FEAR FACTORY Frontman Makes Sacrifices For Revamped Band

FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell spoke to "The Metal Show" this past Sunday (May 9) on Cleveland's 92.3 FM Xtreme Radio. Asked how the band ended breaking up and getting back together without founding guitarist Dino Cazares, Bell said, "Well, a lot of things had happened previous to that, so the band had dissolved itself. Pretty much the main reason that we came back together was because we were contractually obligated to Roadrunner. Even though the band dissolved, we were still a band in the label's eyes. We were all moving forward. We all wanted to move forward in our lives and do different things, but this obligation was still there. Christian called me up and was like, 'This is what's happening. This is where our contract stands, so we're all still part of this band.' So, they came up with the idea that if we did a demo as FEAR FACTORY, then we basically are playing ball with Roadrunner. Then they can decide what to do with us. That's when it all started. The only way this was going to work was if we did it...just the three of us."

With regards to the fact that Bell was at that point already tied up in a new project called THE WATCHERS (later ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS),Burton said, "It was a little weird, but we all have to make sacrifices. We all have to bend to move forward. For me to move forward in my creative endeavors, I had to do this. THE WATCHERS are still there. We're still working on things. However, I need to do this first. I need to finish it out."

Asked if they did demos and Roadrunner passed on them, Bell said, "We did a demo for Roadrunner — a four-song demo. Those first four songs were 'Slave Labor', 'Corporate Cloning', 'Bite The Hand That Bleeds' and 'Archetype'. They sat on it for awhile. It's not that they didn't like. It's more that they didn't want to hold up to their end of the contract. So, they let us go."

Listen to Burton's entire interview with "The Metal Show" at this location.