Interview pt2
Metal Hammer: Does it mean a lot to be able to return to Europe with a new line-up and play some big festivals?
Dino: “It is a really big deal for us to go back to the UK and Europe, because to be honest with you, that was the first place that really accepted Fear Factory for what it was. People really embraced us right away in Europe, before America or anywhere else in the world besides Australia. Those were the first countries to really get what we were doing and to feel really passionate about it. America happened a little later. Soul Of A New Machine and Demanufacture were obviously groundbreaking records, but America was so into death metal at the time that they didn’t know what to think about the clean vocals. They didn’t know how to take that, and it took a little time for people to get used to that. But in Europe and the UK and Australia, they sucked it up right away and said ‘This is great!’ So it’s going to be exciting for us, for me, to go out there and do it again.”
Metal Hammer: Christian and Raymond aren’t involved in this new line-up…how and why was that decision made?
Burton: “It’s like a business and I’m just reorganising. After time you realise what’s important and what’s not important, and after talking to Dino again it just felt good and it felt right.”
Metal Hammer: Did you know straight away that you wouldn’t include Christian and Raymond in this…people are obviously going to ask why they’re not involved…
Burton: “We won’t talk about it. Ha ha ha! It’s part of the organisation. We learned some things and we have a really good rapport with Byron, and Gene is an amazing drummer. Dino and I, as the founders of Fear Factory, we thought ‘Hey, let’s try this, a different flavour’. Because wherever me and Dino go, it’ll still be Fear Factory, I believe.”
Dino: “I’ve had many projects in the past and I’ve played with some of the best drummers in this form of music, from Ray Mayorga to Nick Barker, Tim Yeung, Joey Jordison, and now I’m playing with the king of this genre. How could I pass that up? How could anyone pass up a chance to play with Gene Hoglan?”
Metal Hammer: So where does this leave Divine Heresy and The Watchers?
Burton: “in this day and age of music, you’ve got to keep busy, if you want to stay out there. The other bands, they’re still bands, but right now I’m gonna be working on Fear Factory. The Watchers are still around. I’ve got another band with Byron called City Of Fire that we just finished an album. The m ore creative and artistic you stay, the better it is for you, because you keep the creativity flowing. If the things you do are different or not, you’re staying creative. I really want to be in an artistic process at this stage in my life and everything has artistic value and Fear Factory is going to be a very true, creative project for me again.”
Dino: “I’m constantly writing music all the time. I think music sometimes. Even when I walk down the street I have to walk in rhythm. I think in beats and guitar riffs and I have to get them out. I can’t let it build up, I have to let it out. I’m constantly writing and working on other projects.”
Metal Hammer: You’ve set the benchmark pretty high with Demanufacture and the other FF albums you made in the past…is that a challenge you relish?
Burton: “Absolutely. We’re very excited and we’ve got a lot of high energy and creativity going on and that’s gonna really propel this project at this point/. We’re not going to stress out about what kind of music or how it should sound. We’re just going write what comes natural and that’s what we always did and that’s what set us apart to begin with.”
Dino: “And if I really suck on this record, at least Gene will sound good! You know, we’re not just going to try and match that classic record that we made in the past. I guess every band tries to do that. Slayer tries to match Reign In Blood and Metallica tries to match Master Of Puppets but you just have to move forward. Those classic records are in the back of your mind, but you just have to try and make the best record you possibly can.”
Metal Hammer: When’s the first gig?
Dino: “The first shows are booked for June and August, but that’s really all we’re doing right now. We might be hitting Australia in August too. The main thing is to make a new record.”
Metal Hammer: Technology has moved forward at a terrifying speed since your last record together…will Fear Factory be using new technology to get your music out there?
Dino: “Yeah, technology’s caught up with what we were talking about for a long time. We’re going to be working with a lot of people that have been around for a long time. Rhys Fulber’s going to be a part of it. We’re definitely going to make this the best record it can be and it’s definitely going to be very technology friendly.”
Metal Hammer: It would just be a shame if you came back and only released it on tape…
Dino: “I know. It’s only going to be released on cassette!”
Burton: “Yeah, we’ve found a way to stop the illegal downloading. We’re just releasing it on cassette and vinyl.”
Metal Hammer: Do you have any ideas for lyrical concepts for the record?
Burton: “You know, there’s a lot more to the future than just machines, and right now it’s just…the world’s kind of messed up and there’s a lot of material out there for me to write about. We’re on the verge of apocalypse, it seems to me, in a lot of ways, socially and technologically, mechanically. It’s all coming full circle so there’s plenty of material I can choose from and write some interesting lyrics.”
Metal Hammer: Is it strange to think “I’m in Fear Factory again!” after all this time?
Burton: “It feels natural to me. It feels good to think ‘I’m doing Fear Factory again with my old friend Dino’. Artistically, it feels good that way too.”
Dino: “For me, it feels like home. It’s the comfortable place you go.”
Metal Hammer: It’s great to have you back…
Burton: “It’s exciting. We’re going to let the music speak for itself and come out there and when we play Sonisphere, we’re going to bust out our best classics. By then we’ll have some new songs to introduce to some fans.”
Metal Hammer: They’d better be good, or there’ll be trouble.
Dino: “Ha ha ha! You don’t need to say that to me. Again, if I suck, Gene will sound good.”
Burton: “You know, Raymond is a great drummer and Gene is a great drummer, but they have different flavours, so it’ll be interesting to test that flavour out for a little bit.”
Metal Hammer: Gene is the king, let’s face it…
Dino: “He’s the guy that all those drummers I’ve played with have been influenced by. It feels good to be playing with one of the greats, someone that basically inspired every great metal drummer out there.”
Fear Factory will play Sonisphere and Bloodstock!
Fear Factory play at this year’s Sonisphere and Bloodstock festivals.
Metal Hammer sat down with Burton C Bell and Dino Cazares to discuss everything you need to know about the latest incarnation of Fear Factory!
In this world exclusive interview, Fear Factory founding members Burton C Bell and Dino Cazares talk about their friendship, why Raymond Herrera and Christian Olde Wolbers weren’t involved, and their plans for a brand new album!
Metal Hammer: This has come as something of a surprise. Aren’t you guys supposed to hate each other?
Burton C Bell (vocals): “Well, you know, we were friends before we were in a band together and after a while we forgot what it was all about. The first time we saw each other in a long time was at the Ministry show in LA, and we just started talking again. It was like ‘I don’t really remember what it was all about!’ It’s like, good friendships will always return, basically.”
Metal Hammer: Were you surprised by that? Had you avoided each other?
Burton: “We never really avoided it, we were just never in the same place. We were in the same place that one night and it was like seeing an old friend again, and it was good!”
Dino: “Burt lives in Pennsylvania and I live in California, so obviously we never really had a chance to see each other. When we did see each other, it was like ‘What’s up, buddy? How’re you doing?’ It was like we’d never stopped being friends. It wasn’t weird, it just felt good. I already know him! Ha ha ha!”
Metal Hammer: So where did the idea come from that it might be time to collaborate on music again? Did that happen straight away?
Burton: “Not straight away. We were talking about it and the more we talked about it, the more it felt like a good idea, so we were just going to be collaborating on some new music.”
Dino: “Before we even talked about it, we had a few drinks! He was on tour with Ministry, he invited me backstage, we had a few drinks, and after that we kept in contact by phone and email and he approached me with the idea and I thought it was a great idea. We had to rekindle the friendship first and then move forward from there.”
Metal Hammer: You guys started Fear Factory in the first place…
Dino: “Me and him were in a band before Fear Factory, doing heavy Godflesh kind of stuff, and were also roommates and it kind of grew from there and we found other musicians and that’s how Fear Factory came about.”
Metal Hammer: When did you decide that this was going to be Fear Factory and not just a new project?
Dino: “Well, Burton pretty much approached me with that idea, and how could I say no? I’d be jamming with my old friend again and it’d great to collaborate with him because we wrote some of the best music of our lives together.”
Metal Hammer: Have you guys rehearsed together yet?
Dino: “Yesterday was our first rehearsal. It was amazing. The vibe was really good. It felt like we never stopped jamming. You know, Burton’s always got a million ideas and obviously I shit out riffs, and playing with one of the best drummers in the world…for me, it’s one of the best collaborations that I’ve ever been a part of.”
Metal Hammer: Do you have specific aims for the new Fear Factory or are you keeping an open mind about the possibilities?
Dino: “There are definitely specific things we want to achieve, but we have to approach this with an open mind. We don’t want to fully repeat ourselves, what we’ve done in the past, but we definitely do want to make this album the future of a classic record.”
Metal Hammer: A lot of bands are reforming these days and everyone always plays all the old classics…is that your plan too?
Dino: “One of the things about Fear Factory’s m.o. is that we were always a band that evolved, and that’s something we want to achieve now too. It’s obvious that we’ve got my signature right hand, my guitar, and we’ve got Burton’s signature vocals, but we’ve got a different drummer and this is eight years later, so there’s gonna be some different ideas and we’re gonna make it the best it can be. We’re not gonna put out a record that’s half-assed. It’s going to be 100 per cent Fear Factory and it’s going to be the future.”
Burton: “I wouldn’t say this is a reunion or a reformation. It’s more of a reorganisation. Fear Factory has been rolling around, even though we haven’t been chugging out records. The last one was four years ago, but it’s just in a state of reorganisation now.”
Dino: “I know a lot of bands, when they get back together they can basically go out and tour off the classics and that’s great. That’s something that we’re definitely going to do and I know a lot of the fans are going to want to hear Dino’s guitar sound back into the mix, and we’re really happy to be able to give them that. We’re going to have some European festivals coming up, including Sonisphere.”
Metal Hammer: …and you’re doing Bloodstock too, right?
Dino: “Yeah, we’re doing Bloodstock as well and some other festivals in Spain and Italy.”
Metal Hammer: Does it mean a lot to be able to return to Europe with a new line-up and play some big festivals?
Dino: “It is a really big deal for us to go back to the UK and Europe, because to be honest with you, that was the first place that really accepted Fear Factory for what it was. People really embraced us right away in Europe, before America or anywhere else in the world besides Australia. Those were the first countries to really get what we were doing and to feel really passionate about it. America happened a little later. Soul Of A New Machine and Demanufacture were obviously groundbreaking records, but America was so into death metal at the time that they didn’t know what to think about the clean vocals. They didn’t know how to take that, and it took a little time for people to get used to that. But in Europe and the UK and Australia, they sucked it up right away and said ‘This is great!’ So it’s going to be exciting for us, for me, to go out there and do it again.”
Metal Hammer: Christian and Raymond aren’t involved in this new line-up…how and why was that decision made?
Burton: “It’s like a business and I’m just reorganising. After time you realise what’s important and what’s not important, and after talking to Dino again it just felt good and it felt right.”
Metal Hammer: Did you know straight away that you wouldn’t include Christian and Raymond in this…people are obviously going to ask why they’re not involved…
Burton: “We won’t talk about it. Ha ha ha! It’s part of the organisation. We learned some things and we have a really good rapport with Byron, and Gene is an amazing drummer. Dino and I, as the founders of Fear Factory, we thought ‘Hey, let’s try this, a different flavour’. Because wherever me and Dino go, it’ll still be Fear Factory, I believe.”
Dino: “I’ve had many projects in the past and I’ve played with some of the best drummers in this form of music, from Ray Mayorga to Nick Barker, Tim Yeung, Joey Jordison, and now I’m playing with the king of this genre. How could I pass that up? How could anyone pass up a chance to play with Gene Hoglan?”
Metal Hammer: So where does this leave Divine Heresy and The Watchers?
Burton: “in this day and age of music, you’ve got to keep busy, if you want to stay out there. The other bands, they’re still bands, but right now I’m gonna be working on Fear Factory. The Watchers are still around. I’ve got another band with Byron called City Of Fire that we just finished an album. The m ore creative and artistic you stay, the better it is for you, because you keep the creativity flowing. If the things you do are different or not, you’re staying creative. I really want to be in an artistic process at this stage in my life and everything has artistic value and Fear Factory is going to be a very true, creative project for me again.”
Dino: “I’m constantly writing music all the time. I think music sometimes. Even when I walk down the street I have to walk in rhythm. I think in beats and guitar riffs and I have to get them out. I can’t let it build up, I have to let it out. I’m constantly writing and working on other projects.”
Metal Hammer: You’ve set the benchmark pretty high with Demanufacture and the other FF albums you made in the past…is that a challenge you relish?
Burton: “Absolutely. We’re very excited and we’ve got a lot of high energy and creativity going on and that’s gonna really propel this project at this point/. We’re not going to stress out about what kind of music or how it should sound. We’re just going write what comes natural and that’s what we always did and that’s what set us apart to begin with.”
Dino: “And if I really suck on this record, at least Gene will sound good! You know, we’re not just going to try and match that classic record that we made in the past. I guess every band tries to do that. Slayer tries to match Reign In Blood and Metallica tries to match Master Of Puppets but you just have to move forward. Those classic records are in the back of your mind, but you just have to try and make the best record you possibly can.”
Metal Hammer: When’s the first gig?
Dino: “The first shows are booked for June and August, but that’s really all we’re doing right now. We might be hitting Australia in August too. The main thing is to make a new record.”
Metal Hammer: Technology has moved forward at a terrifying speed since your last record together…will Fear Factory be using new technology to get your music out there?
Dino: “Yeah, technology’s caught up with what we were talking about for a long time. We’re going to be working with a lot of people that have been around for a long time. Rhys Fulber’s going to be a part of it. We’re definitely going to make this the best record it can be and it’s definitely going to be very technology friendly.”
Metal Hammer: It would just be a shame if you came back and only released it on tape…
Dino: “I know. It’s only going to be released on cassette!”
Burton: “Yeah, we’ve found a way to stop the illegal downloading. We’re just releasing it on cassette and vinyl.”
Metal Hammer: Do you have any ideas for lyrical concepts for the record?
Burton: “You know, there’s a lot more to the future than just machines, and right now it’s just…the world’s kind of messed up and there’s a lot of material out there for me to write about. We’re on the verge of apocalypse, it seems to me, in a lot of ways, socially and technologically, mechanically. It’s all coming full circle so there’s plenty of material I can choose from and write some interesting lyrics.”
Metal Hammer: Is it strange to think “I’m in Fear Factory again!” after all this time?
Burton: “It feels natural to me. It feels good to think ‘I’m doing Fear Factory again with my old friend Dino’. Artistically, it feels good that way too.”
Dino: “For me, it feels like home. It’s the comfortable place you go.”
Metal Hammer: It’s great to have you back…
Burton: “It’s exciting. We’re going to let the music speak for itself and come out there and when we play Sonisphere, we’re going to bust out our best classics. By then we’ll have some new songs to introduce to some fans.”
Metal Hammer: They’d better be good, or there’ll be trouble.
Dino: “Ha ha ha! You don’t need to say that to me. Again, if I suck, Gene will sound good.”
Burton: “You know, Raymond is a great drummer and Gene is a great drummer, but they have different flavours, so it’ll be interesting to test that flavour out for a little bit.”
Metal Hammer: Gene is the king, let’s face it…
Dino: “He’s the guy that all those drummers I’ve played with have been influenced by. It feels good to be playing with one of the greats, someone that basically inspired every great metal drummer out there.”
Fear Factory will play Sonisphere and Bloodstock!
fuente: metalhammer.com.uk
