Earlier this month, a new Fear Factory compilation entitled Linchpin appeared on major music streaming outlets. However, its release was not approved by the band members themselves, and the industrial metal act were initially unaware of the collection's existence, as evidenced by tweets from Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares.

First alerted to the new release by fans, as noted by Theprp.com, Cazares began investigating the compilation's source before ultimately determining the album was issued by Warner Music Group, the parent company of Roadrunner Records, the imprint who released Fear Factory's first four albums — Soul of a New Machine (1992), Demanufacture (1995), the Gold-certified Obsolete (1998) and its followup, Digimortal (2001).

Containing only songs from those efforts, and with a tracklist that kicks off with Digimortal single "Linchpin," the compilation was seemingly issued legally by WMG, who presumably retain the rights to distribute the recordings.

Notwithstanding, on Twitter this week, Cazares told listeners that Fear Factory had "no input" on the compilation. He also said "companies have every right to do it," in regards to WMG releasing the album without the band's knowledge.

Linchpin follows two previous Fear Factory compilations currently available for streaming, The Complete Roadrunner Collection 1992–2001 (2012) and The Best of Fear Factory (2006). Both were issued by Roadrunner. In 2003, the band released a remix and rarities compilation called Hatefiles, referenced by Cazares above.

Fear Factory are currently at work on a new album, which will be their first studio effort since 2015's Genexus, released by the label Nuclear Blast. See the artwork and track listing for the new Linchpin compilation below.

Fear Factory, Linchpin Artwork + Track Listing

WMG
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"Linchpin"
"Cars" (Gary Numan cover)
"Replica"
"Edgecrusher"
"Shock"
"Demanufacture"
"Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)"
"Self Bias Resistor”
"Resurrection”
"Scapegoat”
"Scumgrief"
"Zero Signal"
"Martyr"
"A Therapy For Pain"
"Crisis"
"Dark Bodies" (demo)
"Dead Man Walking"
"Full Metal Contact"
"Damaged"
"New Breed"
"Pisschrist"
"Soulwomb"
"Terminate"
"Body Hammer"
"What Will Become"

See Fear Factory in the Top 25 Industrial Rock + Metal Bands of All Time

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