Ex-FEAR FACTORY Axeman DINO CAZARES Talks Guitars

Sevenstring.org recently conducted an interview with former FEAR FACTORY and current DIVINE HERESY guitarist Dino Cazares. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Sevenstring.org: Well, let's get started. How did you get started in music?

Dino: I started getting into music when I was 14, 15 years old, I started playing acoustic guitar and playing typical stuff like AC/DC and BLACK SABBATH. When I got older around 15 or 16, I got an electric and started playing stuff like METALLICA and DEF LEPPARD and progressed from there; I started learning the downstrokes from METALLICA and the triple picking from SLAYER. Then when I was 17, I moved to Los Angeles and started playing with bands in L.A. I met Raymond when I was 21, he was 17, and the rest is history.

Sevenstring.org: What kind of approach do you have with songwriting?

Dino: It depends. For instance, with my new band DIVINE HERESY, it's mostly me and our drummer Tim Yeung. He'll come up with a cool beat and I'll say, "That's pretty good" and I'll write something with that. Or we'll just use a killer riff to write something. Mostly, it starts with a riff but it all goes hand in hand. I personally prefer to use a live drummer to write as opposed to a drum machine because I can really feel it. But once in a while, I'll use the drum machine.

Sevenstring.org: What's your favorite ASESINO song to play live?

Dino: The whole album. (laughs) It has really cool death metal and thrash metal riffs that I've compiled from the past and put all together. Just try to make it as extreme as possible. Somewhat simple, but fast.

Sevenstring.org: What got you interested in the eight-string?

Dino: Way back when I started, I was using a six-string tuned to B. But when you tune down like that, it starts to sound muddy and you need thicker strings. So when Ibanez approached me with the seven-string, it was a natural progression for me. The string tension was better and it can handle the lower tunings. So when the eight-string came out, I was like "perfect". I use the eight-string on the ASESINO record "Cristo Satanico" and on the new DIVINE HERESY album as well. One of the cool things is that it handles the really low tunings. Also the necks are smaller so I can handle it because I have smaller hands.

Sevenstring.org: Let's talk about gear for a little while. What's your setup looking like these days?

Dino: I have a couple of old school Marshalls that I like a lot, I have a Peavey 5150, I use an Ibanez tubescreamer which helps give me a little extra bite, I have Mesa Boogie Triple Recitifer cabinets, I have Marshall 1960 reissue 25 watt greenback cabinets, I have Ibanez cabs and the Thermion head, I have lots of Line 6 stuff: the Flextone 1, Flextone 2, POD Pro, POD PRO XT; I have 2 Mesa Boogie power amps, I have 14 different Ibanez guitars, including two eight-strings. No six-strings at all.

Read the entire interview at Sevenstring.org.