Gelap Pekat

The March 2010 issue of Decibel magazine features a cover story on FEAR FACTORY, including interviews with the band's currently active members Dino Cazares (guitar) and Burton C. Bell (vocals), as well as their former bandmates Raymond Herrera (drums) and Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar, bass). A few quotes from the article follow below.

On Burton C. Bell's decision to quit FEAR FACTORY in 2002 and the band's subsequent reformation without Dino Cazares:

Raymond Herrera: "The problems with this band have never been musical. It's always been personal."

"There's no confusion as to why Dino was fired. It was because Burton didn't want to work with him anymore. I had problems with Dino for a long time, but I never wanted to fire the guy."

Christian Olde Wolbers: "We all had our issues with Dino, from the way he conducted business to the way he treated people, but Burton was the one who turned his back on the band."

Burton C. Bell: "Dino and I lived together for about 10 years, so it was like a marriage, where you get fed up with the littlest shit. It was egos more than anything, and feeling like I'd have enough of this relationship. It was like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They were best friends, but then they suddenly didn't talk for years."

On FEAR FACTORY's first album without Dino's contributions, 2004's "Archetype":

Dino Cazares: "The first time I heard 'Archetype', I had to do a double take, because it sounded just like me. Then I talked to Burton about it and he was like, 'Yeah, that's what 'archetype' means! It's a copy!'"

On the the misguided hiring of producer Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, SEVENDUST) for FEAR FACTORY's 2005 album, "Transgression":

Raymond Herrera: "Needless to say, I'm not 100 percent happy with it. Not because I don't like what we wrote; because we never gave it the old college try."

Christian Olde Wolbers: "When I heard the final mix of 'Transgression', I couldn't believe my fucking ears. It was the worst piece of shit I've ever heard in my life."

Burton C. Bell: "It got to the point where the money didn't mean shit to me. They were talking about doing another record and I said, 'That's great. Fire your manager. I'm not paying that bitch anything else.' And they wouldn't.

"Once you hit a peak, there's only one place you can go: down. And we definitely went down."

On Cazares and Bell's decision to reunite in a new version of FEAR FACTORY with bassist Byron Stroud and drummer Gene Hoglan:

Raymond Herrera: "At one point, Dino and I were really good friends. But I never felt that way with Burton. We never really hung out, you know? It always felt like a business."

Christian Olde Wolbers: "I've never trusted Burton with business matters. In fact, I wish he was more of a businessman, like a lot of other singers are. If he took charge with things, we would be a huge band by now."

Burton C. Bell: "After the third decline [to relieve Christian's ex-wife Christy Priske of her manager position], I said, 'OK, I've got to move forward with my business… legally.'"

On the songwriting process for FEAR FACTORY's new album, "Mechanize":

Burton C. Bell: "When we first got into the studio. It was like a joint chief of staff meeting, where everyone's working together toward the same goal, especially Dino — he was just a riffing machine. Fans are finally going to be able to hear the chemistry that brought FEAR FACTORY together in the beginning."

On the legal battle over the FEAR FACTORY name:

Raymond Herrera: "I'm not battling to get my band back. What I'm fighting for is what I've built for 17 years. I'd say I'm an intricate part of what the brand has become, so I just want what's due to me.

"Look, a group of kids could wake up tomorrow and call themselves FEAR FACTORY. I could also walk into a church and kill a bunch of people. It doesn't mean I'm going to get away with it or that it's a good idea."

On the possibility of a reunion of FEAR FACTORY's classic lineup:

Christian Olde Wolbers: "I sent an email to Dino a couple weeks ago, and was like, 'Do you want to grow old regretting this until it's too late, like the guys in SEPULTURA or PANTERA?' It's really fucking sad that bands let things get that way, with so much drama and band members dying… it reaches a point where you just can't do it anymore."

"If Dino and Burton are friends again, why can't we all sit down and figure out a way to do another FEAR FACTORY record? Especially with how my skills improved over the past few years — Dino and I could write a sick record. Are you fucking kidding me? We'd blow all these wannabe bands away, but these guys just want to move on with the whole name in shambles. It just isn't right.

"I see a band like MACHINE HEAD and it's like, 'Wow. We were doing the same thing for a while there, and now they're touring with METALLICA. It makes you think, 'What the fuck is going on?' You know?"

The March 2010 issue of Decibel magazine is available for order at this location.

For more information, visit www.decibelmagazine.com.