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Interview
by SashaS
29-10-2001
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| Don't underestamate the fear of Factory |
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Fear Factory dystopia
Rocking riffs and thought provoking sci-fi imagery evoke a spooked present/future scenario...
Cyber-Metal doesn't come any more futuristic than Fear Factory and 'Digimortal' once again engages the grey-stuff by providing plenty of bran for the brain. But, like all good science fiction, it's not the 'Star Wars' playpen universe, but extremely critical of today's human ills without raising the hackles of concerned politicians and censors because its not explicit but implied.
Fear Factory have mada music for tha past ten years that has easily transcendad everything around them by being thunderous, dynamic, diverse and intriguingly chilling. The band's leader and lyricist, Burton C. Bell, is an acknowledged sci-fi aficionado.
"'Digimortal is about man-machine interface," Bell explains, "about how technology had been absorbed into our natural evolution. Like memories being downloaded, then a body is cloned and then the saved microchip uploaded into the body aged to 25. That certainly raises a question what is spirituality, is it the same as a soul?"
Phobophobia...
'Digimortal' asks a lot of questions - not only moral but philosophical, religious and practical - without really offering any answers; but the projected world is not a perfect society because the so-called 'Eternachip' is very expensive and only the wealthiest can afford it.
"We do ask questions," Bell agrees, "because we want to open a polemic that has always been our goal. We'd like people to think about subjects and not only to listen to music for some visceral pleasure. There is more to music and we try to add that ingredient."
Fear Factory was formed in Los Angeles in 1991 to forge its own path by fusing extreme metal with extreme techno and extreme imagery. Which, naturally, disassociatas them with the whole scene...
"Not many of us like Heavy Metal of today," bassist Christian Olde Wolbers points out, "because it's all the same and one dimensional. The last HM album I really liked was Pantera's 'A Vulgar Display Of Power'. There is not really much out there and we make music we like to listen to."
Mediaphilia...
Fear Factory songs have always been like film synopsis and they've talked a lot about making a film out of these records; It appears they might be nearer to that goal. "We've signed with the same agent (in Hollywood) who handles Mike Mayers, Jim Carey," Wolbers explains proudly. "We'll see what comes out of it."
"But that is for the future," Bell adds cautiously, "because it takes a long time to get it going and what we want to do is going to be a big-budget. Hopefully, although our ideas can be realised on a small budget with CGI (computer generated imagery). We'll see if we can work it out."
That's not the band's only further interest either - Olde Wolbers has a side project with Stephen Carpenter (The Deftones' guitarist) and B-Real (of Cypress Hill), and a guest on 'Digimortal' named Kush, while drummer Raymond Herrera leads Gamer's Haven. The whore band is working on their own video game after having contributed music to 20 different titles and also had a song featured in the popular TV-series 'Angel'.
What they have planned might take a lifetime or two, so - are they for immortality?
"No, definite!y not," Olde Wolbers raises his verbal guard; "I don't think that many peple would like to be cloned to live 900 years. I remember watching 'The Highlander' and all he wanted to do - is die. When everyone you've ever loved and cared are dead for centuries you don't wanna live, for sure."
And the most frightening thing about this musical scenario is that it's not a sci-fi hypothesis anymore but onlya question of time...
Tour dates:
Wed 31 October – Limelight, Belfast
Thu 1 November – Ambassador Theatre, Dublin
Sat 3 November – Manchester Academy, Manchester
Sun 4 November – Barrowlands, Glasgow
Mon 5 November – Newcastle University, Newcastle
Tue 6 November – Rock City, Nottingham
Thu 8 November – Astoria, London
Fri 9 November – Astoria, London
Guest editor: Deirdre Molloy
SashaS
29-10-2001
'Digimortal' by Fear Factory's is released 23 April 2001 on Roadrunner
Fear Factory single ‘Linchpin’ is out 12 November 2001 on Roadrunner
Fear Factory's DVD ‘Digital Connectivity’ is released 17 December 2001 on Roadrunner
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