Fear Factory is an American death metal/ industrial metal band, that has toured with Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Dream Theater and Rammstein, performed at three Ozzfests, had singles in the Mainstream Rock Top 40 and albums in the Billboard top 40, top 100 and top 200.
Fear Factory was formed under the name Ulceration in 1989 in Los Angeles, California by ex-guitarist Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera. "Ulceration" wasn't picked for any real reason other than that Burton C. Bell and/or other members thought it would "just be a cool name" for the band. They then renamed to Fear Factory in 1990. Characterised by a mix of thrash metal (though they sound more in the vein of groove metal) guitar riffs, roaring vocals that make way for melodic singing, pulse driven drum beats, and powerful basslines, Fear Factory have been making waves in both the American death metal and industrial metal scenes since their debut album, Soul of a New Machine ( 1992). The album was not successful in the mainstream. Undeterred, the band embarked on extensive touring across the U.S with Biohazard and Sick Of It All and over Europe with Brutal Truth.
The following year, they hired Front Line Assembly member Rhys Fulber to remix some songs to create Fear Is the Mindkiller ( 1993). In 1994, bassist Andrew Shives was forced to leave the band. In the same year, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers met the band whilst vacationing in LA and agreed to assist them with their next recording, Demanufacture ( 1995), which went on to become a highly successful album.
Fear Factory spent the next few years touring with such bands as Black Sabbath, Megadeth and Iron Maiden. They also appeared at Ozzfests '96 and '97, amongst other festivals. The band released a new album composed of Demanufacture remixes by artists such as DJ Dano or Junkie XL (now known as JXL) called Remanufacture in May 1997, closely followed in July 1998 by their new album, Obsolete, cancelling an appearance at the Dynamo Open Air Festival to finish the album sooner. Wasting no time, they hit the road with Slayer and then began another tour with Rammstein. They then headlined the second stage at Ozzfest '99 as last-minute replacements for Judas Priest.
