DINO CAZARES Disagrees With BURTON C. BELL's Comment About FEAR FACTORY Members Musically 'Locking' Themselves 'In A Box'

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares has responded to Burton C. Bell‘s claim that the bandmembers “locked” themselves “in a box” be delivering a “certain sound” on most of their albums.

Earlier this month, the former FEAR FACTORY singer was asked by Rock Hard With Phil And Tish if and his bandmates ever felt the pressure that they had to release a certain type of music. Bell responded: “I feel, as a band, we locked ourselves in a box. And the label was expecting a certain sound, certain members were expecting a certain sound and, to be honest, a lot of fans were expecting a certain sound. Releasing anything else would have been — what’s the word? — would have just been heresy, like, ‘What are doing? That doesn’t sound like FEAR FACTORY.’ ‘Well…'”

Burton went on to say that FEAR FACTORY released one album that didn’t fall in line with what the fans expected from him and his bandmates. “We did a record [in 2005] called ‘Transgression’. And the title in itself was a transgression of the actual sound of what FEAR FACTORY was. Instead of being an industrial metal band, on that record we were like a hard rock band almost. And fans treated it as such. So we did it to ourselves. But now as a solo artist, I don’t feel that [kind of pressure] at all. I feel the sky’s wide open.”

Earlier today (Sunday, April 20),Cazares shared a screenshot of BLABBERMOUTH.NET‘s headline focusing on Bell‘s original comment, and he included the following message: “FEAR FACTORY didn’t ‘lock themselves in a box’, we destroyed the box and evolved while maintaining a core sound. It’s a choice driven by passion not pressure.”

He continued: “I live, die, and regenerate FEAR FACTORY, loyal to the end. Machines Of Hate”.

In a separate post on X, he added: “Innovation doesn’t come from following the map it comes from redrawing it completely. Revolutionizing a new path forward.”

Responding to a fan on X, Dino elaborated on why he disagrees with Burton‘s comment, saying: “It’s just 2 different people’s perspective on when they were in the band. One felt like he was boxed in, like he was doing it because he had to not because he wanted to, the other (me) did it out of love and passion it genuinely matters to me it’s a choice, driven by passion not by pressure.”

He later added: “The idea that FEAR FACTORY ‘locked themselves in a box’ doesn’t really hold up when you look at our evolution. Sure, we had a core sound — tight, mechanical riffs, syncopated rhythms, and that signature clean/growl vocal contrast — but within that framework, we pushed boundaries constantly.”

FEAR FACTORY created a sound that revolutionized extreme metal, defined in no small part by Bell‘s innovative scream/sing dichotomy and the influences he brought from post-punk and industrial.

Bell was the only musician to appear on every FEAR FACTORY release from 1992 through 2024.

After years of behind-the-scenes bandmember turmoil and legal issues, Bell left FEAR FACTORY in the fall of 2020.

The 56-year-old Bell had been largely inactive on the musical front since officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY in September 2020. At the time he said that he could not “align” himself with someone whom he did not trust or respect, an apparent reference to Cazares. Bell has since been replaced in the band by the Italian-born singer Milo Silvestro.

Bell issued two solo singles in 2024 — “Anti-Droid” and “Technical Exorcism” — and a cover of RAMMSTEIN‘s “Du Hast” in 2023.

A new single from Burton called “Savages” is expected to be released later this spring.

Bell played the first concert with his solo band on June 13, 2024 at 1720 in Los Angeles, California.

Backing Bell at his recent gigs have been guitarist Henrik Linde (THE VITALS, DREN),drummer Ryan “Junior” Kittlitz (ALL HAIL THE YETI, THE ACID HELPS),bassist Tony Baumeister (ÆGES) and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Cararas.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)