Extreme industrial metal pioneers FEAR FACTORY have re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records. Initially signed to the label in 2013, the band has released the albums “Genexus”, “Aggression Continuum” and “Recoded” through the long-running record company.
FEAR FACTORY guitarist and founder Dino Cazares comments: “This is a new year and a new chapter for FEAR FACTORY. We are off to a great start because we have re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records and our A&R legend Monte Conner, who originally signed the band in 1992. It is a great feeling to be with a label that gets us and who has always had our backs, especially when we needed them the most. Prepare for the future of FEAR FACTORY.”
Nuclear Blast A&R Monte Conner states: “Working with FEAR FACTORY right from the start of their amazing career has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my own career. I was thrilled to be reunited with them when I signed FEAR FACTORY to Nuclear Blast in 2013, and to be able to continue that journey once again for round #3 feels incredibly satisfying. I have believed in Dino Cazares from day one, and I know he is going to deliver a killer new album with all the trademarks that have made and still make FEAR FACTORY one of the most pioneering and unique sounding metal bands of all time.”
Next month, FEAR FACTORY will hit the road with headliner STATIC-X on the “Rise Of The Machine” North American tour. The 42-date trek will also feature DOPE as well as select dates with MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.
Last year, the band released “Recoded” via Nuclear Blast. Like the innovative one-two punch of “Demanufacture” and “Remanufacture”, “Recoded” brilliantly reimagines the songs from 2021’s landmark “Aggression Continuum” with diverse ferocity. The remixes stand as a mesmerizing counterpart to the band’s tenth album. Produced by Cazares and mixed/mastered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN),“Recoded” boasts new interpretations of “Aggression Continuum” songs. “Recoded” features longtime collaborators Rhys Fulber, Zardonic, Tyrant Of Death, Rob GEE, BLUSH_RESPONSE and Dualized. The album is the fourth FEAR FACTORY LP with artwork by Anthony Clarkson.
In a recent interview with the “Everblack” podcast, Cazares once again opened up about FEAR FACTORY‘s search for a new vocalist following the departure of Burton C. Bell more than two years ago. Regarding the decision to keep the new singer’s identity a secret for so long, he said: “The thing about it is everybody’s expecting it to be this massive rock star dude coming in. But it’s not that at all. The guy is basically kind of unknown. There are some FEAR FACTORY fans that kind of know who it is, but they don’t really know yet. He’s a super-talented guy. He sounds like the classic Burton from the ‘Demanufacture’/‘Obsolete’ era. He’s a younger guy — 36 years old. Compared to me, he’s younger.”
In a separate chat with the “Fantasm” podcast, Dino reflected on the FEAR FACTORY singer search, saying: “It’s very challenging to try to find somebody. It took me a year. People think that the minute that [Burton] was out of the band that I found somebody right away. No — it took a good year or so to find somebody. And I auditioned a lot of people. A lot of people submitted their vocals, video tryouts for me to check out. There was a lot of great singers, there was a lot of good guys, so it was hard to find somebody… Very challenging. And I know there’s gonna be a lot of challenges coming up. It always is that way. But, yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I think we found a really good guy. I can’t wait for the world to see who he is and move forward.”
In November, Dino told the “Everblack” podcast about the qualities he was looking for in the new FEAR FACTORY singer: “You want a person who’s gonna be able to respect the legacy that we started 32 years ago. And so you want that person to be able to sing those parts as they were meant to be. But moving forward with newer stuff, he’s gotta somewhat have his own identity.”
Cazares also confirmed that he and the new FEAR FACTORY vocalist have begun work on material for the follow-up to 2021’s “Aggression Continuum” album.
“It’s going great,” he said. “We just started pre-production, so we just started writing. We’re about four songs in. So it’s great. Everything’s flowing really good. We’ve been working on it for about two and a half weeks. This writing so far has been pretty exciting. The four tracks that we do have… I don’t know how to say it — it’s classic stuff.”
In September, Cazares told “The Jasta Show” that FEAR FACTORY fans will have to wait a few more months to find out the identity of his band’s new singer.
“FEAR FACTORY singer and music will be coming just before the [group’s North American] tour with STATIC-X,” he said. “End of February is the first show, so just before that we’ll be releasing the single and the singer. And then boom — right on the road.”
In February 2022, former NIGHTRAGE singer Antony Hämäläinen, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the vocalist slot in FEAR FACTORY, claimed in an interview that the new FF frontman is “a person from Italy.”
In April 2022, Dino told “The Garza Podcast” that the new FEAR FACTORY singer is emotionally ready to handle the inevitable pushback from some fans that he will get once his identity has been revealed. “I think that they’re ready,” he said. “When it comes to talent, they’re very ready. But ‘tour ready’ is completely different. Let’s hope that… Well, the person that we have has done some touring, but not touring like we do touring. Like, a full U.S. tour can be anywhere from four weeks to six weeks to whatever, then you fly over to Europe and do another four to five weeks, come back to the States, do another tour, then you go to South America and do another few weeks there, then you go to Australia and do another few weeks there, and then you plan for next year. I think one of the other things, too, is when this person is announced, they’re gonna have to be able to handle all the criticism. That’s gonna be the hard part. ‘Well, it didn’t sound like Burt.’ Well, of course not. I want this person… They do actually sound like Burt — they can handle all the old stuff like Burt — but as far as moving forward, I would like them to have their own identity. We’re still gonna have the formula of what makes FEAR FACTORY — for sure — but I want this person to somewhat have his own identity as well.”
Dino also addressed his statement from 2021 that he wanted to give an “unknown guy a shot” at fronting FEAR FACTORY. He said: “Well, it wasn’t like I was only looking for somebody that nobody knew. I was looking for all different [types of singers]. Sure, if the guy turned out to be, or the girl turned out to be, someone that nobody knew and I gave ’em that shot, yeah, great. I was open to all of it, is what I’m saying. Male, female, whatever, known, unknown — I was open to all of that.”
In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he “cannot align” himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.
“Aggression Continuum” was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller.
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