Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band that was formed in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released nine full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of styles, including nu metal, death metal, groove metal, and thrash metal. Fear Factory was enormously influential on the heavy metal scene in the mid-to-late 1990s. Fear Factory went on hold in March 2002 following some internal disputes, but re-formed a year later without founding member Dino Cazares, adding bassist Byron Stroud, and previous bassist Christian Olde Wolbers as guitarist.

In 1991, Fear Factory recorded a series of cuts for their debut album with the then-little-known producer Ross Robinson in Blackie Lawless' studio. The band's members were unhappy with the terms of their recording contract and caused a delay with the album's release. The band retained the rights to the songs, many of which they re-recorded in 1992 with a different producer, Colin Richardson, for inclusion on their debut release Soul of a New Machine. Meanwhile, Ross Robinson obtained the rights to the recording, which he used to promote himself as a producer. The album was officially released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records under the title Concrete after the band's breakup. The release was controversial because the album was issued because of the band's outstanding contractual obligation and without the approval of every band member. Fan opinion has been divided as to whether Ross Robinson's production properly captured the intricacies of the band's sound. The released album favored a straight-up approach and Robinson's distinct drum sound. Concrete has become an important album for fans of the early Fear Factory sound; it can be seen as a bridge between the band's sound on their demo recordings and their debut release, Soul of a New Machine, and a blueprint for later songs and B-sides. Based on the Concrete recording, Max Cavalera recommended Fear Factory to the then-death-metal-focused Roadrunner Records label, which offered the band a recording contract. While the band signed the contract, it has since become controversial because of Roadrunner's treatment of the band during the events surrounding its 2002 breakup. This was reflected in the first album Archetype (2004), which was released following the band's re-formation. The opening song with lyrics by Burton C. Bell, "Slave Labor", was direct about the band's feelings on the matter. After working with numerous bassists, Andrew Shives was hired as a live bassist prior to the release of Soul of a New Machine.

Answer the following question by taking a quote from the article: Was the album a success?
The release was controversial because the album was issued because of the band's outstanding contractual obligation and without the approval of every band member.