Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares has opened up about the band’s forthcoming studio album, which is tentatively scheduled for release later this year via Nuclear Blast. The record will mark the band’s first full-length with vocalist Milo Silvestro and drummer Pete Webber, who have toured with the group for over three years.
In a recent interview with New Breed TV, Cazares explained that each track on the album will come with an in-depth explanation of its lyrical intent. “Each song will have its own detailed synopsis of what each song’s about – lyrically,” he said, referencing Fear Factory‘s 1998 concept album Obsolete.
“This is more of a description of each song, the intention behind it, what the lyrics mean, and it’s gonna be intense. You’re gonna be able to get more details… through our website or through Facebook or all through social medias. You’re gonna be able to get all the information of what [each song] is about. So it’s gonna be killer.”
Cazares also outlined the overarching themes of the LP, which revolve around the classic Fear Factory narrative of the battle between the organic and the digital. “It’s always the battle between organic and digital… we are 35 years later where we are now, and that’s what we’re talking about,” he said.
“Humanity is only left in fragments, and there’s very little hope… when it does come back, it’s gonna be a new living organism that we haven’t even discovered yet.”
Fans of the previously released instrumental “Roboticist” can expect it on the album, with tweaks to its arrangement. “The ending part of the song is now the middle part of the song. And it sounds amazing,” Cazares teased.
The record also highlights the collaborative efforts of the new lineup. “Milo wrote a good portion of lyrics… Ricky Bonazza, our bass player… helps a lot with the lyrics as well,” Cazares said. “Milo definitely – three years definitely helped him understand Fear Factory even more and where he fits in the band.”
Cazares stressed that the band has taken their time with the new material to ensure quality, especially given the high expectations for Fear Factory‘s first release without original singer Burton C. Bell. “We want it to be the shit, because this record, when it comes out, it’s gonna be forever,” he said.
Silvestro also contributed musically, penning the closing track, described by Cazares as a cinematic, post-human epic in the vein of “Expiration Date” from 2015’s Genexus. “It’s kind of like how they rediscovered the dinosaur… and bring it back. That’s kind of where we are at the end of the record… Milo pretty much did it all himself,” he explained.
Regarding vocals, Cazares noted Silvestro blends homage with innovation. “There are elements where it’s, like, okay, he sounds very similar to Burt, but there are other parts where he just sounds like it’s a whole new thing, which adds a whole new freshness to the songs… You’re gonna notice that through the whole record.”
Cazares concluded by praising Silvestro‘s understanding of Fear Factory‘s legacy. “He respects the past… and loves all that, so it’s only natural for him to have a lot of those elements in him, because that’s what he learned from.”
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