As one of the first bands to combine both extreme and clean vocals, Fear Factory are rightly regarded as one of the most influential acts to come out the 90’s. With a recurring lyrical theme of a Dystopian future running through all of their studio releases, the Californians' sci-fi influenced industrial metal has won them both critical acclaim and commercial success over a good majority of their two decade-plus career.
Early Days:
Formed in Los Angeles, Califronia in 1989 by guitarist Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera, Fear Factory found vocalist Burton C. Bell in unusual circumstances, when Cazares allegedly overheard the group’s future frontman singing U2’s “New Years Day” while showering in the apartment above him. After the abandoned recording of their planned debut Concrete, Fear Factory’s first studio album Soul of a New Machine exhibited a revolutionary take on metal, combining jackhammer drums and down-tuned guitars with industrial samples and both harsh and melodic vocals.
Mainstream Breakthrough:
By removing most of their explicit death metal influences, Fear Factory’s 1995 sophomore album Demanufacture is full of timeless industrial-influenced metal tunes, and the band was rewarded with almost universal critical acclaim. By the time their follow up Obsolete was released, the band was regarded as one of the biggest heavy acts in the world. While 2001’s Digimortal might not have been up to the same level of quality as the previous three records, it still packed a handful of solid tracks, but personality and musical differences began to raise its ugly head, and there was little tour support for the album.
Demise/Return/Demise:
With Bell announcing his departure in 2002, many thought that the Fear Factory machine had ground to a halt due their frontman’s reported lack of interest in playing heavy music. But in the subsequent months it was revealed it was actually Cazares who had been the catalyst to the inter-band fighting, and by the end of the year the seeds of a reformation had been laid, sans the band’s founding guitarist.
With bassist Christian Olde-Wolbers moving to guitar, the new lineup’s first album Archetype was a strong release, but 2005’s Transgression was average at best, and was weighed down by decidedly poor production. The reunion of sorts fizzled out not long after, with Olde-Wolbers and Herrera forming Arkaea, while Bell focused on working with Ascension of the Watchers and industrial music legends Ministry.
Rebirth:
After the reconciliation between Bell and Cazares in 2009, the second reformation of Fear Factory was announced, this time with bassist Byron Stroud, who had been in the band since 2003, and drum legend Gene Hoglan replacing Olde-Wolbers and Herrera. After a brief legal dispute of the use of the name ‘Fear Factory’ between the departed and current band members, work began quickly on a new record. Heavier, faster and generally more ‘metal’ than anything they had done before, Mechanize was a staggering comeback record, propelled by Cazares eight-string guitar and Hoglan’s inhuman drum work.
If You Like Fear Factory, You Might Also Like:
Strapping Young Lad, Divine Heresy, Arkaea
Current Fear Factory Band Members:
Dino Cazares – Guitars (Asesino, Divien Heresy, Brujeria)
Burton C. Bell – Vocals (Ascension of the Watchers, City of Fire)
Byron Stroud – Bass (Tenet, Zimmers Hole, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend)
Gene Hoglan – Drums (Dethklok, Tenet, Zimmers Hole, Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, Forbidden, Testament)
Burton C. Bell – Vocals (Ascension of the Watchers, City of Fire)
Byron Stroud – Bass (Tenet, Zimmers Hole, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend)
Gene Hoglan – Drums (Dethklok, Tenet, Zimmers Hole, Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, Forbidden, Testament)
Former Band Members:
Dave Gibney – Bass (1989 – 1991)
Raymond Herrera – Drums (1989 – 2009)
Andy Romero – Bass (1991 – 1992)
Andrew Shives – Bass (1992 – 1993)
Christian Olde Wolbers – Bass (1993 – 2002), Guitars (2003 – 2009)
Raymond Herrera – Drums (1989 – 2009)
Andy Romero – Bass (1991 – 1992)
Andrew Shives – Bass (1992 – 1993)
Christian Olde Wolbers – Bass (1993 – 2002), Guitars (2003 – 2009)
Fear Factory Discography:
1992 Soul of a New Machine (Roadrunner Records)
1995 Demanufacture (Roadrunner Records)
1998 Obsolete (Roadrunner Records)
2001 Digimortal (Roadrunner Records)
2004 Archetype (Liquid 8)
2005 Transgression (Trillion)
2011 Mechanize (Candlelight Records)
1995 Demanufacture (Roadrunner Records)
1998 Obsolete (Roadrunner Records)
2001 Digimortal (Roadrunner Records)
2004 Archetype (Liquid 8)
2005 Transgression (Trillion)
2011 Mechanize (Candlelight Records)
Recommended Fear Factory Album:
Demanufacture
Quite rightly regarded as one of the finest metal releases to come out in the last 25 years, Demanufacture was a game changer in the metal world. Backed with a mechanical assault of machine gun drum work and guitar riffs, Burton C. Bell’s groundbreaking extreme to clean vocals take the center stage, with enormous hooks covering tracks like “Replica”, “Zero Signal” and the title track, while keyboard and synths create both harsh and lush counterpoints across the record. A classic LP that deserves to be in any serious metalhead’s collection.
Quite rightly regarded as one of the finest metal releases to come out in the last 25 years, Demanufacture was a game changer in the metal world. Backed with a mechanical assault of machine gun drum work and guitar riffs, Burton C. Bell’s groundbreaking extreme to clean vocals take the center stage, with enormous hooks covering tracks like “Replica”, “Zero Signal” and the title track, while keyboard and synths create both harsh and lush counterpoints across the record. A classic LP that deserves to be in any serious metalhead’s collection.
