2005 witnessed the return of the legendary metal act Fear Factory whom presented the world with their sixth studio release Transgression. Another highly anticipated release for all fans alike but remained relatively under the radar for most. Including guest appearances from Billy Gould (Faith No More) and Mark Morton (Lamb of God), Transgression was sure to be another major hit with this band.

For many, the first song '540,000° Fahrenheit' gets your blood boiling, your fist pumping, and your head banging to a fast paced resonance with a catchy hook to match. A song that definitely reminds you about the power behind Fear Factory's music which is sure to make you give praise. Then the song 'Transgression' kicks in and feels like another warm up, with an appealing chorus to match. But then after that the album dies off and gets dreary. The songs feel a bit flat and tiresome. The appeal to it is very lacking causing you to start skipping tracks. ' Echo of My Scream' is mellowed out and relaxing too, but doesn't fit the mood if you want to hear some fist pumping action.

That seems to be a reoccurring pattern for not only Fear Factory but many other bands whom seen success in the mid-nineties and keep shelling out one album after another. It is almost like a system. For most bands, after their fourth album, the material starts to grow weary. Repetitive to the point where you question if you didn't just hear the same thing on the previous effort. Then you start to question the band themselves. Have they reached that dreaded status of uncool? Doubts are raised as you're flipping through the liner notes to see that recent album photo of them.

Towards the end of the album you're presented with two cover tracks, a cover of U2's 'I Will Follow' and Killing Joke's 'Millennium'. The U2 cover seems a bit too upbeat and out there for Fear Factory, but then again wasn't their rendition of Gary Numans Cars? The Killing Joke cover is pretty impressive as well. The album is rounded out with the song 'Moment of Impact' which ironically doesn't leave much of an impact.

In the end Fear Factory remains true to what they love, playing metal and making albums for no one other than Fear Factory fans, because in all honesty its hard for me to see anyone becoming a die-hard fan with Transgression. The band may seem to be in that over the hill phase that many bands fear reaching but there is still a lot of respect from those who have grown up with their music, whether still a fan or a once was. Although the younger kids might hate it because its hard to 2-step to.