Editing Fear Factory (section)

===''Transgression'' (2005–2006)===
{{Main|Transgression (album)}}
[[File:Fear factory live.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Fear Factory in 2001]]
Fear Factory announced plans to record and release its next full-length album over a very short period of time with mainstream rock producer [[Toby Wright]], who had worked with [[Korn]] and [[Alice in Chains]]. This was allegedly due to pressure from Fear Factory's new label Calvin Records, which preponed the album's release date from four months away to just a month and a half so the band would have a new album to support on the inaugural [[Gigantour]], which they had been invited to participate on by [[Dave Mustaine]].<ref name="Utopia">{{cite web |author= Yates, Rod |url= http://www.utopia.com.au/pages/interviews/interview-fearfactory.php |title= Fear Factory |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= Utopia Records, Australia |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110928062533/http://www.utopia.com.au/pages/interviews/interview-fearfactory.php |archive-date= September 28, 2011 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

The resulting album, ''Transgression'', was released on August 22, 2005, in the United Kingdom, and on the following day in North America, almost a year after ''Archetype''. The album garnered highly polarized reviews; some critics hailed the album as diverse and progressive, and other reviewers did not receive the record very well.<ref name="MF">{{cite web |author= Milburn, Simon |url=  http://www.themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=596 |title= FEAR FACTORY: Undercurrent |access-date= March 15, 2007 |publisher= The Metal Forge}}</ref> Although the album starts off as a Fear Factory record, subsequent songs include mellow/alt-rock numbers "Echo of My Scream" (featuring [[Faith No More]]'s [[Billy Gould]] on bass) and "New Promise", a [[pop-rock]] song "Supernova", and a faithful cover of U2's rock song "[[I Will Follow]]".<ref name="Decibel">{{cite web |author= Terry, Nick |url= http://decibelmagazine.com/features/oct2005/fear_factory.aspx |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051129013525/http://decibelmagazine.com/features/oct2005/fear_factory.aspx |archive-date= November 29, 2005 |title= Fear Factory |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= [[Decibel magazine]]}}</ref>

In 2013, Wolbers posted more details about writing and recording of Transgression and Archetype on his Facebook page.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=490163041030854&id=281907298680&comment_id=5372926&offset=0&total_comments=58 |title=Damn i havent heard this album in 7... – Christian Olde Wolbers |publisher=Facebook |access-date=March 18, 2014}}</ref> He said he was disappointed with ''Transgression'', calling it half-finished, and blamed the label for the severe time constraints imposed during the recording sessions and for the inclusion of the U2 cover.<ref name="Utopia" /> However, Burton C. Bell said he is proud of the album and sees it as the band "stepping over boundaries".<ref name="BurtonTransgression">{{cite web |author= Krgin, Borivoj |url= http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=3591 |title= FEAR FACTORY Frontman Says 'Transgression' Is 'An Experimental Record' – Aug. 18, 2005|access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= [[Blabbermouth.net]]}}</ref> In 2015 however, in an interview with [[Nuclear Blast Records]], Bell called ''Transgression'', a "failed experiment".<ref>{{cite web | author=Nuclear Blast Records | url=https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2UU2bUHt1kAfvQQBnTdREEYk4reeKpIF|title=FEAR FACTORY - Genexus (FAN Q&A INTERVIEW w BURTON C BELL + DINO CAZARES) | publisher=[[Nuclear Blast Records]]}}</ref>

Late in 2005, Fear Factory toured the U.S. again on the "Machines at War" tour, with an all-star death metal lineup of guests in [[Suffocation (band)|Suffocation]], [[Hypocrisy (band)|Hypocrisy]], and [[Decapitated (band)|Decapitated]]; they played old classics from ''Soul of a New Machine'', such as "Crash Test", which they had not performed live in many years. During 2005 and 2006, Fear Factory promoted the album on the "Fifteen Years of Fear" world tour in celebration of their fifteenth anniversary. The members invited bands including [[Darkane]], [[Strapping Young Lad]] and [[Soilwork]] to join them on the U.S. leg, and [[Misery Index (band)|Misery Index]] to join them on the European leg.