FEAR FACTORY played its first concert with new singer Milo Silvestro and touring drummer Pete Webber Monday night (February 27) at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon at the second show of the “Rise Of The Machine” tour as the support act for STATIC-X. Initial fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below (more to be added in the coming hours).
The Italian-born Silvestro recently joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band’s original singer Burton C. Bell.
Webber is playing drums for FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band’s longtime drummer Mike Heller who is unable to make the trek due to “scheduling conflicts.”
FEAR FACTORY‘s setlist for the Portland concert was as follows:
01. Recode
02. Shock
03. Edgecrusher
04. Disruptor
05. Dielectric
06. Powershifter
07. What Will Become?
08. Archetype
09. Demanufacture
10. Replica
Due to extreme weather conditions, FEAR FACTORY was forced to cancel its appearance Saturday night (February 25) at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California at the opening show of the “Rise Of The Machine” tour. The 42-date North American trek also features DOPE as well as select dates with MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.
Earlier in the month, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares told “The Jasta Show” about the band’s vocalist search: “A lot of females stepped up. And there was definitely some females in the top five that I almost chose. But it did take a long process for me to find somebody. I was touring with SOULFLY [as a session guitarist] around late 2021 up till recently. And in that process I was looking for singers, and I was very meticulous, because I know how important it is for FEAR FACTORY fans that I pick the right guy. And I believe, and I know that I got the right dude. So I’m very happy [about] that.”
Cazares went on to say that he “definitely” considered “guys [who] were in other bands” but that he thought “there would be a lot of scheduling conflicts, if the guy is in another band, and then we wouldn’t be able to tour as much. What it somebody wanted us to do something like the Milwaukee Metal Fest, I wouldn’t be able to do it because the singer has another gig somewhere else,” Cazares explained. “So I wanted a guy who was fresh off the boat, new-school guy. I like discovering new talent. There’s a lot of talented people out there, and they just never get the shot. So I wanted to give kind of an unknown guy a shot, or an unknown person a shot.”
Dino previously told RichardMetalFan that he wasn’t “afraid” of replacing someone like Bell. “I’ve been there before,” he said. “I’m ready to move on forward. I look forward to it. I think it’s gonna be fucking ripping. It’s gonna be killer. I’m gonna put out some more heavy shit. So I don’t think anybody needs to worry. The vocalist I got is amazing. He’s younger; he’s in his mid-30s. He’s at his vocal peak, I think. He’s there and ready to go.”
In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he “cannot align” himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.
FEAR FACTORY‘s latest album, “Aggression Continuum”, was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside Heller.
Fear Factory!!! Static X is next!!¡!!!!!!
Posted by James Soderberg on Monday, February 27, 2023