Fear Factory

Fear Factory – American rock group

Fear Factory was formed in 1989 in Los Angeles. Only two members of the initial lineup remain with the group today. They are vocalist Burton C. Bell and back-vocalist/guitarist Dino Cazares. In 2012, the drummer Mike Heller joined the band. In 2015, the musicians invited a bass guitar player and a vocalist Tony Campos. The group’s lineup often changed.

Initially, the band’s name was Ulceration. A little later, the members changed it to Fear The Factory. Soon, they shortened the name to Fear Factory since it sounded better. The founders of the group were Dino Cazares and Raymond Herrera. They invited Dave Gibney and Burton C. Bell to join the group to form a quartet.

In 1992, the group released its first LP, Soul of a New Machine. Even though singles "Leechmaster", "Crash Test", "Scumgrief", "Flesh Hold", and "Big God/Raped Souls" didn’t make it into the charts, they managed to bring Fear Factory many fans. The LP climbed to the 49th spot of the Austrian Chart, came in 51st in France, and was 30th in Switzerland. The album didn’t manage to appear on Billboard 200 but still sold more than 90,000 copies in the USA.

A year later, the artists presented their debut EP, Fear Is the Mindkiller. The album was created with the assistance of Roadrunner label. It reached the 53rd spot of ARIA Charts and came in 122nd on the UK Albums Chart. Again, the group’s album failed to make it into the national charts. However, after the release, many fans tried to book Fear Factory for private events.

The same year, the group released the second LP, Demanufacture. This time, the album edged into Billboard 200 and settled on the 110th position. It was an impressive success for the group in the USA. The LP also appeared in many European charts, bringing Fear Factory international recognition. In 1995, the group released its first music video for the single “Replica”, which was featured in the album.

In 1997, the musicians recorded their second EP, Burn, created for the UK audience. The album climbed to the 97th spot of the UK Albums Chart. The next EP, The Gabber Mixes, was aimed at the Netherlands but didn't achieve the expected success.

In 1998, the group released its next LP, Obsolete. It climbed to the 77th spot of Billboard 200. The same year, they came with an EP, Resurrection, which appeared on the 98th spot of the UK Albums Chart.

In 2001, the next LP Digimortal came out in the USA. It settled on the 32nd spot of Billboard 200 and topped Top Independent Albums Chart. The album featured such hits as "What Will Become?", "Damaged", "No One", and "Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)". After the release, the artists embarked on a promotional tour.

In 2004, the group presented Archetype. It climbed to the 30th position of Billboard 200. About 96,000 copies of the LP were sold in the USA. The single “Bite The Hand That Bleeds” became a hit.

In 2005, Fear Factory recorded an LP, Transgression, and ЕР, Live on the Sunset Strip. The former appeared on the 45th spot of Billboard 200. The latter settled on the 45th position of ARIA Chart and came in 27th on UK Albums Chart.

In 2006, the musicians released a compilation album, The Best of Fear Factory. It was highly successful among the group’s fans all over the world.

Between 2006 and 2009, the artists were on a hiatus. They were busy with projects that didn’t have anything to do with Fear Factory.

In 2010, they finally presented the new LP, Mechanize. It came in 72nd on Billboard 200. Singles “Fear Campaign” and “Power Shifter” became hits in the USA.

In 2012, the group presented the next LP, The Industrialist. It appeared on the 38th spot of Billboard 200 and reached high spots on European charts.

Three years later, Fear Factory recorded Genexus, which climbed to the 37th place of Billboard 200 and became successful in Europe.

In 2016, the group announced the release of the 10th LP, which was planned for 2017. However, the album never came out. There were rumors that the group was on another hiatus. But the musicians said otherwise.

Feat Factory continues recording new songs and recording live.