Fear Factory - Interview with Burton for brazilian fan site, translated to english

[lucasreis]

Guys, I'm really thrilled about seeing the new incarnation of Fear Factory today. And I want to share my excitement. I found a brand new interview with Burton C. Bell, which was written in portuguese for fearfactory.com.br and I translated it to english so I could share it with you guys!!


Interview with Burton. C. Bell

Initially, this line-up was supposed to be another project, but ended up being a new version of Fear Factory...

I have other projects nowadays, including a new one called City of Fire, but Fear Factory is Fear Factory. Some decisions were made and this line-up started working together, and here we are.

Talk about the new album.

Burton C. Bell: It really sounds like classic Fear Factory. The chemistry is incredible! Dino and Gene Hoglan are really tight playing together. The new songs have elements that remind us of the bands classic era, but it doesn’t mean that we’re repeating ourselves, it means we’re progressing as a band. This is the progress of Fear Factory’s sound.

Being the main writer for FF, what are you writing about on this new album?

The album’s title is Mechanized, which obviously references our current mechanized world. I chose not to write about science fiction this time, because, by looking around and seeing the horrible things that are happening in the world today, especially the technology that we’re forced to use, I felt that it should be addressed. Reality is scarier than anything else. It’s a very current theme, about things happening nowadays, and how scary they can be.

What do you expect for this first visit to Brazil with Fear Factory?

The fans will be able to experience a strong show, with some new songs and lots of classics. It will be very intense, even more with this new line-up. I hope everyone enjoys it!

How do you see the impact that Fear Factory had on the Metal scene since you released your first album, in 1992?

I’m glad that the band had this huge impact. When we arrived, the Death Metal and Grindcore scenes were huge, but no one else was mixing styles. When Demanufacture was released we really took things further and we’ve created a mix for ourselves, which was interesting, because it gave the band a real sense of identity. Being a source of inspiration and influence for new bands was a very good thing. It’s cool to see you people using their talent picking up from where we started, inspiring them to be creative artistically.

Do you believe that the style created by Fear Factory got attention because it unites different tendencies and groups each member musical background?

Looking back, I think that what we created was something special. I’m being humble, but we did something we enjoy, which caught our attention and it ended up being something really special. I feel honored when I know that we influenced someone, it gives me a sense of accomplishing a successful mission.

Years later you told us you were frustrated with the fact that a lot of people only saw you as a metal guy...

It’s true, but it was on a period when I was looking for expressing new things out of my mind. As I always said, I listen to different styles of music, I’m not just a typical metal guy. I’m not specifically fan of any style, I like music. I was frustrated because there was nothing inspiring happening in metal. A lot of bands were working, but nothing special happened. I was bored and wanted to do something different, with three active bands - Ascension of Watchers, City of Fire and, of course, Fear Factory. I can explore a different side on each of them.

How did you feel about recording an album with G/Z/R, from Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), and recording Plastic Planet?

It was one of the highest points in my career and a great era. FF just had recorded Demanufacture and the album was about to be released. Doing the test alone was something cool because it was for Geezer, you know. I know the whole Sabbath history. And when I knew I got the job I was honored and privileged. I will never forget this part of my life. I’m now part of the Sabbath catalog (laughs).

Are you still having problems with Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera concerning FF’s name?

I don’t want to bother fans with this, sooner or later we’re going to have a final solution. For now, there is only one Fear Factory, and we’ll see what happens.

Did these contractual obligations get in the way of FF’s career?

No, everything is done in the right way. There are a lot of misunderstandings surrounding FF because they come from untruthful sources. The things that were said should have stayed private, and never getting into the public. But fans shouldn’t worry, there is only one Fear Factory now.

[Sebastian]

Great ! Thanks

[Rick]

Excellent interview.