Fear Factory

Fear Factory

If you’ve felt discouraged with Fear Factory’s direction in the last few years, Mechanize (Candlelight Records) will bring your faith back. The L.A. Industrial metal masters have put out a record that many will say is the revitalization of a legend. Fan-favorite Raymond Herrera has left to pursue playing with Arkaea (E1/Century). He has since been replaced with Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, Dethklok). All the more exciting is the reunion with Dino Cazares. He’s back after nearly a 6 year hiatus from the group. Chris Fox interviewed Mr. Cazares, emphasizing the experimental side of Fear Factory…Don’t miss FEAR FACTORY The Rave in Milwaukee on Saturday, May 29.

The metal genre has such a vast array of sub-genres and categories that it is truly impossible to define a band with one term these days. FEAR FACTORY thrives on this grey area of metal, Dino Cazares explains, “we experiment so much that it is hard to put any kind of label on what we do. Death to industrial… the best way [to describe it] would be FEAR FACTORY. We are proud to be a band that helped define a bit of this genre.”

They helped usher in our current era of metal with brutal vocals in verses and melodic choruses. Having over twenty years of experience under their belts, this quartet has seen the good, bad, and ugly of heavy metal.

“There are so many genres of metal now, and there is so much ridiculous technicality… but we hear bits of our influence all over the genres. We have always worn our inspirations on our sleeves, and that is coming to light all the time.”

Mechanize features new elements from FEAR FACTORY like new styles of riffing and even a few guitar solos, explains Cazares, “we took what we do a little bit further without losing our sound.” Striving for individualism as a band they stand by their philosophy that “no idea is stupid. We want to try everything.” The simplest definition of their music is undeniably metal.

After breaking ground in the 90’s with their digital prowess and exposing a new understanding of production FEAR FACTORY has always made their live performance live up to their album sound.

“Whenever we hit the road we bring keys and the samples along, we create the same sound live,” Cazares continues, “you lose a little live because of those elements of our music, but we gain so much from the crowds. What you feel live… sometimes on records you just can’t get the same feeling.”

The individualistic attitudes of the band pushes a constant restructuring and adjustment to their live performances, but Cazares attests, “we are great at both, and proud of it.”  Taking heavy metal to heart at an early age Cazares has always been driven to developing his sound and constantly experiments with his music. “People have come and gone in my life, but this music has never left me. It’s like why do you eat, you eat to live, and I need this music to live,” Cazares digresses, “I’ve talked with old friends that say things like ‘yeah I was into that stuff when I was younger, but then I grew up’… grew up? Fuck that, when you know this music, it’s in you.”

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