Fear Factory was one of the first bands to fuse the loud, crushing intensity of
death metal with the cold harshness of
industrial electronics and samples, producing a more varied sonic palette with which to express their bleak, pessimistic view of modern, technology-driven society. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1990 by vocalist
Burton C. Bell (formerly of
Hate Face), percussionist
Raymond Herrera, and guitarist and ex-
Douche Lord Dino Cazares. Following their contribution of two tracks to the L.A. Death Metal compilation,
Fear Factory signed to Roadrunner Records and released their debut album, Soul of a New Machine, in 1992, which featured new bass player
Andrew Shives, added to allow
Cazares to play guitar on tour. The following year's Fear Is the Mind Killer EP showed
Fear Factory's willingness to experiment with their music and broaden its scope by placing tracks from their debut in the hands of remixers
Rhys Fulber and
Bill Leeb of
Front Line Assembly; the EP also marked the debut of keyboardist
Reynor Diego, who along with
Fulber joined the band as a touring keyboardist.
Shives was fired in 1994 and replaced by
Christian Olde Wolbers. In 1995,
Fear Factory released its second full-length album of new material, Demanufacture; it was followed two years later by another remix project, Remanufacture (Cloning Technology), which this time featured contributions from a number of different remixers, including many
techno-oriented artists, as well as more input from
Fear Factory themselves.
Steve Tushar replaced
Diego in 1996. The members of the band have performed in a number of side projects, the most notable of which is
Cazares' and
Herrera's
Brujeria; others include
G/Z/R (
Bell) and
Nailbomb (
Cazares).
Fear Factory reconvened in 1998 for Obsolete, a record that found the band's well-established style fitting seamlessly into the growing
alternative metal boom. As such, it became the band's biggest hit yet, hitting the Top 100 on the album charts.
Fear Factory's profile was further boosted by appearances on several film
soundtracks and on
the 1999 Ozzfest tour. Their next album, 2001's Digimortal, entered the charts in the Top 40, but by the next year vocalist
Bell decided to leave the band.
Cazares was the one who eventually left the band, however, while Wolbers moved to guitar and
Byron Stroud (
Strapping Young Lad) was hired for the bass spot. Amidst the lineup changes, Roadrunner dropped the band and, in 2002, issued their original 1991 recordings on the compilation Concrete.
Fear Factory moved to Liquid 8 for 2004's Archetype. The equally merciless Transgression followed in August 2005. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Best of Fear Factory
Transgression