Fear Factory mastermind and guitarist Dino Cazares recently shared some massive updates regarding the band’s highly anticipated upcoming studio album. Slated for release later this year via Nuclear Blast, the record will mark a major milestone as the first release featuring the group’s newest members: vocalist Milo Silvestro and drummer Pete Webber.
In a recent interview with “New Breed TV,” Cazares revealed that the band is taking a deep, narrative-driven approach to the new material, providing fans with extensive background information for every track.
“Each song will have its own detailed synopsis of what each song’s about — lyrically. It’s something that we kind of did on [1998’s] Obsolete. Obsolete was more of a story. This is more of a description of each song, the intention behind it, what the lyrics mean, and it’s gonna be intense. It’s gonna be great. You’re gonna be able to get more details that we’re gonna be releasing through our web site or through Facebook or all through social medias. And, of course, you guys will be getting some of that detail as well. Because I noticed over the years, when it’s just streaming stuff, you don’t get all the details of the song. Sure, you get some lyrics and maybe you get some song credits, but they don’t tell you the whole story behind it, the intention behind the riff or the beat or the lyrics. You don’t get all that extra stuff… So you’re gonna be able to get all the information of what [each song] is about. So it’s gonna be killer,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Expanding on the album’s core themes, the guitarist explained that the record will continue Fear Factory‘s decades-long exploration of the battle between humanity and artificial intelligence.
“Overall, the record is gonna have one concept that it all blends together, of course. It’s just not gonna necessarily be — how do I say it? — like a book. It’s gonna be a narration of each song. And, of course, it’s always the battle between organic and digital. Obviously we are now into the future of what we’ve been singing about since the ’90s. Now we are 35 years later, where we are now, and that’s what kind of like what we’re talking about. Of course A.I. has taken over in a lot of aspects, and it’s forever evolving, and it’s gonna keep evolving. And we’re enthusiastic about where it’s gonna go, but also very cautious at the same time. To where we are in this new record is where humanity is — humanity is only left in fragments, and there’s very little hope, a little chance for humanity to come back. And when it does come back, it’s gonna be a new living organism that we haven’t even discovered yet.”
He also confirmed that “Roboticist“, a track originally released as an instrumental in 2023 to promote a guitar plugin, will appear on the album with a fully realized vocal arrangement.
“Yes. The arrangement slightly changed — for the better, of course. ‘Cause it was originally written as an instrumental, and the ending part of the song is now the middle part of the song. And it sounds amazing. So you just gotta check it out when it comes out.”
When discussing the writing process, Cazares emphasized the heavy teamwork involved, noting significant lyrical contributions from Milo Silvestro, producer Damien Rainaud, and touring bassist Ricky Bonazza (who is currently filling in for Tony Campos).
“Well, it’s definitely a huge collaborative effort between all of us, which is me and [longtime Fear Factory collaborator] Damien [Rainaud], our producer,” he explained. “Of course Milo wrote a good portion of lyrics. Of course I helped out. And we have a bass player named Ricky Bonazza, who fills in for Tony Campos. He helps a lot with the lyrics as well. So we all have collaborated lyrically on where we’re going with this stuff and the whole story behind it. Milo definitely — the three years definitely helped him understand Fear Factory even more and where he fits in the band.”
Addressing the long wait for new music, the guitarist admitted the pressure of delivering a flawless record following the departure of iconic original vocalist Burton C. Bell.
“A lot of people are, like, ‘Well, put out the record, put out the record.’ We don’t wanna rush. We want it to be the s**t, because this record, when it comes out, it’s gonna be forever. So I wanna be able to live with a dope-a** record than something that’s rushed because somebody wants us to put it out quickly. Although I enjoy the enthusiasm with the fans because they pester me every day. But it’s a good pester, and I enjoy it. So I really appreciate that, because it really tells me that they’re ready for it. It’s Milo‘s first record, so he has to shine on this record. So we’re definitely taking our time. I think lyrically and conceptually, that probably takes the longest.”
Giving his new frontman the ultimate spotlight, Cazares revealed that Silvestro wrote the album’s grand finale entirely on his own, enlisting the help of longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber for the keyboards. He compared the epic track to “Expiration Date” from their 2015 album Genexus.
“Milo wrote a song. He wrote the closing track, which is really good. It’s along the lines of [the epic cinematic ballad] ‘Expiration Date‘ [from 2015’s Genexus album]. That’s exactly how this is. I’d love to tell you the title, but I can’t. It’s really good. It’s kind of, like, as humanity, we are gone, humans are gone. All that’s left is microorganisms, and somehow… It’s kind of like how they rediscovered the dinosaur, and they can extract some prehistoric blood and clone a dinosaur and bring ’em back. That’s kind of where we are at the end of the record. And, yeah, it’s a great song. It’s great title. Milo pretty much did it all himself. ‘[Longtime Fear Factory producer/collaborator] Rhys [Fulber] contributed some keyboards on it, so that’s great. [Rhys is] definitely involved in that song heavily.”
Cazares also promised a perfect blend of classic Fear Factory elements and fresh new sounds.
“There are elements where it’s, like, okay, he sounds very similar to Burt, but there’s other parts where he just sounds like it’s a whole new thing, which adds a whole new freshness to the songs. I mean, we still have everything that makes Fear Factory what we are — aggressive verses, screams, growls, and, of course, the big melodic choruses. We still have all that. But sometimes I do a double take and I’m, like, ‘That sounds a lot like Burt.’ And sometimes I’m, like, ‘This is a whole new thing.’ And you’re gonna notice that through the whole record.”
He concluded: “[Milo] understands Fear Factory and the sound. He respects the past and what me and the rest of the guys have created. He loves all that, so, of course, it’s only natural for him to have a lot of those elements in him, because that’s what he learned from.”
On February 28, Cazares addressed reunion rumors in a Facebook post, making his position unmistakably clear: “I don’t hold any hatred toward any former members, but to be clear, I will not be working with them again, I’m sure the feeling is mutual. What’s done is done, and that chapter is permanently closed. I’ve moved forward and remain focused on the present and the future. I sincerely hope they have done the same. Respectfully.”
He later explained why he continues to respond to the topic at all: “The only reason I continue addressing this is because fans keep asking. I’ve already moved on and have said that many times. Unfortunately, some people get upset if I don’t answer the question and others get upset when I give an honest answer they don’t want to hear.”
