As influential originators of a revolutionary and oft-copied hybrid of metal and industrial dance music, Fear Factory is one of the few groups that could release an album entitled ARCHETYPE without a hint of self-aggrandizement. The music contained within lives up to the disc's name, but the band also continues to evolve, expanding its sound without making the slightest concession to music-industry pressure or prevailing trends. Despite the absence of guitarist/founding member Dino Cazares (who left the group before this record), Fear Factory sounds tighter and more ferocious than ever, kicking out robotic, skull-crunching grooves with superhuman efficiency. In many places, the group tempers its sonic onslaught with melodic choruses and surprisingly clean guitar effects, occasionally sounding like an unlikely jam between early Depeche Mode and TEST FOR ECHO-era Rush. The album finishes off with a gorgeous ambient instrumental track and a Nirvana cover ("School"), making clear that despite ARCHETYPE's title, Fear Factory will never be content to stick with the original model.

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