After the release of their magnum opus, Fear Factory released this album which helped sky rocket into more popularity than they had before, gaining some MTV (yuck) recognition. Some people say FF sold out on this album but I don't think so. This is also Fear Factory's album where they write about the concept behind the music. You can read it in the booklet. I think it should be considered a sequel to Demanufacture. It takes place in the future of 2067 and machines have taken over humans. The machines are keeping them in line while they really want to eventually eradicate them because the humans have been revolting lately. The people want their freedom back and are going to rise up against the machines.

The story begins on "Shock". It's about someone telling about putting a shock to the machine controlled system because the people want to gain their freedom back. It opens with some electronic noises, than a flurry of ripping guitars and blasting drums come in. When Burton yells "SHOCK!" it gets really rocking. Burton is very angry in the verses but in the chorus we hear his great singing voice as with alot of FF songs. This is the only time Burton sings in the song. In the last part, he screams loudly which was new for the band at this time. It doesn't let down on rocking in this song, even when it softens. It's sure to make you head bang and it gets you prepared for the rest of the album.
"SHOCK!"

"Edgecrusher" begins with a reporter saying "Listener discretion is advised", followed by some electronic noises. This song is about the hero of the story, Edgecrusher, who wants to save the human race. He is half human and half robot but his human side is more prevalent than the robotic side. I believe he is also the person speaking in the previous song. The verses are soft with some cool bass lines and some nice drum beats which shows FF aren't entirely guitar driven but there is still some nice guitar riffs strewn around despite that they are a bit overly fuzzy. Burton's voice is completely aggressive in this song and theres alot turntable samples going on in the background as well. A well done rocker and diverse too!
"BREAK OF THE EDGECRUSHER!"

"Smasher/Devourer" is about a elite robot that is used to kill criminals. It was originally made to protect people but it took a mind of it's own and now it wants to kill Edgecrusher. Burton's voice is a bit synthesized in parts making him sound a bit robotic but it's mainly organic throughout. The guitar riffs rip well and the drums crush good. In the bridge, Burton sings out a soaring tune and the music lightens up as well. In the last part of the bridge, Burton does some eerie whispering with the music going silent but not for long. As a whole, this song smashes and devours anything nu metal.
"I AM THE WAY, PREPARE FOR SALVATION!"

"Securitron (Police State 2000)" is about the robotic police of the future and how there is no place to hide from them. They are sent to find Edgecrusher. In the opening, the reporter says "There is a Fear Factory in this division". The music soon kicks in with killer double bass bursts and powerful guitar riffs. Burton's voice is again very aggressive but he shows his singing voice hear too. The bridge has some cool electronic work and some more powerful aggression. The guitars and drums combine so well, they sound like a whole instrument. It also sound's like a weapon as well. The last part speeds up and the cool electronic sounds close out the song well. It deserves being called a stand out song.
"NO PLACE TO HIDE!"

"Descent" is a favorite among fans of this album. It's about Edgecrusher wondering if his mission is worth it. Instead of a brutal song, this song is more of a melodic hard rock song. It's still heavy but goes in a bit slower, groovier way. Burton does some singing in the verses and in the chorus, he raises his voice well. There are no blast beats in this song, just single bass drum but still good anyway. The guitar riffs are good as well. The bridge has some cool electronic sounds and a good rocking part with Burton singing with more soul in his voice. A stand out song for sure and shows that even a band like Fear Factory can have melody in their sound.
"I FEEL NOTHING, I AM NOTHING!"

"Hi-Tech Hate" is about a man giving a speech about standing up to the machines with a megaphone. It begins with a eerie intro of electronic sounds and with the heaviness building up. It soon starts rocking out good. Burton does some really vicous shouts in the chorus alongside Dino's blistering power chords and he switches to his clean vocals very quick. Raymond beats the drums like a mad man and the guitar riffs are cool. Burton lets out a loud scream in the second verse mixed with an electronic vibe. The bridge has a nice groove, especially when the guitar and drums sound like they've combined. A true stand out song.
"COWARDS TO ALL!"

"Freedom or Fire" is about the man who was giving the speech being pursued by some Securitron enforcers and threatening to light himself on fire which he does at the end. It starts off with another eerie intro. The guitars are light in the intro but have a scary touch given to them. The drums beat fast, waiting for the guitars to build up. When they do, the song takes off. Burton's voice is aggressive and doesn't let down, except for in the bridge. He sounds very eerie and frightening in his singing voice here. This song will have you head banging in no time.
"FREEDOM OR FIRE!"

The title track is about one of the Securitron enforcers yelling out to the people the man gave a speech to with the megaphone he used. He says that machines will reign while man kind will fall because they are obsolete in the machines eyes. We hear a spoken word message by Gary Numan but it has a electronic vibe on it, making it sound robotic in the intro as the music starts rumbling. Burton's voice is very aggressive and speedy when he gets angry. The guitar riffs are brutal and jagged, proving this band is not nu metal. The music is a true head banger and never lets down.
"MAN IS OBSOLETE, ERASED, EXTINCT!"

The story is getting close to the ending with "Resurrection", the longest cut on the album, clocking in at 6:35. This song is about after Edgecrusher witnesses the man burning himself, the Securitron officer raging out and wandering off to a church. He is ashamed of what happened and says that humanity must save themselves through compassion. He finds a statue of Jesus in the church and when he touches it, memories long lost appear to him. He still hopes to save humanity. It starts off with a dark windy sound and some beautiful strings appearing. Burton does some nice soulful singing, than the heaviness comes in. The guitars are great and the drums crush like boulders. Burton does some more singing but switches to yelling at the end of his lines, except for the chorus lines. The middle half of the song sounds like a different song which is cool. The guitars keep a great groove and Burton's vocals sound cool going against the strings. It continues on like that but with the heavy parts still coming back. A true stand out song and DO NOT SKIP IT!
"REACH THE SKY, TOUCH THE SKY, REVIVE A HOPE, FOR MANKIND!"

The closer song and the closer to the story "Timlessness". It must be about how humanity might fade. Begins with a sample of a Mario Savino speech. The whole song is just Burton singing with some more strings. The atmosphere is dark, windy and beautiful, all at the same time. A very great closing song and thus ends the story of "Obsolete".
"I've felt darkness closing in on me. Chilling shadows surrounding me. I've had the poisen leak into my skin and it corroded my heart away. Bled away. Cut Away. Dark night of my soul..."

Some people say the story in Obsolete could happen but I honestly don't think so. It feels very farfetched to me and just because someone wrote it doesn't mean it will happen.
It's just a story and thats all there is to it.

This version of the album (digipak) also came with some hidden tracks.

The first is a cover of Gary Numan's Cars. It's heavier than the original and still features the electronic elements in it. Kinda goofy sounding but ok song.

The second is a song called 0-0 (Where Evil Dwells), which is a cover from a band called Wiseblood which is also a side project from another band called Foetus (thanks for the info,shilmafone!).

The last three tracks, Soulwound, Messiah and Concreto are three renamed songs. Soulwound was originally titled Soulwomb and Concreto was originally titled Concrete which was also the title for another album made before FF's debut Soul Of A New Machine but it was scrapped and Soul Of A New Machine was recorded and took it's place as the debut. However, Concrete was given a official release back in 2002, after FF broke up (good thing they reformed, thank God!). I don't know what Messiahs originally titled was or if it had an original title.

"Soulwound" is very fast and rocking. Burton does alot of soulful singing here and it really soars when he uses it.

"Messiah" is just pure fast aggression and the only lines Burt says are "MESSIAH! FORCED DOWN AND FORCED OUT!". It was used for the sound track of a game with the same title.

"Concreto" is extremely heavy and bone crushing. Just piles of machine gun riffing and double bass bursts. Burton uses some cool vocal distortion, making his voice sound like a huge robotic monster and is almost like "Smasher/Devourer" part two. My favorite of the extra tracks.

I'm glad I became a Fear Factory fan and it looks like all their albums are worth getting. While not as good as Demanufacture, this is still a great album. Get this with Demanufacture if you have the chance. If you thought stuff like Limp Bizkit and Static-X were aggressive and hard, hear this and see if you can say that again!

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening