Fear Factory Not 'Obsolete'

By Andrew Keller

The god's of industrial metal, Fear Factory, are on tour now playing oldstuff and new songs from their latest album "Obsolete." The third full lengthalbum contains great tracks, including their cover of "Cars." Here's ourinterview with Fear Factory's lead vocalist Burton C. Bell, brought to you inassociation with Teen Beats 4 2 Day.

JNBC: So, how's everything?

Burton: Things are well, just on the road, I actually have a cold right now.

JNBC: Where are you guys?

Burton: Washington, dc.

JNBC: How would you try to describe the music of Fear Factory?

Burton: I'd call it um, cyber-metal.

JNBC: What was being on tour with rob zombie and system of a down like?

Burton: It was really cool. I really like that band system of a down, they'vegot a lot of energy and I think they're very original for an L.A. band. andRob Zombie, you know, it's quite a show. (laughter)

JNBC: What are some of your favorite albums?

Burton: What are some of my favorite records? Let's see. Nick Cave andthe Bad Seeds, Tender Pray, Monster Magnet and the Spine of God, um,what else? U2, "Joshua Tree." There are so many, I have a lot of favoriterecords.

JNBC: You guys did a video game soundtrack, how was that different fromdoing a regular album?

Burton: It's a little strange, you know, having to write for a specific idea, itwas a different way of working, but, you know it was cool. We got to playthe game and get to know it and kind feed off of what we saw playing thegame. It was a different challenging experience, it was really cool and I hopewe get to do it again.

JNBC: What do you think about all the controversy surrounding mp3s?

Burton: Well, there's no way you could stop it. and, it's just another way ofgetting a band's music out there. and, personally, it doesn't really bother me.You know, if someone has the intuition and the basic get up and go kind ofeffort to create something like that, it's pretty cool.

JNBC: What song by fear factory most relates to your life?

Burton: That would probably be "resurrection," off the latest album.

JNBC: Why?

Burton: It's very personal song for me and it meant a lot. It was the firstsong I recorded on the record doing vocals, and it just meant a lot to meand I felt a lot better after I sang it.

JNBC: Getting back to the band as a whole was aspect of the band is mostunique?

Burton: I think the most unique part about this band is the way weapproach concept, and use that concept to make our record and how wepretty much, um, basically make a story, and create a story for the readerand the music is part of the story and it all meshes together. I think that's themain aspect of Fear Factory.

JNBC: there has been a lot of talk about the new music style, rock n' rap.You've added a bit of that to your latest album. Was that a tough decisionfor you?

Burton: Not really because we've kinda had that since the beginning and thefirst record had that aspect about it as well. This is the first that we actuallytook it to the extreme of like, actual stand up base and a type of you know,a specific form of rapping and it was a little strange, but Fear Factory'salways known to do the unexpected.

JNBC: What are your fears? You guys are Fear Factory, what are youscared of?

Burton: What am I scared of, um, I'm scared of failing.

JNBC: Where do you think the music industry is heading?

Burton: Well, I think it's all headed to one big conglomerate business and Ithink a lot of the bands are already starting to sound the same and it's gonnahead that way and it's gonna, record businesses are gonna form togetherand create one big label, and we're all gonna be brothers in the long run.

JNBC: Do you think that that is a good thing or a bad thing?

Burton: I think it's a bad thing, its like a monopoly.

JNBC: What do you think about the questions being raised lately about theconnections between violence and music?

Burton: It's just another excuse for people to blame people other thenthemselves. People have been trying to blame movies and music forviolence, when the violence starts at home and you know obviously theperson had a problem already, to begin with, to have a violent rage and Ithink music is just an easy way out.

JNBC: Your CD title is "Obsolete," but you guys are anything but obsolete.Where did you get its title?

Burton: We got the idea from watching a "Twilight Zone" episode actually,and about how man has become obsolete in the future, you know, we get alot of our ideas from reading or watching sci-fi books or movies. It was agreat concept. It all started with the first "Terminator" movie and part of thestory was how man became obsolete and it was just a really interestingdirection to take the concept of Fear Factory.

JNBC: How would you describe a Fear Factory concert?

Burton: High energy, very loud (laughter), you know, just like, the greatesthits of Fear Factory, we play all the songs from different records, we try togive the best show and give a thousand percent everyday. A Fear Factoryshow is high energy.

JNBC: How do you not lose your voice on stage? You know, there is a lotof screaming and stuff, how are you able to do it every night?

Burton: How do I not lose my voice? Well, there is a right way and awrong way, and I've learned over the years how to adapt my voice and tonot use my throat but my, um, um, how to use my um, stomach muscles,what's that called? I'm totally at a loss of words right now.

JNBC: It's ok.

Burton: but um, I just don't strain myself and that's the idea. I make sure Itake it easy during the day and after the show not get too messed up.(laughter) basically I just take care of myself.

JNBC: Where do you see Fear Factory in five years?

Burton: On the road, on tour and hopefully playing bigger places than weare now.

JNBC: Lemme just tell you, you guys are awesome. Is their anything youwanna say to the people out there reading this?

Burton: um, I wanna say that Fear Factory will continue to put out themusic that we feel is Fear Factory and, expect the unexpected.

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