Fear not, this factory keeps churnin'

By: ALAN SCULLEY - For the North County Times | Wednesday, November 23, 2005 7:24 AM PST ∞

Fear Factory fans had good reason to figure when the band's original lineup splintered in March 2002, that the band was a lost cause.

Even if a reunion of some sort happened, it wasn't going to involve guitarist Dino Cazares, who had been known as the main music writer in Fear Factory. So when the three remaining band members ---- singer Burton C. Bell, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera ---- regrouped in 2003, the idea of a new Fear Factory CD generated as much caution as it did excitement.

But singer Bell said the reality was that Fear Factory, whose new CD called "Transgression," returned with more creative ammunition than fans might have justifiably expected.

"There's a myth about all of that," said Bell, addressing the topic of Cazares' reputation as the band's creative engine. "He made you believe that he was the main force of all of that. A lot of credit was taken where it was not due. That's where I'm going to leave it, because I was there and Raymond was there when all of these songs were getting written from the very beginning. If it weren't for Raymond, a lot of these songs wouldn't have been written. If it weren't for me, a lot of these songs wouldn't have been written. So credit was taken where it was not due."

In fact, on the four CDs made by the original Fear Factory lineup, both Wolbers and Herrera shared writing credit for the music, with Bell responsible for the lyrics.

But since re-forming, Wolbers has filled the music-writing void, showing a talent for that could never be fully exploited with Cazares in the band.

"He's definitely shining through," Bell said of Wolbers. "He's got the opportunity and he's not stifled. It's good for everybody."

The members of Fear Factory have been reluctant to detail the circumstances that led to Cazares' departure, other than to say communication problems and personality conflicts emerged with the guitarist.

"Sure that was a part of it," Bell said. "To me it's ancient history, and I'm past that. I'm focused on the future and thinking about other things."

For a time, though, Bell was anything but certain that the future would include Fear Factory. In fact, it was Bell who first announced he was leaving the band, a move that quickly led to the group's breakup.

A key factor in pushing Bell, Wolbers and Herrera toward a reunion was a contract with Roadrunner Records that bound the three band members, both as Fear Factory and as individual artists, to the label even if the group broke up. The only way to move on was to get dropped by the label.

"We were pretty much stuck there," Bell said. "Roadrunner was holding us there until basically they made a decision. ... So basically Raymond and Christian got together and said we can do this demo for Roadrunner and they can decide what the future of Fear Factory's going to be with this contract."

The three band members got their wish when Roadrunner decided not to retain Fear Factory. Work then moved full speed ahead on what would become "Archetype," which was released in 2004 after the band signed to Liquid 8 Records.

That CD not only found Wolbers stepping up as a songwriter but leaving bass to take Cazares' slot as guitarist. A new bassist, Byron Stroud, was added after the recording sessions. (Wolbers played bass on the CD.)

"Archetype" was well-received by Fear Factory's fan base, which found it to be a worthy successor to previous works, with the band's trademark blend of heavy guitars, Bell's gruff vocals and a rhythmic combination of industrial beats and Herrera's precise live drums re-emerging intact.

The jury appears to be out at this point on "Transgression." While the CD is drawing praise in some quarters, other fans have expressed disappointment, saying "Transgression" lacks some of the heaviness of earlier Fear Factory CDs.

For his part, Bell is pleased with "Transgression," saying that it reflects where the band members are artistically in their careers.

Having recently finished a summer on the road as part of the "Gigantour" festival --- a multiact tour headlined by Megadeth ---- Bell promises a no-frills show on the band's fall headlining tour.

"It's all about the music. It's all about live performance," he said. "We don't have like smoke or dragons come out of our (behinds) or anything like that. It's just Fear Factory raw, like it always is onstage. Our show is the music. ... We've always relied on that, and that's what we've made basically our reputation on. We try to put on the best show possible."

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