"The Facts About Fear Factory" by Mike Jacabow
So, ya mighta have heard Fear Factory is back with a brand new album, “Digimortal.” But, I’m sure there are plenty of thing’s you mighta have not known about these Metal/Industrial anti-technology bad-asses. So while you read this and hope big brother isn’t also, keep an open mind and erase what you knew and replace it with the following. Here’s an interview I did with the main man behind and in front of Fear Factory, Burton C. Bell.
Begin transmission…
MM: What’s up Burton…how ya doin?
BB: I’m doing pretty good, sitting here at the House of Blues, it’s probably
the best place to play anywhere in the country. It’s a real dressing room
and the crew here rules and it’s not just this one, it’s all of them across the country.
MM: Well moving on, you got a brand new album out “Digimortal,” as a
vocalist what when into this? What did you do differently?
BB: Well that’s a good question…I think I extended my range as far as I
could go this time, you know? It sound’s gay to say it, but I really was
exercising while we where writing. I was riding my bicycle to and from the
studio, to and from the studio all the time. Just building up lungpower. And
that’s all I did. And because I did that I was able to control my voice even
more so than in the past. In the past eight or nine years I have learned a
thing or two about my voice and now I have put all the knowledge that I have
learned over the years to this record. I basically just went for it.
MM: Well in the past eight or nine years have you ever done vocal lessons?
BB: Not one lesson ever. I mean I…(laugh) was in a church choir…
MM: Just like Aaron Lewis from Staind…
BB: Yup, plus I also did the elementary school choir. But that was the
extent of my vocal training.
MM: Wild!
BB: Yeah, it was and plus I guess I have always tried to emulate my favorite
singers and somehow incorporate it with my singing. Not to duplicate them,
but rather learn from them.
MM: Who are some of your favorite singers?
BB: There are a lot of them. Mike Patton for one, David Bowe, Iggy Pop…
MM: Johnny Cash is not one of them, is he? I find a lot of metalhead’s dig
him and I don’t get it…
BB: Yeah I do like him, but I would not call him a vocal influence, you know
(small laugh). Also, I really like Bono from U2.
MM: I think a huge one for me is Keith Caputo from Life of Agony.
BB: Well have you heard his solo stuff from Europe?
MM: Hell yeah!
BB: Yeah I’m really into it. A friend of mine manager’s it and I get to hear
all that stuff.
MM: Let’s talk about your label Roadrunner and commercially viable music.
Did that kind of play a role in recording this record? I remember reading an
interview with you and you said that if this album doesn’t go gold, then I
do not know what the hell we are going to.
BB: I think I said platinum. (Huge Laugh). No, no it’s not something we
where thinking about, but I think it is something we have been working on
for quite some time. There are commercial songs on some of our old albums.
Like Replica, Dog Day Sunrise and what not. Those songs are perfect examples
of commercial songs that where ahead of it’s time. And now commercial music
has caught up with what we have been doing for many years. All we did
in the process of creating our music is that we simplified our music. That is the
one step we took when we did that. In the past we learned that there are
some complicated songs with Fear Factory. Not bad song’s, but
complicated. Seven minutes long and like five to seven riffs’. And when we play them
live, it goes over people’s heads. We learned that almost all our simple
songs are more popular. Replica, Descent, Edgecrusher. Simple song’s
that hit hard to the point and everyone loves em’! So we kinda took that
formula and followed a whole record with that.
MM: So there was no pressure from Roadrunner?
BB: No not from Roadrunner. Roadrunner I think tries to put pressure on us
but it’s no way near what we put on ourselves.
MM: That’s what I was gonna say, because even with the “Obsolete” album
and it being critically acclaimed, it took that long for it to finally go gold.
BB: Exactly! Three years down the road it goes gold. And why, because
we tour.
MM: Is that a reason why you wanted to go on tour with “Raid The Nation”
with Pappa Roach? To reach a different audience?
BB: That was the idea. Um, however they cancelled the tour. And I do
not know why. They cancelled on us two weeks ago and it’s why I call this a
Punk Rock tour. Because we had to throw this tour together within a week.
There is hardly any promotion with this show. Maybe three days max. That’s
how all our past few shows have been. Filling up half to a little more than
half capacity. But they have been killer shows.
MM: Which seems weird because you guys could easily do double or triple
what you have been doing lately.
BB: Exactly but…the record is out and we are on our own.
MM: Well know that the record is out, have you heard any feed back from
the fans?
BB: So far it has been nothing but positive. Fans are really into the
music. They like the new record. A fan told me it sounds like everything else
we have done, it’s just more to the point, more direct.
MM: How did the collaboration with B-real (Cypress Hill) come about?
BB: It’s very simple. As you know, Christian and Dino did some work on
the last Cypress Hill record. From that moment on, Christian and B-real
pretty much became friends. They started their own side project; they started
their own production company called “Audio-Hustlers” so they are friends and
business partners. While we where recording, B-real would be hanging
out and smoking, playing video games with Ramin and what not. And we had this
one song which was originally ment to be a B-side, no pun intended,
(laugh), and since it had no vocals on it yet, Christian asked if it would be cool
to ask B and I said yeah, let’s give it a shot. So Christian asked B to spit
on it and we then took a listen to it after smoking a joint…
MM: (LAUGH) Yeah that’s the best way to right…
BB: Exactly (LAUGH)…and soon came out “Back the Fuck Up.” It was
definitely the spontaneity that spurred the creativity.
MM: Did you ever want to do another side project other than G/Z//R? I
know you did not do the second disc with them…
BB: Well, I was not invited to do the second record with them…
MM: Is Geezer hard to work with?
BB: NO, I think he just wanted a singer that did not have something
else going on. I was disappointed with that but…
MM: Didn’t they ask you to drop FF for that.
BB: Not straight out, but kind of. I stuck with my guns and I’m with
Fear Factory. And I was not asked to do it again. But I understood why. So
now I have no side projects. I just appear on friend’s albums. Like Static-X,
Spineshank, Kilgore, Apartment 26 and others.
MM: So your main focus is Fear Factory. Your new album is “Digimortal,”
man vs. machine. Why is that such a big topic for you?
BB: I have always been interested in science. I am a science buff. I am
not really good at applying my knowledge towards science but I like
learning about it and reading about it.
The concept of this one (Digimortal) is that man is NOW machine. The
evolution of man and machine coming together. The concept has been
developing over the past few years, and I could not right about man vs.
machine again. That would be old and boring. Writing about man and
machine coming together, brought up just all new ideas.
MM: What do you think is the most important idea people should take
away from this?
BB: The most important idea?
MM: Yeah.
BB: I think people should be more aware of how much of a major part
technology is in our lives. And how much we are becoming dependent. Not
all of us, but can you imagine in the future the basic human evolution
adapting with technology.
MM: So what frightens you the most with our technology?
BB: Oh nothing. There is no point of being frightened of the ineffable.
It’s like being frightened of death. There is no point.
MM: Why aren’t you working on a Matrix script?
BB: I don’t know, that’s a good question. I am however working on a
Fear Factory script.
MM: You where working on something similar to that with “Obsolete”
weren’t you?
BB: That album was written in screenplay format. I did it all on my own
but, Martin Schenk, who wrote “Demolition Man,” gave me tips and pointers on
it as well. Um, if I did do the Fear Factory story it would not just be on
“Obsolete,” it would be all the records and the entire Fear Factory
concept combined, to one movie.
MM: Any title’s yet?
BB: Maybe just Fear Factory.
MM: So, what’s next with Fear Factory?
BB: I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like anyone want’s to tour with us. I
think we put on a good show, but Slipknot has cancelled out on us,
twice I might add, Pappa Roach cancelled, so I think we are jinxed. Why, I
don’t know. We where not invited out on Ozzfest and Tattoo The Earth. So for
right now we are out on our own, we’ll prove to the world that we can do it.
At this point we are just gonna keep on touring.
MM: Anything else to add?
BB: You can always find out more information on Fear Factory on
www.fearfactory.com!
MM: Brother, thank you so much, just keep it going!
BB: My pleasure Madman.
End Transmission…