Fear Factory
Encyclopedia
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal
band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal
, groove metal
, thrash metal
and industrial metal
. The resultant sound proved to be enormously influential on the metal
scene from the mid-90s and onwards.
Fear Factory disbanded in March 2002 following some internal disputes, but they reformed later that year minus founding member Dino Cazares
, adding bassist Byron Stroud
, and casting then-bassist Christian Olde Wolbers
as guitarist.
In April 2009, a new lineup was announced with founding guitarist Cazares returning, and Gene Hoglan
being added as drummer. Bell and Stroud are both reprising their respective roles, and the band had completed a seventh studio album, Mechanize
. Former members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera (both currently playing in Arkaea
) dispute the legitimacy of the new lineup, and a legal battle is underway from both parties. Fear Factory is currently working on an eighth studio album, which is due for release in early 2012.
The band has performed at three Ozzfest
s as well as the inaugural Gigantour
and has had singles in the US Mainstream Rock Top 40 and albums in the Billboard Top 40, 100 and 200. Prior to 2001 they have toured around 2000 shows. They have sold over 1 million albums
in the US alone.
(formerly of The Douche Lords) and drummer Raymond Herrera
in Los Angeles, California in 1989. Their first line-up was completed with the addition of vocalist Burton C. Bell
(ex-Hate Face), allegedly recruited by an impressed Cazares upon overhearing him singing New Year's Day
by U2
in the shower at a common boarding. Cazares played bass on the first 3 Fear Factory albums Concrete, Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture.
They started out under the name Ulceration, apparently picked for no real reason other than that Burton C. Bell and/or other members thought it would "just be a cool name" for the band, but they subsequently shifted to Fear Factory in 1990; the new moniker being more reflective of their burgeoning new death metal
sound, influenced just as much by early British industrial metal
, industrial music
and grindcore
as much as it continued to remain firmly rooted in a conservative extreme metal
approach; a facet of their music that eventually saw the band’s appeal spread out over a wider music audience.
The earliest demo recordings of the band are strongly reminiscent of the early works of Napalm Death
and also Godflesh
, an acknowledged influence of the band, in the grindcore driven approach of the former and the mechanical brutality, bleakness and vocal stylings of the latter. The demos are remarkable for integrating these influences into their death metal sound and for Burton C. Bell’s pioneering fusion of extreme death growl
s and clean vocals in the same song, which was to become a significant and influential element of the band’s sound throughout their career. The use of grunts and "throat singing" combined with clean vocals has later defined the nu metal
and newer genres of metal. Many vocalists, in today's metal scene, use two or more methods of singing and vocalizing lyrics. The band contributed two songs to the L.A. Death Metal Compilation in 1990. They played their first show on Wednesday, October 31, 1990.
in Blackie Lawless
’ studio. However, due to the band being unhappy with the terms of their recording contract, the material was not released at the time.
They retained the rights to the songs, however, many of which they re-recorded with a different producer, Colin Richardson
, for inclusion on their actual debut release Soul of a New Machine, in 1992. Meanwhile, Ross Robinson obtained the rights to the recording, which he used to promote himself, subsequently finding enormous success during the nu metal
explosion of the mid-late 90s when he worked with bands such as Korn
, Limp Bizkit
and Slipknot
; ironically, bands that had little in common with the Fear Factory of 1991. The recording itself was eventually given an official release through Roadrunner Records
in 2002 under the title Concrete during the band’s interim demise. It was seen as a controversial release, being issued out of the band’s outstanding contractual obligations and without the approval of all of the band’s members.
Although fan opinion has been divided over whether the Ross Robinson production properly captures the intricacies of the band’s sound, with the finished product favoring a more straight-up approach and Robinson’s distinct drum sound, the “secret” album has nevertheless become an important album for fans of the early Fear Factory sound and can be seen as a bridge between the band’s sound on their demo recordings and that on their debut release, Soul of a New Machine as well as a source of the blueprints for some of the band’s later songs and b-sides.
Based on the Concrete recording, Max Cavalera
recommended them to the then death metal focused Roadrunner Records label, who proceeded to offer them a recording contract
. While the band signed the contract at the time, it has since become the source of some controversy based on Roadrunner’s treatment of the band during the events surrounding their interim break up in 2002. This is supported by Burton C. Bell’s scathing lyrics on “Slave Labor” – the opening song on 2004’s Archetype, the band’s first album after their reformation – that do not mince their words about the band’s feelings on the matter. After going through numerous amounts of bassists, Andrew Shives
was hired as a live bassist prior to the release of their debut album.
Due to the extreme nature of the music, the album was not successful in the mainstream and even today remains more of a cult favourite, never seeing the level of popularity attained by their later, more accessible works. Indeed, the band’s style progressively shifted further away from the death metal sound with every subsequent release and Soul of a New Machine can strictly be seen as Fear Factory’s final effort that lies firmly in the death metal camp.
The band added sampler/keyboardist Reynor Diego to the lineup and supported the album by embarking on extensive tours across the US with Biohazard
, Sepultura
, and Sick Of It All
and a tour of Europe with Brutal Truth
, then Cannibal Corpse
, Cathedral
, and Sleep
. The following year, they hired Front Line Assembly
member Rhys Fulber
to remix some songs from the album, demonstrating the band’s willingness to experiment with their music even at this early stage. The results took on a predominantly industrial
guise, and were released as the Fear Is the Mindkiller
EP
in 1993 (both Soul of a New Machine and Fear is the Mindkiller were re-released together in a new re-mastered reissue by Roadrunner Records in 2004).
In 1993, Andrew Shives was forced to leave the band. In November of the same year, the band met a vacationing Christian Olde Wolbers
(originally from Belgium) in LA, through Evan Seinfeld
of Biohazard
, whom they recruited as their permanent bassist. Although Christian joined the band with immediate effect, due to tight studio deadlines and Cazares’ regular tweaking of the guitar parts on the next album, he was unable to record the bass parts on all of its songs, with Cazares recording the bass for the remainder of the tracks.
approach, characterized by a mix of rapid fire thrash metal
/industrial metal guitar riffs and tight, pulse driven drum beats, roaring (rather than growled, but still aggressive) vocals that made way for melodic singing and powerful bass lines.
The production was also more refined and the integration of atmospheric keyboard parts and industrial
textures upon Cazares’ and Herrera’s precise musicianship made the songs sound clinical, cold and machine-like and gave the band’s music a futuristic feel. Many fans consider Rhys Fulber’s involvement with the band integral to this dimension of their sound. There were extensive contributions from Reynor Diego as well; adding key samples, loops and electronic flourishes to the group dynamics.
Demanufacture is generally considered to be the band’s defining work and received much critical acclaim upon release, being awarded the maximum five K's rating in the UK’s Kerrang!
rock magazine. It went on to become a fairly successful album. While Soul of a New Machine failed to chart anywhere, Demanufacture made the Top 10 of the Billboard Heatseekers charts and a video was filmed for the song "Replica". The song "Zero Signal" was featured on the Mortal Kombat
film soundtrack in 1995. Instrumental versions of Demanufacture songs were later used in the Carmageddon
video game for the PC
.
Fear Factory spent the next few years touring with such bands such as Black Sabbath
, Megadeth
and Iron Maiden
and appearing at the 1996 and 1997 Ozzfest
s, among other music festivals. During that time their jersey is seen in the video of "Counterfeit
" by Limp Bizkit
. In May 1997, the band released a new album composed of Demanufacture remixes by artists such as DJ Dano or Junkie XL
(now known as JXL) called Remanufacture - Cloning Technology
, which marked the band’s first appearance on the Billboard 200
and also appeared on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Roadrunner Records re-released Demanufacture and Remanufacture in a 10th Anniversary single package reissue in 2005, similar to that of Soul of a New Machine in 2004. This edition also includes bonus tracks from the digipak
version of Demanufacture, which was also released in 1995.
Obsolete was similar in sound to Demanufacture, but also saw the introduction of more progressive metal
and alternative metal
elements and for the first time, featured Christian Olde Wolbers recording with the band in his full capacity as a band member. It also featured Dino Cazares using 7-string guitars for the first time tuned to A tuning (A,D,G,C,F,A,D), paving the way for a lower-tuned sound than before. The album is also notable for Rhys Fulber’s increased involvement with the band.
While Fear Factory had explored the theme of “Man versus Machine” in their earlier work, Obsolete was their first actual concept album
that dealt specifically with a literal interpretation of this subject, telling a story called Conception 5 written by Bell that takes place in a future world where mankind is rendered "obsolete" by the Machines, and features characters such as the “Edgecrusher”, “Smasher/Devourer” and the “Securitron” monitoring system. The story is presented in the lyrics booklet in a screenplay format in between the individual songs, with the printed story parts linking the lyrics of the songs together thematically.
Bell explained the concept in an interview as follows:
Coincidentally released in the alternative metal boom of the late 90s, Obsolete, supported by tours with Slayer
and later, Rammstein
, along with a headlining spot on the second stage at Ozzfest in 1999 (as last-minute replacements for Judas Priest
), went on to become the band’s highest selling album, marking the band’s first entry into the Top 100 on the Billboard charts. The album also spawned singles in "Descent" and in the digipak
bonus track, "Cars
", a cover of the famous Gary Numan
song (featuring a guest appearance by Numan himself, on the song, as well as in its music video), that made the Mainstream Rock Top 40 in 1999 and was also featured in the video game, Test Drive 6. Incidentally, Numan also performs a spoken word sample on the album’s title track. A video was also filmed for the song, "Resurrection". To date, Obsolete remains the only Fear Factory album to have achieved gold sales in the US.
. The success of Obsolete and "Cars" was to be a turning point for the band, with Roadrunner Records now keen on capitalizing on the band’s sales potential and pressuring the band to record more accessible material for their follow-up album, titled Digimortal, which was released in 2001.
While Digimortal remained consistent with the band’s lyrical evolution, with Bell now singing about Man and Machine having become merged and unable to be separated without immense harm being caused, musically, the shift to simpler, more radio friendly song structures lost the band some of its more extreme metal fans and the album is considered by some to be inferior to their earlier releases. Fan opinion, however, remains strongly divided between those who view the album as a colossal failure, those who associate it with the nu metal movement and others who contend that the sound is still the same Fear Factory at its core and praise the merits afforded by the Rhys Fulber production.
Digimortal made the Top 40 on the Billboard album charts, the Top 20 in Canada and the Top 10 of the Australian album charts. "Linchpin" off the album again reached the Mainstream Rock Top 40.
A remix of the song "Invisible Wounds" was included on the Resident Evil
film soundtrack, and an instrumental digipak
bonus track called "Full Metal Contact" was originally written for the video game, Demolition Racer
.
A VHS/DVD release called Digital Connectivity
was released soon after, in January 2002, which documents each of the four album periods of the band via interviews, live clips, music videos and tour/studio footage.
Although Digimortal had a successful start, the sales did not reach anywhere near the levels of Obsolete and the band received little tour support. The direction of the album coupled with strong personal differences between some of the band members created a rift that escalated with time, to the point where Bell announced his exit in March 2002. The band disbanded immediately thereafter with its publicists citing not poor album sales but "largely because vocalist Burton C. Bell is tired of playing angry, aggressive music and wants to form a band that's more indie-rock
-oriented." In a final collaboration, the group recorded two songs for the video game The Terminator: Dawn of Fate
that same month. Fear Factory’s contractual obligations remained unfulfilled, however, and Roadrunner did not release them without controversially issuing the Concrete album (originally from 1991) in 2002 and the B-sides and rarities compilation, Hatefiles
in 2003.
During his time away from Fear Factory, Bell started his side project along with John Bechdel
, called Ascension of the Watchers
, who released their first EP, Iconoclast, independently via their online store in 2005.
Cazares was the first to speak out after the break-up, proceeding to make claims and allegations against Bell and the other members in May 2002 in a Blabbermouth.net
interview. Almost all of these allegations were subsequently addressed and refuted by Herrera in a counter interview, speaking on behalf of all the other members.
Olde Wolbers and Herrera got back together later in 2002 and laid the foundations for what was to become the return of Fear Factory. With Cazares now permanently out of the line up, Bell was approached with their demo recordings and was impressed enough to rejoin the band and Fear Factory was formed once again. Christian switched to guitar and Byron Stroud
of Strapping Young Lad
was approached to join the band as their new bassist, and has been their bass player since 2003.
Dino Cazares has continued recording and performing with his side project called Asesino
, a Mexican deathgrind
band featuring Tony Campos
of Static-X
on vocals. In 2007, he also started a new group called Divine Heresy
, featuring Tim Yeung
, formerly of Hate Eternal
and Vital Remains
, on drums.
festival in January 2004, followed by their first American shows since reforming, on the spring Jägermeister
tour along with Slipknot
and Chimaira
. The new lineup's first album Archetype was released on April 20, 2004 through new record label Liquid 8 Records based in Minnesota
.
Archetype saw Fear Factory returning to an alternative and partially industrial metal sound and is generally considered to be a strong and 'back-to-form' record, if not a particularly innovative effort, with most of the trademark elements of the band firmly in place.
Videos were shot for the songs "Cyberwaste", "Archetype" and "Bite the Hand that Bleeds", with the latter featuring on the Saw
film soundtrack. Further tours with Lamb of God
and Mastodon
in the US and with Mnemic
in Europe put the band back on the worldwide metal map. The new Fear Factory has largely abandoned the direct "Man versus Machine" theme prevalent on earlier releases in favor of subjects such as religion, war
and corporatism
.
(normally known to work with bands such as Korn
and Alice in Chains
). This was allegedly due to pressure from their new label, Calvin Records, who pulled back the album’s due date from four months away to just a month and a half, in order that the band would have a completed new album to support on the inaugural Gigantour
, which they had been invited to participate on by Dave Mustaine
.
The resultant album, Transgression, was released barely a year after Archetype on August 22, 2005 in the United Kingdom, and on the following day in North America to highly polarized reviews, with some critics hailing the album as a diverse and progressive effort and other reviewers not receiving the record very well. Although the album starts off as a Fear Factory record, subsequent songs include mellow/alt-rock numbers in "Echo of My Scream" (featuring Faith No More
’s Billy Gould
on bass) and "New Promise", a pop-rock song in "Supernova" and a faithful cover of U2
’s poppy, "I Will Follow
".
Christian Olde Wolbers has expressed disappointment with the finished product, calling it only half-finished, and has blamed the label for the severe time constraints imposed during the recording sessions and for the inclusion of the U2 cover, but Burton C. Bell has maintained that he is proud of the album and sees it as the band "stepping over boundaries".
Over 2005–2006, Fear Factory went on to promote the album on their successful "Fifteen Years of Fear" world tour in celebration of their fifteenth anniversary, inviting bands such as Darkane
, Strapping Young Lad
and Soilwork
to join them on the US jaunt and Misery Index
to join them on the European jaunt. Late 2005 saw Fear Factory tour the US once again on the "Machines at War" tour, with an all star death metal line-up of special guests in Suffocation
, Hypocrisy
and Decapitated
, playing certain old classics from Soul of a New Machine such as "Crash Test" which they had not performed live in many years.
Bell contributed vocals to the songs "End Of Days, Pt.1", "End of Days, Pt. 2", and "Die In A Crash" on Ministry
's 2007 album The Last Sucker
, and later toured with the band in support of the album. Bell referred to this as a "dream come true" in an interview, describing Ministry front man Al Jourgensen
as "one of [his] heroes." In that same interview, Bell talked at length about his new band Ascension of the Watchers
, providing insight into the inspiration behind the project's formation.
Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera went on to start their own new band, called Arkaea
, with vocalist Jon Howard and bassist Pat Kavanagh of Threat Signal
. In describing the band, Wolbers stated that "Ironically, half of the Arkaea album consists of songs that were intended to be the next Fear Factory record." Arkaea
released their debut album Years in the Darkness
on July 14, 2009.
and ex-guitarist Dino Cazares
announced the reconciliation of their friendship, and the formation of a new project with Byron Stroud on bass and drummer Gene Hoglan
(Death, Strapping Young Lad
, Dark Angel
, Dethklok
). On April 28, this project was revealed to be a new version of Fear Factory, excluding Herrera and Wolbers. When asked why Herrera and Wolbers were not included, Bell stated that "[Fear Factory is] like a business and I'm just reorganizing... We won't talk about [their exclusion]".
In June 2009, Wolbers and Herrera spoke about the issue on the radio program "Speed Freaks." Instead of offering reasons for leaving the group, Herrera revealed that technically, he and Wolbers never left. "[Christian and I] are actually still in Fear Factory...[Burton and Dino] decided to start a new band, and furthermore, they decided to call it Fear Factory. They never communicated with us about it", said Herrera. Herrera added that the original four members (Bell, Cazares, Wolbers, and himself) are contractually regarded as Fear Factory Incorporated, and said "it's almost like them two against us two, so it's kind of a stalemate." Herrera also stated that he and Wolbers had written eight songs for the next Fear Factory record, but that a "personal disagreement" had come up between them and Bell, which left Bell not wanting to continue work with the band.
Bell and Cazares later spoke about the issue, revealing their reasons for excluding Herrera and Wolbers. Cazares stated that Bell wanted to reunite the classic Fear Factory line-up of himself, Cazares, Herrera, and Wolbers, but that Herrera and Wolbers refused to be a part of any reunion with Cazares. Bell also stated that another factor was that he wanted to fire the band's manager, Christy Priske, who was also the wife of Wolbers, and Herrera and Wolbers refused. Herrera and Wolbers threatened to sign a new record deal without Bell, prompting him to form a new version of Fear Factory without them.
Fear Factory featuring Bell and Cazares was set to make its live debut on June 21 in the Metalway Festival in Zaragoza, Spain. However, the show was canceled "at the last minute", apparently due to the legal complications referenced by Herrera that now surround the use of the name "Fear Factory". The rest of that lineup's planned performances over Summer 2009, which included a tour of United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand in August 2009, had also been canceled. The group claims, however, that they canceled their touring plans so as to finish writing and recording the next Fear Factory album. Despite the canceled performances in Europe, shows around December have been performed in many South American countries, including Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Despite ongoing issues between the two parties, the new Fear Factory moved ahead with the recording process. In late July 2009, a short video shot with a cell phone showed Dino recording over drum tracks with long time contributor Rhys Fulber. According to recent interviews with Bell and Cazares, the band is about half way through the recording process and is pushing for an early 2010 release, and at least one show in South America has been announced. On November 6, 2009, blabbermouth.net
revealed that Mechanize would be released on February 9, 2010, on Candlelight Records
. On November 8, 2009, the new Fear Factory released a track titled "Powershifter" on YouTube. On November 10, 2009, Burton C. Bell gave a track list for the Mechanize album, along with the meanings of each song.
As of January 2010, Fear Factory began an Australian and New Zealand tour on the Big Day Out
tour playing their first Australian show since 2005 on Jan 17 at Parklands Showgrounds on Queensland's Gold Coast
. Fear Factory released Mechanize on February 5, 2010, and begun their US tour, dubbed "Fear Campaign Tour 2010", starting in late March. In August 2010 they headlined the Brutal Assault
open air festival in Czech Republic
.
In September 2010, Fear Factory will tour Australia and New Zealand, then Tokyo, Japan - as opening act for Metallica. The New Zealand concerts will both be in Christchurch, two shows that were brought about by a petition sent to Metallica, asking them to visit the relatively small South Island city. After the recent 2010 Canterbury earthquake
, the South Island concerts had been in doubt; however, on September 15, 2010, an official announced was made that the CBS Arena escaped harm, and both concerts would go ahead.
cruise, vocalist Burton C. Bell
revealed that Fear Factory is planning to write and record a "full-on concept" album, likely to be released in 2012. He explains, "We're gonna kind of take a break a little bit, but we're definitely going into the studio at some point and start writing. We wanna take our time doing it. Personally... Mechanize, don't get me wrong, is a good record — I'm very proud of it — but it's gotta be better than that. I've got plans where I'd like to do a full-on concept again — story, artwork. Just make it real cerebral. But there'll definitely be another Fear Factory record, maybe in 2012."
On August 3, 2011, guitarist Dino Cazares
announced on his twitter that he was working and demoing new material for the next Fear Factory album.
, with much of their music telling a single story spanning several concept albums.
The band has often been called a "stepping stone" leading mainstream listeners to venture into less-known/more extreme bands, and are consistently appreciated.
In the liner notes of the Soul of a New Machine re-release, Machine Head
vocalist Robert Flynn
, Chimaira
vocalist Mark Hunter
and Spineshank
guitarist Mike Sarkisyan have cited Fear Factory as an influence. Robert Flynn stated his vocal style was influenced by Burton Bell's vocals and that Machine Head have been wrongly credited for the vocal style. Mark Hunter stated that Chimaira's drumming was heavily influenced by Raymond Herrera. Other bands that have Fear Factory in their liner notes include Disturbed, Static-X
& Coal Chamber
.
Modern bands such as Mnemic
, Scarve
, Sybreed
, Threat Signal
, and Last Scene Ends contain significant influences of the band’s technique and have also credited a substantial debt of gratitude to the band.
Peter Tägtgren
of Hypocrisy
has said that “Fear Factory are close to our hearts” and that “Soul of a New Machine was the influence for me to start my other project, 'Pain'”.
Devin Townsend
of Strapping Young Lad
stated his main influences for Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing
were Fear Factory and Napalm Death
.
In an interview on That Metal Show
, Black Sabbath
drummer Bill Ward stated that Fear Factory is one of the bands he wishes he could play with.
Former
Additional personnel
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
, thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
. The resultant sound proved to be enormously influential on the metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
scene from the mid-90s and onwards.
Fear Factory disbanded in March 2002 following some internal disputes, but they reformed later that year minus founding member Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...
, adding bassist Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
, and casting then-bassist Christian Olde Wolbers
Christian Olde Wolbers
Christian Olde Wolbers , is the guitarist of the metal band Arkaea. He is the former bassist and guitarist of the industrial metal band Fear Factory, and is now in Beowülf.-Biography:...
as guitarist.
In April 2009, a new lineup was announced with founding guitarist Cazares returning, and Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
being added as drummer. Bell and Stroud are both reprising their respective roles, and the band had completed a seventh studio album, Mechanize
Mechanize
Mechanize is the seventh studio album by Fear Factory. It is the first album to feature Gene Hoglan on drums and the first since 2001's Digimortal to include original guitarist and founding member Dino Cazares who rejoined the band after a reconciliation with vocalist Burton C. Bell in April 2009...
. Former members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera (both currently playing in Arkaea
Arkaea
Arkaea is an industrial metal supergroup formed in 2008 featuring members from Threat Signal and Fear Factory.-Formation:The band was formed by Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera who had recorded a demo for a new band. They sent the demo to Threat Signal vocalist Jon Howard and Arkaea was...
) dispute the legitimacy of the new lineup, and a legal battle is underway from both parties. Fear Factory is currently working on an eighth studio album, which is due for release in early 2012.
The band has performed at three Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
s as well as the inaugural Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
and has had singles in the US Mainstream Rock Top 40 and albums in the Billboard Top 40, 100 and 200. Prior to 2001 they have toured around 2000 shows. They have sold over 1 million albums
Fear Factory discography
The discography of Fear Factory, an American heavy metal band, consists of eight studio albums , two compilation albums, two extended plays , thirteen singles, one video album, and ten music videos. The group was formed in 1989 and three years later, signed to Roadrunner Records and released their...
in the US alone.
The early years (1989–1990)
Fear Factory's roots lie in an outfit formed by guitarist Dino CazaresDino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...
(formerly of The Douche Lords) and drummer Raymond Herrera
Raymond Herrera
Raymond Herrera is the drummer for industrial metal band Arkaea. He is a former member of the industrial metal band Fear Factory and Mexican death metal band Brujeria.-Biography:Herrera has been an avid gamer all his life...
in Los Angeles, California in 1989. Their first line-up was completed with the addition of vocalist Burton C. Bell
Burton C. Bell
Burton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
(ex-Hate Face), allegedly recruited by an impressed Cazares upon overhearing him singing New Year's Day
New Year's Day (song)
"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing...
by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
in the shower at a common boarding. Cazares played bass on the first 3 Fear Factory albums Concrete, Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture.
They started out under the name Ulceration, apparently picked for no real reason other than that Burton C. Bell and/or other members thought it would "just be a cool name" for the band, but they subsequently shifted to Fear Factory in 1990; the new moniker being more reflective of their burgeoning new death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
sound, influenced just as much by early British industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
, industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
as much as it continued to remain firmly rooted in a conservative extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
approach; a facet of their music that eventually saw the band’s appeal spread out over a wider music audience.
The earliest demo recordings of the band are strongly reminiscent of the early works of Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
and also Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
, an acknowledged influence of the band, in the grindcore driven approach of the former and the mechanical brutality, bleakness and vocal stylings of the latter. The demos are remarkable for integrating these influences into their death metal sound and for Burton C. Bell’s pioneering fusion of extreme death growl
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
s and clean vocals in the same song, which was to become a significant and influential element of the band’s sound throughout their career. The use of grunts and "throat singing" combined with clean vocals has later defined the nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
and newer genres of metal. Many vocalists, in today's metal scene, use two or more methods of singing and vocalizing lyrics. The band contributed two songs to the L.A. Death Metal Compilation in 1990. They played their first show on Wednesday, October 31, 1990.
Concrete (1991)
In 1991, Fear Factory proceeded to record a series of cuts to comprise their debut album with the then relatively unknown producer, Ross RobinsonRoss Robinson
Ross Robinson, son of Byron Katie, is an American multi-platinum music producer, who has discovered successful acts such as Korn, At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, Repeater, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Machine Head, Vanilla Ice, The Cure, Sepultura and many others...
in Blackie Lawless
Blackie Lawless
Blackie Lawless , is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist and actor, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band W.A.S.P..In an interview, Blackie claims to have been born in the kitchen of the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood,...
’ studio. However, due to the band being unhappy with the terms of their recording contract, the material was not released at the time.
They retained the rights to the songs, however, many of which they re-recorded with a different producer, Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
, for inclusion on their actual debut release Soul of a New Machine, in 1992. Meanwhile, Ross Robinson obtained the rights to the recording, which he used to promote himself, subsequently finding enormous success during the nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
explosion of the mid-late 90s when he worked with bands such as Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
, Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
and Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
; ironically, bands that had little in common with the Fear Factory of 1991. The recording itself was eventually given an official release through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
in 2002 under the title Concrete during the band’s interim demise. It was seen as a controversial release, being issued out of the band’s outstanding contractual obligations and without the approval of all of the band’s members.
Although fan opinion has been divided over whether the Ross Robinson production properly captures the intricacies of the band’s sound, with the finished product favoring a more straight-up approach and Robinson’s distinct drum sound, the “secret” album has nevertheless become an important album for fans of the early Fear Factory sound and can be seen as a bridge between the band’s sound on their demo recordings and that on their debut release, Soul of a New Machine as well as a source of the blueprints for some of the band’s later songs and b-sides.
Based on the Concrete recording, Max Cavalera
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
recommended them to the then death metal focused Roadrunner Records label, who proceeded to offer them a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. While the band signed the contract at the time, it has since become the source of some controversy based on Roadrunner’s treatment of the band during the events surrounding their interim break up in 2002. This is supported by Burton C. Bell’s scathing lyrics on “Slave Labor” – the opening song on 2004’s Archetype, the band’s first album after their reformation – that do not mince their words about the band’s feelings on the matter. After going through numerous amounts of bassists, Andrew Shives
Andrew Shives
Andrew Shives was the former live bassist of the industrial metal group Fear Factory between 1992 and 1993. His photo appeared on the Soul of a New Machine album jacket, but he didn't play on the album . In 1993 Fear Factory released a 7" single under their Spanish name Factorio De Miedo called...
was hired as a live bassist prior to the release of their debut album.
Soul of a New Machine (1992–1994)
Recorded with producer Colin Richardson and released in 1992, Soul of a New Machine was the band’s first exposure to the wider music scene and was seen as revolutionary for its pioneering industrial death metal sound, combining Bell’s harsh and melodic vocals, Herrera’s machine-like battery, the integrated industrial samples and textures and the sharp, down tuned rhythmic death metal riffs of Dino Cazares.Due to the extreme nature of the music, the album was not successful in the mainstream and even today remains more of a cult favourite, never seeing the level of popularity attained by their later, more accessible works. Indeed, the band’s style progressively shifted further away from the death metal sound with every subsequent release and Soul of a New Machine can strictly be seen as Fear Factory’s final effort that lies firmly in the death metal camp.
The band added sampler/keyboardist Reynor Diego to the lineup and supported the album by embarking on extensive tours across the US with Biohazard
Biohazard (band)
Biohazard is a band originally based in Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. The original lineup consisted of Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel,...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, and Sick Of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
and a tour of Europe with Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth is an American grindcore band from New York City, formed by ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers Of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990. The group disbanded in 1999, but reformed in 2006 and continue to release new music.-History:...
, then Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
, Cathedral
Cathedral (band)
Cathedral are a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group forged a link between early doom metal and a 1990s extreme metal aesthetic, making doom slower and heavier. Their debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, is considered a classic of the genre. They later on changed their doom style,...
, and Sleep
Sleep (band)
Sleep is a stoner doom metal band from San Jose, California. Active during the 1990s, Sleep earned critical and record label attention early in their career. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on heavy metal...
. The following year, they hired Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
member Rhys Fulber
Rhys Fulber
Nowell Rhys Fulber is a Canadian electronic musician and producer. He was a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium along with Bill Leeb, and now records on his own under the name Conjure One.- Biography :...
to remix some songs from the album, demonstrating the band’s willingness to experiment with their music even at this early stage. The results took on a predominantly industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
guise, and were released as the Fear Is the Mindkiller
Fear Is the Mindkiller
-Band members:* Burton C. Bell − Vocals* Dino Cazares − Guitar* Raymond Herrera − Drums-Production/continued credits:* Rhys Fulber − Digital adaptation* Brian Gardner − Mastering* Bernie Grundman − Mastering* Karl Kotas − Art direction, computer graphics...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1993 (both Soul of a New Machine and Fear is the Mindkiller were re-released together in a new re-mastered reissue by Roadrunner Records in 2004).
In 1993, Andrew Shives was forced to leave the band. In November of the same year, the band met a vacationing Christian Olde Wolbers
Christian Olde Wolbers
Christian Olde Wolbers , is the guitarist of the metal band Arkaea. He is the former bassist and guitarist of the industrial metal band Fear Factory, and is now in Beowülf.-Biography:...
(originally from Belgium) in LA, through Evan Seinfeld
Evan Seinfeld
Evan Seinfeld is an American musician and actor, as well as a director, photographer, and writer. He has also appeared in several pornographic films under the pseudonym "Spyder Jonez". He is best known for playing bass guitar and serving as vocalist for the heavy metal band Biohazard, and as the...
of Biohazard
Biohazard (band)
Biohazard is a band originally based in Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. The original lineup consisted of Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel,...
, whom they recruited as their permanent bassist. Although Christian joined the band with immediate effect, due to tight studio deadlines and Cazares’ regular tweaking of the guitar parts on the next album, he was unable to record the bass parts on all of its songs, with Cazares recording the bass for the remainder of the tracks.
Demanufacture (1995–1997)
Fear Factory released their second album Demanufacture in 1995, featuring a slight thawing down in the overly brutal approach of the early recordings in favor of a more industrial metalIndustrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
approach, characterized by a mix of rapid fire thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/industrial metal guitar riffs and tight, pulse driven drum beats, roaring (rather than growled, but still aggressive) vocals that made way for melodic singing and powerful bass lines.
The production was also more refined and the integration of atmospheric keyboard parts and industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
textures upon Cazares’ and Herrera’s precise musicianship made the songs sound clinical, cold and machine-like and gave the band’s music a futuristic feel. Many fans consider Rhys Fulber’s involvement with the band integral to this dimension of their sound. There were extensive contributions from Reynor Diego as well; adding key samples, loops and electronic flourishes to the group dynamics.
Demanufacture is generally considered to be the band’s defining work and received much critical acclaim upon release, being awarded the maximum five K's rating in the UK’s Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
rock magazine. It went on to become a fairly successful album. While Soul of a New Machine failed to chart anywhere, Demanufacture made the Top 10 of the Billboard Heatseekers charts and a video was filmed for the song "Replica". The song "Zero Signal" was featured on the Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat (film)
Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
film soundtrack in 1995. Instrumental versions of Demanufacture songs were later used in the Carmageddon
Carmageddon
Carmageddon is the first of a series of graphically violent vehicular combat video games produced by Stainless Games, published by Interplay and SCi...
video game for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
Fear Factory spent the next few years touring with such bands such as Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
and Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and appearing at the 1996 and 1997 Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
s, among other music festivals. During that time their jersey is seen in the video of "Counterfeit
Counterfeit (song)
"Counterfeit" is a song by Limp Bizkit from their debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. The song can be traced back to one of the band's early demo tapes in 1996, but it could have been written as early as 1995, when guitarist Wes Borland first joined....
" by Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
. In May 1997, the band released a new album composed of Demanufacture remixes by artists such as DJ Dano or Junkie XL
Junkie XL
Tom Holkenborg , better known as Junkie XL or JXL, is a Dutch musician. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. XL is for "Xpanding Limits"....
(now known as JXL) called Remanufacture - Cloning Technology
Remanufacture - Cloning Technology
The tracks "Genetic Blueprint" and "21st Century Jesus" featured on Infogrames Test Drive 5 which was released on PC and PlayStation in 1998. Additionally, the song "Remanufacture " was featured on the 2005 PSP video game Infected and is the theme song for the 2000 PC game Messiah...
, which marked the band’s first appearance on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and also appeared on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Roadrunner Records re-released Demanufacture and Remanufacture in a 10th Anniversary single package reissue in 2005, similar to that of Soul of a New Machine in 2004. This edition also includes bonus tracks from the digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
version of Demanufacture, which was also released in 1995.
Obsolete (1998–2000)
July 1998, saw the release of Fear Factory’s third studio album, titled Obsolete, with the band reportedly canceling an appearance at the Dynamo Open Air Festival to finish the album sooner.Obsolete was similar in sound to Demanufacture, but also saw the introduction of more progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
and alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
elements and for the first time, featured Christian Olde Wolbers recording with the band in his full capacity as a band member. It also featured Dino Cazares using 7-string guitars for the first time tuned to A tuning (A,D,G,C,F,A,D), paving the way for a lower-tuned sound than before. The album is also notable for Rhys Fulber’s increased involvement with the band.
While Fear Factory had explored the theme of “Man versus Machine” in their earlier work, Obsolete was their first actual concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
that dealt specifically with a literal interpretation of this subject, telling a story called Conception 5 written by Bell that takes place in a future world where mankind is rendered "obsolete" by the Machines, and features characters such as the “Edgecrusher”, “Smasher/Devourer” and the “Securitron” monitoring system. The story is presented in the lyrics booklet in a screenplay format in between the individual songs, with the printed story parts linking the lyrics of the songs together thematically.
Bell explained the concept in an interview as follows:
Coincidentally released in the alternative metal boom of the late 90s, Obsolete, supported by tours with Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
and later, Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
, along with a headlining spot on the second stage at Ozzfest in 1999 (as last-minute replacements for Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
), went on to become the band’s highest selling album, marking the band’s first entry into the Top 100 on the Billboard charts. The album also spawned singles in "Descent" and in the digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
bonus track, "Cars
Cars (song)
Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
", a cover of the famous Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
song (featuring a guest appearance by Numan himself, on the song, as well as in its music video), that made the Mainstream Rock Top 40 in 1999 and was also featured in the video game, Test Drive 6. Incidentally, Numan also performs a spoken word sample on the album’s title track. A video was also filmed for the song, "Resurrection". To date, Obsolete remains the only Fear Factory album to have achieved gold sales in the US.
Digimortal and demise (2001–2002)
In early 2001, Fear Factory was asked to headline SnoCore RockSnoCore Tour
The SnoCore Tour, occasionally typeset as Sno-Core, is an annual festival tour of the United States. It features performances by some of the most popular groups largely of the alternative rock and metal spectrum...
. The success of Obsolete and "Cars" was to be a turning point for the band, with Roadrunner Records now keen on capitalizing on the band’s sales potential and pressuring the band to record more accessible material for their follow-up album, titled Digimortal, which was released in 2001.
While Digimortal remained consistent with the band’s lyrical evolution, with Bell now singing about Man and Machine having become merged and unable to be separated without immense harm being caused, musically, the shift to simpler, more radio friendly song structures lost the band some of its more extreme metal fans and the album is considered by some to be inferior to their earlier releases. Fan opinion, however, remains strongly divided between those who view the album as a colossal failure, those who associate it with the nu metal movement and others who contend that the sound is still the same Fear Factory at its core and praise the merits afforded by the Rhys Fulber production.
Digimortal made the Top 40 on the Billboard album charts, the Top 20 in Canada and the Top 10 of the Australian album charts. "Linchpin" off the album again reached the Mainstream Rock Top 40.
A remix of the song "Invisible Wounds" was included on the Resident Evil
Resident Evil (film)
Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and James Purefoy...
film soundtrack, and an instrumental digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
bonus track called "Full Metal Contact" was originally written for the video game, Demolition Racer
Demolition Racer
Demolition Racer was a game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Infogrames. It is a racing game that combines destruction and driving tactics in a fast paced racing environment...
.
A VHS/DVD release called Digital Connectivity
Digital Connectivity
Digital Connectivity is a DVD by Los Angeles industrial metal band Fear Factory released in 2001 on Roadrunner Records.Durning the selection Separated into 4 parts, "Lifeblind"'s intro is repeated...
was released soon after, in January 2002, which documents each of the four album periods of the band via interviews, live clips, music videos and tour/studio footage.
Although Digimortal had a successful start, the sales did not reach anywhere near the levels of Obsolete and the band received little tour support. The direction of the album coupled with strong personal differences between some of the band members created a rift that escalated with time, to the point where Bell announced his exit in March 2002. The band disbanded immediately thereafter with its publicists citing not poor album sales but "largely because vocalist Burton C. Bell is tired of playing angry, aggressive music and wants to form a band that's more indie-rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
-oriented." In a final collaboration, the group recorded two songs for the video game The Terminator: Dawn of Fate
The Terminator: Dawn of Fate
The Terminator: Dawn of Fate is a video game based on the Terminator film series.This game is based before and during the events that lead up to Kyle Reese being sent through the time displacement equipment, to protect Sarah Connor...
that same month. Fear Factory’s contractual obligations remained unfulfilled, however, and Roadrunner did not release them without controversially issuing the Concrete album (originally from 1991) in 2002 and the B-sides and rarities compilation, Hatefiles
Hatefiles
-Credits:*John Aguto - Mixing*Duane Baron - Engineer*John Bechdel - Keyboards, Programming*Burton C. Bell - vocals*Dino Cazares - Guitar, Mixing*Monte Conner - Compilation, Song Notes*Fear Factory - Producer...
in 2003.
During his time away from Fear Factory, Bell started his side project along with John Bechdel
John Bechdel
John Bechdel is a keyboardist, and has been a part of many bands over the years including Ministry, Fear Factory, Abstinence, Prong, Killing Joke, Murder, Inc. and Brian Brain to name a few...
, called Ascension of the Watchers
Ascension of the Watchers
Ascension of the Watchers is a band that was started by Burton C. Bell and John Bechdel . They wrote and recorded their first release, Iconoclast at Bechdel's home in rural Pennsylvania...
, who released their first EP, Iconoclast, independently via their online store in 2005.
First return (2002–2003)
Over time, it emerged that the rift between the members was largely between the guitarist Dino Cazares and the other members, particularly Bell.Cazares was the first to speak out after the break-up, proceeding to make claims and allegations against Bell and the other members in May 2002 in a Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
interview. Almost all of these allegations were subsequently addressed and refuted by Herrera in a counter interview, speaking on behalf of all the other members.
Olde Wolbers and Herrera got back together later in 2002 and laid the foundations for what was to become the return of Fear Factory. With Cazares now permanently out of the line up, Bell was approached with their demo recordings and was impressed enough to rejoin the band and Fear Factory was formed once again. Christian switched to guitar and Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
of Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
was approached to join the band as their new bassist, and has been their bass player since 2003.
Dino Cazares has continued recording and performing with his side project called Asesino
Asesino
Asesino is an American extreme metal band and the recurring project of ex-Brujeria guitarist Dino Cazares, which has featured members of Brujeria, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Sadistic Intent and Static-X....
, a Mexican deathgrind
Deathgrind
Deathgrind is a musical genre that fuses death metal and grindcore. The genre, along with pornogrind, is related to the goregrind subgenre...
band featuring Tony Campos
Tony Campos
Tony Campos is a Mexican American musician. He is the bass guitarist for the heavy metal band Soulfly and former bass guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X and frontman/bassist for Asesino. Campos was the final bassist for Ministry, which retired in 2008, though he rejoined when the band...
of Static-X
Static-X
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
on vocals. In 2007, he also started a new group called Divine Heresy
Divine Heresy
Divine Heresy is an American metal band formed by founder of Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares and Devolved, drummer John Sankey. Although the band's origins trace back to 2002, Divine Heresy was officially formed in 2006...
, featuring Tim Yeung
Tim Yeung
Tim Yeung is a prominent extreme metal drummer. He was born on November 27, 1978 in Rochester, New York and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Tim started playing drums when he was 11 years old.-Biography:...
, formerly of Hate Eternal
Hate Eternal
-Biography:Hate Eternal was formed in 1997. The group's original line-up included Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals, bassist and co-vocalist Jared Anderson, drummer Tim Yeung, and guitarist Doug Cerrito of the band Suffocation...
and Vital Remains
Vital Remains
Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 1988.- History :Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains' first line-up consisted of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better...
, on drums.
Archetype (2004)
Fear Factory made their live return as the mystery band at the Australian Big Day OutBig Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
festival in January 2004, followed by their first American shows since reforming, on the spring Jägermeister
Jägermeister
Jägermeister is a German 70-proof digestif made with 56 different herbs and spices. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE, headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, south of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :...
tour along with Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and Chimaira
Chimaira
Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...
. The new lineup's first album Archetype was released on April 20, 2004 through new record label Liquid 8 Records based in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Archetype saw Fear Factory returning to an alternative and partially industrial metal sound and is generally considered to be a strong and 'back-to-form' record, if not a particularly innovative effort, with most of the trademark elements of the band firmly in place.
Videos were shot for the songs "Cyberwaste", "Archetype" and "Bite the Hand that Bleeds", with the latter featuring on the Saw
Saw (2003 film)
"Saw " is a nine-and-a-half-minute Australian short subject horror film released in 2003. It was directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, who also starred in it. It was originally used to pitch their script for a full-length feature film Saw to various studios and actors. The...
film soundtrack. Further tours with Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
and Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
in the US and with Mnemic
Mnemic
Mnemic is a Danish metal band, formed in Aalborg, Denmark in 1998. Their music has been described as a fusion between metalcore, melodic death metal, industrial metal and progressive metal, with additional elements of thrash metal and groove metal, to form a style the band themselves have...
in Europe put the band back on the worldwide metal map. The new Fear Factory has largely abandoned the direct "Man versus Machine" theme prevalent on earlier releases in favor of subjects such as religion, war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
and corporatism
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
.
Transgression (2005–2006)
To the surprise of many fans, Fear Factory soon revealed plans to subsequently record and release their next full-length album over a very short period of time with mainstream rock producer Toby WrightToby Wright
Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
(normally known to work with bands such as Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
). This was allegedly due to pressure from their new label, Calvin Records, who pulled back the album’s due date from four months away to just a month and a half, in order that the band would have a completed new album to support on the inaugural Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
, which they had been invited to participate on by Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
.
The resultant album, Transgression, was released barely a year after Archetype on August 22, 2005 in the United Kingdom, and on the following day in North America to highly polarized reviews, with some critics hailing the album as a diverse and progressive effort and other reviewers not receiving the record very well. Although the album starts off as a Fear Factory record, subsequent songs include mellow/alt-rock numbers in "Echo of My Scream" (featuring Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
’s Billy Gould
Billy Gould
Billy Gould is an American musician and producer. He is noted for playing bass in the band Faith No More.- Faith No More :...
on bass) and "New Promise", a pop-rock song in "Supernova" and a faithful cover of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
’s poppy, "I Will Follow
I Will Follow
"I Will Follow" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their debut album, Boy, and it was released as the album's second single, in October 1980. Bono wrote the lyrics to "I Will Follow" in tribute to his mother who died when he was 14 years old."I Will Follow" is the only song...
".
Christian Olde Wolbers has expressed disappointment with the finished product, calling it only half-finished, and has blamed the label for the severe time constraints imposed during the recording sessions and for the inclusion of the U2 cover, but Burton C. Bell has maintained that he is proud of the album and sees it as the band "stepping over boundaries".
Over 2005–2006, Fear Factory went on to promote the album on their successful "Fifteen Years of Fear" world tour in celebration of their fifteenth anniversary, inviting bands such as Darkane
Darkane
Darkane is a melodic death / progressive thrash metal band that originated in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1998. Their music contains ample thrash elements interspersed with acoustic interludes and symphonic features, such as the in studio use of synthesizers and occasionally full orchestras and choir...
, Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
and Soilwork
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name Inferior Breed, the band changed their name in late 1996 to Soilwork .Their sound is a fusion of the classic...
to join them on the US jaunt and Misery Index
Misery Index (band)
Misery Index is an American deathgrind band formed in 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, by Jason Netherton on vocals and bass guitar, Mike Harrison on vocals and guitar, and Kevin Talley on drums. From 2006-2010, its line-up consisted of Netherton on vocals and bass guitar, Sparky Voyles...
to join them on the European jaunt. Late 2005 saw Fear Factory tour the US once again on the "Machines at War" tour, with an all star death metal line-up of special guests in Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
, Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy (band)
Hypocrisy is a melodic death metal band from Sweden. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika, Sweden by Peter Tägtgren.Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal sound on their first albums, and soon drifted to become a melodic death metal band. The lyrics in their early stages -...
and Decapitated
Decapitated (band)
Decapitated is a death metal band that formed in Krosno, Poland in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski and Austrian drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Decapitated have gained recognition as one of the genre's most widely respected...
, playing certain old classics from Soul of a New Machine such as "Crash Test" which they had not performed live in many years.
Hiatus and other projects (2006–2008)
An online statement from Wolbers in December 2006 indicated that the band was to head back into the studio to record a new album, produced by the band, immediately after the completion of the Transgression touring cycle. That same month, Burton C. Bell confirmed in an interview that the band would part ways with Liquid 8 Records. Yet rather than begin work on a new studio album, the band members briefly went their separate ways, and began working with other projects.Bell contributed vocals to the songs "End Of Days, Pt.1", "End of Days, Pt. 2", and "Die In A Crash" on Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
's 2007 album The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was band's last studio album featuring new material....
, and later toured with the band in support of the album. Bell referred to this as a "dream come true" in an interview, describing Ministry front man Al Jourgensen
Al Jourgensen
Alain David Jourgensen , is a Cuban-American musician best known as the founder and frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa , Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan...
as "one of [his] heroes." In that same interview, Bell talked at length about his new band Ascension of the Watchers
Ascension of the Watchers
Ascension of the Watchers is a band that was started by Burton C. Bell and John Bechdel . They wrote and recorded their first release, Iconoclast at Bechdel's home in rural Pennsylvania...
, providing insight into the inspiration behind the project's formation.
Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera went on to start their own new band, called Arkaea
Arkaea
Arkaea is an industrial metal supergroup formed in 2008 featuring members from Threat Signal and Fear Factory.-Formation:The band was formed by Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera who had recorded a demo for a new band. They sent the demo to Threat Signal vocalist Jon Howard and Arkaea was...
, with vocalist Jon Howard and bassist Pat Kavanagh of Threat Signal
Threat Signal
Threat Signal is a Canadian Melodic death metal band hailing from the city of Hamilton. However, different members of the band hail from other parts of the Ontario province...
. In describing the band, Wolbers stated that "Ironically, half of the Arkaea album consists of songs that were intended to be the next Fear Factory record." Arkaea
Arkaea
Arkaea is an industrial metal supergroup formed in 2008 featuring members from Threat Signal and Fear Factory.-Formation:The band was formed by Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera who had recorded a demo for a new band. They sent the demo to Threat Signal vocalist Jon Howard and Arkaea was...
released their debut album Years in the Darkness
Years in the Darkness
Years in the Darkness is the first album for industrial metal band Arkaea. It was released on July 14, 2009. A music video for the track "Locust" was made...
on July 14, 2009.
Second return and Mechanize (2009–2011)
On April 7, 2009, Burton C. BellBurton C. Bell
Burton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
and ex-guitarist Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...
announced the reconciliation of their friendship, and the formation of a new project with Byron Stroud on bass and drummer Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
(Death, Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
, Dark Angel
Dark Angel (band)
Dark Angel was an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Their over-the-top style earned them the nickname "the L.A...
, Dethklok
Dethklok
Dethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon...
). On April 28, this project was revealed to be a new version of Fear Factory, excluding Herrera and Wolbers. When asked why Herrera and Wolbers were not included, Bell stated that "[Fear Factory is] like a business and I'm just reorganizing... We won't talk about [their exclusion]".
In June 2009, Wolbers and Herrera spoke about the issue on the radio program "Speed Freaks." Instead of offering reasons for leaving the group, Herrera revealed that technically, he and Wolbers never left. "[Christian and I] are actually still in Fear Factory...[Burton and Dino] decided to start a new band, and furthermore, they decided to call it Fear Factory. They never communicated with us about it", said Herrera. Herrera added that the original four members (Bell, Cazares, Wolbers, and himself) are contractually regarded as Fear Factory Incorporated, and said "it's almost like them two against us two, so it's kind of a stalemate." Herrera also stated that he and Wolbers had written eight songs for the next Fear Factory record, but that a "personal disagreement" had come up between them and Bell, which left Bell not wanting to continue work with the band.
Bell and Cazares later spoke about the issue, revealing their reasons for excluding Herrera and Wolbers. Cazares stated that Bell wanted to reunite the classic Fear Factory line-up of himself, Cazares, Herrera, and Wolbers, but that Herrera and Wolbers refused to be a part of any reunion with Cazares. Bell also stated that another factor was that he wanted to fire the band's manager, Christy Priske, who was also the wife of Wolbers, and Herrera and Wolbers refused. Herrera and Wolbers threatened to sign a new record deal without Bell, prompting him to form a new version of Fear Factory without them.
Fear Factory featuring Bell and Cazares was set to make its live debut on June 21 in the Metalway Festival in Zaragoza, Spain. However, the show was canceled "at the last minute", apparently due to the legal complications referenced by Herrera that now surround the use of the name "Fear Factory". The rest of that lineup's planned performances over Summer 2009, which included a tour of United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand in August 2009, had also been canceled. The group claims, however, that they canceled their touring plans so as to finish writing and recording the next Fear Factory album. Despite the canceled performances in Europe, shows around December have been performed in many South American countries, including Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Despite ongoing issues between the two parties, the new Fear Factory moved ahead with the recording process. In late July 2009, a short video shot with a cell phone showed Dino recording over drum tracks with long time contributor Rhys Fulber. According to recent interviews with Bell and Cazares, the band is about half way through the recording process and is pushing for an early 2010 release, and at least one show in South America has been announced. On November 6, 2009, blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
revealed that Mechanize would be released on February 9, 2010, on Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...
. On November 8, 2009, the new Fear Factory released a track titled "Powershifter" on YouTube. On November 10, 2009, Burton C. Bell gave a track list for the Mechanize album, along with the meanings of each song.
As of January 2010, Fear Factory began an Australian and New Zealand tour on the Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
tour playing their first Australian show since 2005 on Jan 17 at Parklands Showgrounds on Queensland's Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. Fear Factory released Mechanize on February 5, 2010, and begun their US tour, dubbed "Fear Campaign Tour 2010", starting in late March. In August 2010 they headlined the Brutal Assault
Brutal assault
Brutal Assault is an extreme metal open-air music festival taking place in the 18th century army Fortress Josefov in Jaroměř, Czech Republic. It takes place each August traditionally on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the beginning of the month. The festival was started in 1995 featuring mostly...
open air festival in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
In September 2010, Fear Factory will tour Australia and New Zealand, then Tokyo, Japan - as opening act for Metallica. The New Zealand concerts will both be in Christchurch, two shows that were brought about by a petition sent to Metallica, asking them to visit the relatively small South Island city. After the recent 2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
, the South Island concerts had been in doubt; however, on September 15, 2010, an official announced was made that the CBS Arena escaped harm, and both concerts would go ahead.
Future eighth studio album (2011–present)
In an interview during the 70000 Tons of Metal70000 Tons of Metal
70000 Tons of Metal is a heavy metal festival that takes place annually aboard the cruise ship the MS Majesty of the Seas. It first took place between January 24 and January 28 of 2011, departing from Miami, docking at Cozumel and returning to Miami. 2038 fans of 49 countries, 42 bands each...
cruise, vocalist Burton C. Bell
Burton C. Bell
Burton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
revealed that Fear Factory is planning to write and record a "full-on concept" album, likely to be released in 2012. He explains, "We're gonna kind of take a break a little bit, but we're definitely going into the studio at some point and start writing. We wanna take our time doing it. Personally... Mechanize, don't get me wrong, is a good record — I'm very proud of it — but it's gotta be better than that. I've got plans where I'd like to do a full-on concept again — story, artwork. Just make it real cerebral. But there'll definitely be another Fear Factory record, maybe in 2012."
On August 3, 2011, guitarist Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...
announced on his twitter that he was working and demoing new material for the next Fear Factory album.
Legacy and influence
Fear Factory’s innovative approach towards, and hybridization of the genres of industrial metal, death metal and alternative metal has had a lasting impact on metal music ever since the release of their first album in 1992. Fear Factory is noteworthy among contemporaries for their lyrical focus on science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, with much of their music telling a single story spanning several concept albums.
The band has often been called a "stepping stone" leading mainstream listeners to venture into less-known/more extreme bands, and are consistently appreciated.
In the liner notes of the Soul of a New Machine re-release, Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
vocalist Robert Flynn
Robert Flynn
Robb Flynn is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the heavy metal band Machine Head...
, Chimaira
Chimaira
Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...
vocalist Mark Hunter
Mark Hunter (musician)
Mark Hunter is the singer vocalist and one of the main songwriters for the heavy metal band Chimaira.-Chimaira:Hunter co-founded the band with original Chimaira guitarist Jason Hager...
and Spineshank
Spineshank
Spineshank is an American Grammy-nominated alternative metal band. The band has sold over 540,000 records, and has released 3 studio albums.-Formation, Roadrunner Records years :...
guitarist Mike Sarkisyan have cited Fear Factory as an influence. Robert Flynn stated his vocal style was influenced by Burton Bell's vocals and that Machine Head have been wrongly credited for the vocal style. Mark Hunter stated that Chimaira's drumming was heavily influenced by Raymond Herrera. Other bands that have Fear Factory in their liner notes include Disturbed, Static-X
Static-X
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
& Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber is an American alternative metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón formed the band She's In Pain in 1992. The two decided to create Coal Chamber. They disbanded in 2003 after ten years together, but announced a reunion in...
.
Modern bands such as Mnemic
Mnemic
Mnemic is a Danish metal band, formed in Aalborg, Denmark in 1998. Their music has been described as a fusion between metalcore, melodic death metal, industrial metal and progressive metal, with additional elements of thrash metal and groove metal, to form a style the band themselves have...
, Scarve
Scarve
Scarve is a French technical death metal band from Nancy. They have released four full-length albums, the latest being The Undercurrent, released on April 2, 2007 on Listenable Records.- Biography :...
, Sybreed
Sybreed
Sybreed is an industrial metal/groove metal band from Geneva, Switzerland.- History :Sybreed was formed in 2003 by vocalist Benjamin and guitarist Drop, after they previously worked together in a band, called Rain. In 2004, Sybreed released their debut album Slave Design...
, Threat Signal
Threat Signal
Threat Signal is a Canadian Melodic death metal band hailing from the city of Hamilton. However, different members of the band hail from other parts of the Ontario province...
, and Last Scene Ends contain significant influences of the band’s technique and have also credited a substantial debt of gratitude to the band.
Peter Tägtgren
Peter Tägtgren
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member....
of Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy (band)
Hypocrisy is a melodic death metal band from Sweden. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika, Sweden by Peter Tägtgren.Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal sound on their first albums, and soon drifted to become a melodic death metal band. The lyrics in their early stages -...
has said that “Fear Factory are close to our hearts” and that “Soul of a New Machine was the influence for me to start my other project, 'Pain'”.
Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
of Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
stated his main influences for Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing
Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing
-Credits:*Devin Townsend – guitar, vocals, keyboards, programming, mixing, editing, production, arrangements, art direction -Additional musicians:*Adrian White – drums*Jed Simon – additional guitar *Chris Byes – drums...
were Fear Factory and Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
.
In an interview on That Metal Show
That Metal Show
That Metal Show is a talk show hosted by Eddie Trunk with co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. It premiered on VH1 Classic on November 15, 2008. New episodes air on VH1 Classic on Saturday nights and are rebroadcast throughout the week....
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
drummer Bill Ward stated that Fear Factory is one of the bands he wishes he could play with.
Band members
Current- Burton C. BellBurton C. BellBurton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
– lead vocals (1989–present) - Dino CazaresDino CazaresDino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(1989–2002, 2009–present) - Byron StroudByron StroudByron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
– bass (2003–present) - Gene HoglanGene HoglanEugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
– drums (2009–present)
Former
- Dave Gibney – bass, vocals (spoken word intro for "Big God/Raped Souls" on Concrete) (1989–1991)
- Andy Romero – bass on Concrete (1991–1992)
- Andrew ShivesAndrew ShivesAndrew Shives was the former live bassist of the industrial metal group Fear Factory between 1992 and 1993. His photo appeared on the Soul of a New Machine album jacket, but he didn't play on the album . In 1993 Fear Factory released a 7" single under their Spanish name Factorio De Miedo called...
– bass (1992–1993) - Raymond HerreraRaymond HerreraRaymond Herrera is the drummer for industrial metal band Arkaea. He is a former member of the industrial metal band Fear Factory and Mexican death metal band Brujeria.-Biography:Herrera has been an avid gamer all his life...
– drums, percussion (1989–2008) - Christian Olde WolbersChristian Olde WolbersChristian Olde Wolbers , is the guitarist of the metal band Arkaea. He is the former bassist and guitarist of the industrial metal band Fear Factory, and is now in Beowülf.-Biography:...
– bass (1993–2002), guitar (2002–2008)
Additional personnel
- Reynor Diego – samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
/keyboards (live and recorded on DemanufactureDemanufactureDemanufacture is the second studio album by the Los Angeles industrial metal band Fear Factory. This is the band's first album with their classic line-up adding new bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. Many regard it as the band's best album and a heavy metal classic...
) (1991–1995) - Rhys FulberRhys FulberNowell Rhys Fulber is a Canadian electronic musician and producer. He was a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium along with Bill Leeb, and now records on his own under the name Conjure One.- Biography :...
– samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
/keyboards/programming/mixing (live and recorded DemanufactureDemanufactureDemanufacture is the second studio album by the Los Angeles industrial metal band Fear Factory. This is the band's first album with their classic line-up adding new bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. Many regard it as the band's best album and a heavy metal classic...
, ObsoleteObsolete (album)Obsolete is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Fear Factory, released on July 28, 1998. Conceptually, it is a sequel to 1995's Demanufacture...
, Digimortal, Archetype and MechanizeMechanizeMechanize is the seventh studio album by Fear Factory. It is the first album to feature Gene Hoglan on drums and the first since 2001's Digimortal to include original guitarist and founding member Dino Cazares who rejoined the band after a reconciliation with vocalist Burton C. Bell in April 2009...
) (1993–2004, 2009–present) - John BechdelJohn BechdelJohn Bechdel is a keyboardist, and has been a part of many bands over the years including Ministry, Fear Factory, Abstinence, Prong, Killing Joke, Murder, Inc. and Brian Brain to name a few...
– keyboards, programming (live and recorded on Digimortal) (1998–2006) - Steve TusharSteve TusharSteve Tushar is a Latin Grammy nominated music producer and musician. He has been a keyboardist, remixer, programmer and producer for metal band Fear Factory, music producer for Beto Cuevas and Chroma Key, and keyboard player for metal/industrial act 16 Volt...
– keyboards, programming, electronics (recorded on Archetype and TransgressionTransgression (album)-Credits:*Burton C. Bell – vocals, engineer, assistant, supervisor*Christian Olde Wolbers – guitar, bass, arranger*Raymond Herrera – drums, arranger, engineer*Byron Stroud - bass*Reggie Boyd – assistant*Tom Jermann – visual design...
) (2004–2005) - David Erdei - keyboards, programming, electronics live (2006–2007)
Studio albums
- Soul of a New MachineSoul of a New MachineSoul of a New Machine is the debut studio album by the Los Angeles, California metal band Fear Factory. It was released on August 25, 1992...
(1992) - DemanufactureDemanufactureDemanufacture is the second studio album by the Los Angeles industrial metal band Fear Factory. This is the band's first album with their classic line-up adding new bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. Many regard it as the band's best album and a heavy metal classic...
(1995) - ObsoleteObsolete (album)Obsolete is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Fear Factory, released on July 28, 1998. Conceptually, it is a sequel to 1995's Demanufacture...
(1998) - Digimortal (2001)
- Archetype (2004)
- TransgressionTransgression (album)-Credits:*Burton C. Bell – vocals, engineer, assistant, supervisor*Christian Olde Wolbers – guitar, bass, arranger*Raymond Herrera – drums, arranger, engineer*Byron Stroud - bass*Reggie Boyd – assistant*Tom Jermann – visual design...
(2005) - MechanizeMechanizeMechanize is the seventh studio album by Fear Factory. It is the first album to feature Gene Hoglan on drums and the first since 2001's Digimortal to include original guitarist and founding member Dino Cazares who rejoined the band after a reconciliation with vocalist Burton C. Bell in April 2009...
(2010) - TBA (2012)