Released April 19, 2004 Recorded December 2003 | Format CD Label Calvin Records | |
Genre Industrial metal, groove metal, alternative metal Length 3:51 (single)
4:35 (album) | ||
"Archetype" is a song by American heavy metal band Fear Factory, released from the album of the same title. The single was released on the same day as the album itself, on April 19, 2004. It is the fifth track of the album and was also included on the MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Vol. 2 compilation in September 2004. Months prior to the release of Fear Factory's studio album, however, an exclusive remix of "Archetype" was included on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Album in November 2003. This version features a more electronic sound and softer ending.
Contents
A music video was produced for the song and was featured on TV programs such as MTV2's Headbangers Ball upon release. Much like the song it represents, the video is presented in a powerfully epic manner.
Song meaning and lyrics
"Archetype" is directed at Fear Factory ex-guitarist Dino Cazares: "The infection has been removed/The soul of this machine has improved." Frontman Burton C. Bell has said in an interview that "'Archetype,' defines what Fear Factory is, completely. It has classic Fear Factory parts, and the heavy/melodic vocals, but without being forced or contrived."
The song is about making things real by seeing them. The song ends after 'open your eyes, open your eyes' for seven straight lines.