Fear Factory Interview

Fear Factory is a trailblazing metal outfit whose latest offering TRANSGRESSION finds the band working out of its element a tad by working with an outside production squad. When catching up with bassist turned guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers backstage at Irving Plaza before the band's performance, he sounded off about the change, as well as the metal scene on a whole and clued us in to what tricks he's got up his sleeve.

Mike SOS: How does Transgression differ from the other albums you guys have done?
Christian: Well, we had a producer do everything. We had a producer come in and you know, tweak our knobs, where usually we are more involved with the people that we work with, so that's definitely different. The mix is different, it sounds different, but you know, some people like the difference and you know, some people don't. I'm still trying to get used to it.

Mike SOS: Really, was it tough for you? Being that you were always one of the knob twiddlers?
Christian: Yeah, it was kind of it was tough just to get the, you know, let somebody else just kind of do their ideas. I had to walk out of the studio. I had to leave because I'm too much involved. I'm not really happy with my guitar sound. It's no fucking secret, I ain't gonna lie about it.

Mike SOS: What was the easiest song to record?
Christian: I don't know, I've never really looked at it like that. I mean, they're all different. I've never really looked at it like that.

Mike SOS: On this album especially, they are all different. There's a lot of different stuff on there.
Christian: Yeah, we have a lot more songs. We had five more songs that weren't even finished because we were stressing for time. We had all this time and then all of the sudden we didn't have enough time. We were trying to squeeze it all in this short period and I feel this record was really rushed. We should have had a lot more time because we had a record that was out last year. You know, you want to make the deadline and this and that and have the record come out at the end of the year, so you know, that's the business I guess.

Mike SOS: How have you noticed the metal scene changing since you started in this band?
Christian: Well, it changes constantly. Now we have all these newer metal bands that actually sound like old metal bands. But, you know, there is this whole new army of kids and there are all these newer bands that aren't much very much different from what I grew up on. Just the vocals maybe a little bit here and there.

Mike SOS: You see it coming back full circle?
Christian: Yeah, it's nothing new to me. When I hear Lamb of God I hear Forbidden and Exodus and all those bands and riffs, like Slayer and shit. But, maybe a little bit of the vocals here and there are different. That's my problem with a lot of older metal, '80s metal bands. I always liked the riffs but never the vocals. Like Exodus, great band, but I didn't like the vocals. Anthrax, sick band, but the vocals were like, didn't really have it. Not until Pantera came out, then it was like, okay this guy put the right vocals on top of his fucking killer shit. One of my favorite bands was Violence, but I didn't like the singer that much, but I loved the fucking riffs and attitude of the band. So, I think it all comes down to bands like Pantera, who came out and flipped the script because they had the riffs, the music, and they had a killer front man. You don't find that too often anymore, a band like that. I haven't felt that feeling since Pantera came out, with another band, like where I'm amazed.

Mike SOS: What keeps Fear Factory going after all these years? After you know, you guys have such a history and stuff.
Christian: I don't know, that's a good question. I guess sometimes it's from being at home and saying let's go do another record so we can go out on tour a little bit and stuff. I don't know what it is, but I can tell you that it's definitely not the money,

Mike SOS: I know you are busy; you've got so many other projects going on. Explain some of them. What are you up to, what are you currently doing?
Christian: Threat Signal. They are an upcoming band signed to Nuclear Blast. I'm producing them right now. They've just recorded their record, it's in postproduction and then they are going to mix in January with Tue Madsen and that's going to be a killer record. Killer band. I'm doing a bunch of hip-hop shit here and there. Yeah, hopefully I'll be working with one of the guys from D-12 soon. The guys from Non Phixion, who are from Brooklyn, I work with a lot, as well as a lot of other people. I try to stay busy, working with DJ Marx and Cypress Hill, doing a mash-up album, trying to stay busy in all fields.

Mike SOS: How do you guys recruit bands to tour?
Christian: No, we just see who's out there, who has records out there, who's touring, who's planning to tour and we just make a choice. We select them and find out if they are willing to go out with us.

Mike SOS: How was this summer's Gigantour?
Christian: It was good. It was cool being back on tour with Megadeth. We toured with them like in '95, so it was fun. I mean, Dave (Mustaine) is a cool dude, we never had any problems with them, he's a nice guy and all the other guys in the band and the camp are really nice too, so we had a lot of fun. It's good being on a big summer tour again. I mean, it wasn't full packed houses every night, but it was still like large places and stuff. Enthusiastic people, that's key you know. It was good and we had fun that tour.

Mike SOS: Now, I know you work on so much music, but who are you currently listening to?
Christian: Usually the hip-hop shit I listen to mainly. I'm always trying to find good sounding beats that I like. There's a lot of artists out there that I like their records, but on the metal front, I've been listening to the Threat Single record for a month. That's a good band who I'm actually a fan of, even though I produced it. I wouldn't have produced them if I didn't think they were a great band. That's pretty much it. I haven't really been listening to too much� I mean, Lamb of God once in a while, but mainly like hip hop shit or shit I'm working on usually. That's what I hear all day.

Mike SOS: Does the hip-hop stuff annoy the rest of the band?
Christian: I don't know, probably Burton to an extent, but I don't care.

Mike SOS: How do you guys currently get a song done? Who does the main songwriting now?
Christian: Well, Raymond (Herrera, drummer) and I get together with the MPC and the guitar and that's it. We start writing songs. That's all we do, and I'll just record the guitars and bass line, make a rough demo song of it, and then pass it on to Burton and see what he thinks. It's a fairly simple process.

Mike SOS: And Byron (bassist for both Strapping Young Lad and Fear Factory) just comes in to do the tour?
Christian: Yup. Usually he's busy with Strapping or he's in Canada, so we'll fly him up to do the bass, and teach him all the songs and then by that time I've done the whole record already, so I just do it real quick. It's easier.

Mike SOS: How did you get involved with Fear Factory to begin with?
Christian: I got hooked up with Fear Factory through Biohazard like 12 years ago or something. I lived in Belgium, and I've seen Biohazard come through Belgium a couple of times and knew they were from New York, but they were recording a record in LA at the time and I bumped into them by the supermarket, so I was kind of tripping out. They told me that Fear Factory needs a bass player. So, I tried out, and I'm still here.

Mike SOS: What would you like to accomplish in Fear Factory that you guys haven't yet?
Christian: A platinum record.

Mike SOS: You guys don't have a platinum record? DEMANUFACTURE didn't go Platinum?
Christian: No, it hasn't even gone gold yet. The only record that went gold was OBSOLETE, but barely.

Mike SOS: Do you prefer touring or recording?
Christian: When you are touring you want to record, and when you record you want to tour. It's always like that.

Mike SOS: Do you miss home? Where is home now?
Christian: Los Angeles.

Mike SOS: Do you miss Belgium?
Christian: No.

Mike SOS: Not at all?
Christian: Not at all.

Mike SOS: Really? Do you have family back there still?
Christian: Yeah, but I don't really miss it, I've always wanted to come here and that's where I'm at. I've got family there so I go back there and see them.

Mike SOS: What's the best thing about playing with Fear Factory that you can't get with all your other endeavors?
Christian: Playing live. That hour and a half on stage, knowing that there are all these people that love your shit and come out there to see you and support you, that's probably the best thing.

Mike SOS: Do you have any animosity towards Dino (Cazares, former guitarist)? If you saw him would you say what's up to him?
Christian: No, I haven't talked to him since 2001. Yeah, I wouldn't talk to him. That's all between Burton and him. I stay out of that shit.

Mike SOS: What's the toughest part about being a metal musician?
Christian: The toughest par for me is if I'm not warmed up the right way before the show, I'll be struggling because that shit is so fucking brutal to play, especially with all the newer shit. "Slave Labor" and "Spinal Compressions" are the two most brutal songs in the set, and if I'm not warmed up right or not feeling it that night, I struggle on stage, I suck, and that feeling sucks.

Mike SOS: How do you warm up?
Christian: I just have to play the guitar for an hour before the show. I just warm up, get ready for that show and be able to get those riffs right. That's the hardest part.

Mike SOS: Now, you are originally a bass player. Is it tough for you to just go and switch back and forth?
Christian: No, it's not really that tough, I'm probably a more dominant playing guitar now, so I have to be more on top of my game. We wrote some shit on ARCHETYPE that's just brutal. It's more physical. The duration of the song stays that way. It doesn't really slow down. It's relentless.

Mike SOS: What's your take on the current metal scene?
Christian: It's tough to find bands out there that I really like. I don't think there's really anything new. I mean, there are a lot of bands that scream and scream, but the screaming just gets�I don't feel like there's passion behind it. I feel there's more passion behind Chester from Linkin Park and his screams when he goes off than is in most of these metal bands. A lot of people don't give that kid credit, but that motherfucker screams his balls off. He's fucking on the money, he's got good harmonies, he's got good melodies and while I don't really like the rapping shit, even though I like hip-hop, I think the stuff they've got goes overboard. Even in the beginning ,I wasn't a fan of the first record when heard it, but the new record was full of fucking great hooks. They're a good band because they have got a good singer. It's easier to become a good band if you've got a great singer. You know, it comes down to the people. There are so many great metal bands out there, but few have a great singer. Even when I hear Lamb of God I'm like what the fuck, you can't scream? Where your balls at? Jamey from Hatebreed has more fucking power then all of these guys. You know what I mean, he's got that fucking� that's what I want, I want to feel that shit, that's what Phil (Anselmo) had. Most of these guys are like weak, and I'm like what the fuck, what is this shit. You have a great fucking band, and your vocals are like mediocre. I feel like pretty much every metal band is like that.

Mike SOS: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Christian: Have a backup plan.

Mike SOS: Any final words for the readers?
Christian: Pick up our new record, TRANGRESSION. It's out and about.


Read More News

Tags:  Fear Factory  , Christian, interviews

Mike SOS    February 28, 2006