The “Fear Campaign” tour hit the Worcester Palladium with the force of a sledgehammer on June 4, 2010. With Fear Factory headlining and a strong set of supporting bands, fans of extreme music had nothing to worry about.

The night began with a triple threat of metalcore. Local band Acaro took to the stage after the doors opened, and they had quite a few fans in attendance. Once they finished their set, Rhode Island’s Thy Will Be Done came out following a powerful introduction, indeed: Mako’s opening narration from the “Conan the Barbarian.” With an intro like that, a band had better deliver, and Thy Will Be Done was certainly up to the challenge. Vocalist J. Costa continually cajoled the crowd into the pit, and the band also dedicated songs to the memory of metal’s recently departed: Peter Steele, Ronnie James Dio, and Paul Gray. The band even threw a few Slayer riffs into the mix, guaranteeing their success.

The third opener was Silent Civilian, hailing from the Golden State of California. Another example of a band that mixes clean and dirty vocals, the Los Angeles-based group increased the energy level at the Palladium even further with their powerful set. At this point in time, more fans were filtering down from the bar area to the floor, and Silent Civilian did a fine job of keeping them there with their melodic hooks.

The legendary Prong was the show’s penultimate performer, with vocalist and guitarist Tommy Victor running and jumping around the stage like a man half his age. Prong may only be a trio, but they commanded the entire stage as if they were ten members strong. The group thrashed out classic cuts like “Beg to Differ” (made famous on the original “Headbangers’ Ball”), “Cut-Rate,” and “Another Worldly Device,” with material from the most recent album “Power of the Damager” added in to spice things up. Of course, “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” was a big crowd pleaser, and Prong’s live rendition of the track nearly set the Palladium aflame.

And then, it was time for Fear Factory to make their appearance. Using Toto’s score from “Dune” as their introductory theme (yes, “Africa” Toto), the grandmasters of man-versus-machine metal made the most of their long-overdue return to the Palladium. Tracks from the new album “Mechanize” dominated the setlist along with songs from the 1998 release “Obsolete,” but Fear Factory is no two-trick pony. As any band with a long history should, Fear Factory broke out plenty of material from their early days. The return of original guitarist Dino Cazares to the band made “Mechanize” a jaw-dropping

album, and his live work meets and often exceeds the same standards. Using seven- and eight-string guitars as his weapons, Cazares (along with bassist Byron Stroud and drummer Gene “The Atomic Clock” Hoglan) created a veritable fusillade of tightly integrated extreme metal. This melded perfectly with Burton C. Bell’s vocal attack as he switched between singing and roaring. Bell is credited with popularizing (if not outright creating) this vocal style, and his performance proved that he’s still the king of the ring in that regard. It was hard to hear Bell’s vocals at times, but that’s only because the crowd knew each and every lyric and had no problem shouting them out! Fear Factory ended their performance with the aptly titled “Final Exit,” but we all knew an encore was coming. That took the form of “Zero Signal” and “Replica,” two crushing tracks from 1995’s “Demanufacture.”

From searing metalcore to Prong’s three-man attack to Bell’s moonwalking across the stage, the “Fear Campaign” tour was a solid hit. It may be over by the time you read this, but make no mistake: all of those bands will be back soon enough, and you’ll get your second chance to see them live.

___________________________________________