Fear Factory Interview Part 2!
Part 2 of our world exclusive Fear Factory interview!
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!
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Without Christian and Ray….it’s NOT Fear Factory…it’s F$$$ F$$$$$$!!!!
WOW – This is fucking awesome, I have all the Fear Factory CD’s so it’ll be really interesting to see what this new one sounds like when it’s released. I saw them play for the Archetype album and they slayed it on the night, Raymond Herrera’s drumming is so machine-like and precise it defies belief, definitely interested in hearing how they will sound with Gene Hoglan as my only experience of hearing his drum work is on the Death album “Individual Thought Patterns”
Waiting with baited breath as they say…..
Awesome to hear that ff comes with a new album.Not so nice is that Raymond isnt involved on the new cd (same for Christian).Awesoem to have Dino back but i think ff isnt the same anymore….bummer.I hope the cd is good though im curious to the new drummer how he sounds.
that is not fuckin fear factory
Burton: “Yeah, we’ve found a way to stop the illegal downloading. We’re just releasing it on cassette and vinyl.”
There are USB vinyl players and analogue cassette to PC leads… No format bar the wax cylinder is safe…
Dino, Byron & Hoglan…..Fat Factory?
This is Bullshit really, i’m a ff fan for a long run & i don’t this album without Ray & Chris will sound good!!!
I don’t deny that Hoglan’s drums are good, they are. But dude, 2 things have always made FF for me. Herrera and Bell. No offense Dino, your an awesome musician but you are not as god-like as you want yourself and your fans to believe. I’m all about new sounds and progression and not looking back and always moving forward, but a future FF without Herrera and Christian is a bleak one.
I disagree with all the negative comments. I am stoked. Personally when Dino left, I kind of stopped following Fear Factory. It just wasn’t the same. I am always going to be a fan of Raymond and Christian, but Dino is THE FF GUITAR SOUND. And I have no doubt that Gene can play the double-bass to go with Dino’s machine gun riffs. That’s what Raymond was known for, but Gene….He’s fucking amazing. Horns up to the new FF!
The subtle Raymond-bashing in this interview is disgusting.
FF without Raymond’s drumming is not FF. Period.
Gene Hoglan is one of the best drummers alive, but superior does not = appropriate. Raymond’s drumming is what makes FF unique. Hundreds of people have replicated Bell’s vocals, none have replicated Herrera’s drums. And the guitars? FF’s guitar riffs are nothing special in the world of metal; most european metal bands make FF’s guitars sound like child’s play. Dino somehow thinks different though (surprise, surprise) This interview shows that Dino is still the megalomaniac he was when FF first broke up. FF is dead. This “New Fear Factory” is an absolute tragedy and will be propped-up corpse at best. Call me “Cyberwaste”, but that’s my opinion as a hardcore FF fan.
This is a sad day for FF fans and is right up there with Tarja getting booted from Nightwish. Assinine stupidity and the end of a golden era in both cases.
Im one of the biggest FF fans alive and like many im concerned about this latest reform effort. That aside, which would you prefer, no fear factory or some form of fear factory. Lets face it, Transgression wasn’t exactly the beez knees but arent we better off for having it? There were at least 2 good songs on that album, 2 more than we had before it. Im thinking the reform is a good thing, with Arkaea about to go balls sky high on their own album (also keen to hear) it was pretty much the end of FF, but now there is a better drummer (agree Ray invented the genre, but hes always been a hard drummer to defend to the purists, they slay him on technique and timing but hes definately getting better in his old age)… Bring it on.. I thought the beloved FF were over, and now they are re-engineered.. can’t be a bad thing..
Why??? This is weird, I just found out. Fear Factory was very special for me…Raymond was king of industrial. I’ve seen all great metal drummers, Hellhammer beats Gene Hoglan, trust me…I hope they do some heavy electronic stuff at least, some hi-tech darkpsy undertones would be nice… Love it or hate, hold on tight my dear Güeros cause Asesino is back, muahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that’s a big slap in the face to Ray and Chris, courtesy of Burton C. Bell. FF was ok with Dino leaving and big fat Stroud taking bass, but this brand new “Fear Factory” is questionable at best. Nevertheless, I love FF’s sound and can’t wait to hear this rejuvenated lineup.
I can just say that it would be very proud of FF to play with the player of ‘’symbolic” album’s drums!Gene Hoglan!
Any FF without Dino’s riffs or Burton’s vox is second rate. Only combined it works as it should. Honestly Christian’s sludge bores the hell out of me, hope Dino finds his form and produces some razor sharp riffs worthy of Demanufacture. As far as Gene goes, if produced right, Raymond won’t be missed. Hope they go for the industrial vibe that defined them and Burton doesn’t stray too far in his alt-rock mode.