your head hours after you've heard it. Go for it.
Lyrics in plain text format
