[this interview can also be downloaded as an mp3 file]
The first of many interviews I did with Dino Cazares from Fear Factory. Roadrunner were incredible back in the day for organising this kind of thing, and I can’t thank the old crowd enough for the number of interviews, competition prizes, gigs and so forth that they threw my way. This was another phone interview, this time on the 30th April 1996
So, where am I calling? Where’re you at?
Bradford.
Ah, most of the stuff we’ve been doing today’s been in Scotland and Ireland.
So, are you down in London today?
Yeah, we’re here in the Roadrunner offices. We’re here trying to get all the free CDs we can!
That’s my job!
Let me ask you a question – you ever heard of “Drain”?
“Drain”? Yes, I think I have actually.
Well, one of the bands we’ll be playing with [in the UK] will be Drain. And the other opening band is Manhole. You ever heard of them?
I’ve heard of Drain – I think I’ve got one of their CDs kicking around.
You haven’t heard it yet? (laughs) They’re like a female version of Alice in Chains.
Ah, yes, now that you mention it. Well, that’s one of my questions taken care of anyway – I was going to ask who was supporting you over here.
Well, Drain is an all-girl band and Manhole are really, really good – a heavy band. Like ‘rap-metal’. They got a female front – a female singer.
It seems there have been a lot of female bands coming up in the last couple of months.
Yeah, most of the female stuff is really alternative crap or punk. Most of it hasn’t been metal or stuff like that.
So you’re straight back from Australia?
Yeah, we’re straight back from there. We’re going to go back and make up the shows that we missed.
Right – so you are definitely going to make them up?
Yeah, definitely – why, did you hear about that?
Yeah, I know two people who went to the show where you did the vocals.
Really? (laughs) What’d they say?
They said it was great, to be honest with you. They were a bit disappointed, obviously, but they said that the show was great anyway. It was the people the night after who were a little on the annoyed side…
Yeah, because we had to cancel the next day and there just was a big riot.
Sydney, I think, wasn’t it?
Yeah, it was at the University of New South Wales.
What do you think of that – do you think it was a bit over the top for missing a concert?
Well, I can sort of understand. The promoter didn’t give the public the exact information. They just told them we weren’t going to play; they didn’t tell them why. So all the kids were really upset and they decided to take their anger out on the venue. Which kind of shows us up because it was an all-ages show. The cops came down, and the news – it was all over all the Australian news. So it kind of ruined it for all the kids because it was difficult for us to do an all-ages show, because a lot of the venues just thought the kids were going to trash the place.
It’s nice to see you actually doing them. It seems in Australia that there seems to be a lot of effort to get all-ages shows down there, whereas in this country is tends to be 75% of the venues are nightclubs, which makes it difficult for kids to get in. Anybody under 18 can’t get in. Well, technically!
Well, we’re going to go back there. We’re going to make up all the shows we missed. We’ve got eight shows coming up in Australia and they’re all sold out already.
I know for a fact that the Bradford one’s going to be rammed to the rafters.
Yeah, I think it’s going to be great – I can’t wait!
I’m looking forward to it. Kate’s [radio promoter at Roadrunner] been telling me that you’re better live than Machine Head, and that’s the best band I saw last year. So if you can top that, I’ll be well impressed!
Well, if you want to get your ass kicked, come down! (laughs)
I’m looking forward to it, believe me!
Be ready to take a beating – I’ll see you there! Where’s it at? Rios? How big is that place?
It’s not big…
What, about 500 people?
About that, I’d say.
That’s cool – small, intimate gigs.
Yeah – Biohazard crammed it out two years ago. You couldn’t move in there. Cannibal Corpse are playing next month. Again, that’s going to be popular.
Sound really cool, man. I can’t wait to get there.
It’s a really good venue, and there’s a really good crowd round here as well. So what else are you doing while you’re over here? Is it all just press stuff?
Yeah, that’s it.
Have you got any more shows lined up between now and the UK dates?
Oh, of course – we’re doing a whole European tour. That’s 63 shows, which starts this Sunday. The whole of Europe – we’re going to Ireland, Scotland, Budapest, Poland, Czechoslovakia… we’re hitting all those places. Then there’s all the usual places like France and Germany and all the rest – Austria, Denmark…
Well, the actual album, Demanufacture will have been out almost a year before you play in the UK. Why’s it taken so long to get over here?
I have no idea! We were there – well, we kinda skipped it – with Ozzie, because we toured with Ozzie in the UK. I know we skipped Bradford.
You’ve also got some remixes being done.
Yeah, get working on them when we get back to the States – after the Australian dates. We’ll get back and finish those remixes off.
Which actual tracks are you doing?
Self-Bias Resistor, Zero Signal, Body Hammer, New Breed, Replica and… we haven’t decided what the last one is.
Did you actually approach a load of people?
Yeah, a lot of them said “If we find time, we’ll find time.” So we’ve had to postpone it. It’s probably going to be out the end of this year, and then follow-up with a new LP in 1997.
So who have you actually approached?
Um… Prodigy, Moby, we want to approach the Chemical Brothers, DJ Dan [may be wrong – bad recording] from Holland, Technohead from Holland who we know are going to do it for sure.
Was there anyone who you really wanted to do it who turned you down?
No, no one’s really turned us down. They’ve just said “Yeah, if we can find time to do it we’ll try to do it.”
Back to the Australian dates when Burton’s voice went – who actually decided to do the show in the evening anyway?
Well his voice actually went during the first show. He went back, resting it, hoping that it would just be fine. In the end, like an hour and a half, two hours before we went on stage we actually called a doctor out to come check his voice out. And she totally advised him not to sing – that if he sang it would just ruin his voice forever. I actually decided to let the show go on. We talked to the promoters, we talked to the venue.. it was already a packed house, it had sold out. We had to play the show. We had to do something. So we went on stage – me, Burt, all of us went on stage and we basically explained to the crowd that Burt can’t even talk. But if they want us to play anyway, the crowd could just sing. The crowd went for it, so we did it! They just went absolutely nuts!
So really, it was their choice rather than yours?
Yeah, exactly. I’d left it up to them. But we’re definitely going to go back to Brisbane and make up the show.
I know a lot of people will be happy about that. So what was it like being ‘frontman’ for a change?
It was amazing – it was like holding the world in your hands! You’ve got a lot of power up there, you know?
Thinking of changing your position in the band, then?
No! No, definitely not! (laughs) I can’t sing as well as Burton!
Well, from what I heard, everyone really enjoyed it anyway.
Well, I may be a little bit more vocal now, but when it comes to talking to a crowd… I’m not going to be fronting Fear Factory for now! Are you going to be coming to the [Bradford] show?
Oh, definitely, yeah – I only live about a 2 minute walk away, so I haven’t got an excuse not to go!
(laughs) Be sure and bring your camera!
I believe it’s July 15th you’re playing in Bradford.
Yeah, that’s about right. It’s right near the end of the tour.
Well you’ve got to save the best for last, haven’t you? And I hope you’re going to be as good as Kate says you are!
Oh, we’re going to be good – don’t worry! Not that you’re biased – Self-Biased Guitarist!
(laughs) There you go! Self-Biased Guitarist! (laughs)
It’s been great talking to you – tell Burton that we hope his voice gets back as good as it has been. And I’ll see you in about a month and a half.
OK, thanks. Bye!
Bye!
