In a recent post on X, Dino Cazares discussed the downfall of Fear Factory following his departure upon a question from one of his fans.
The guitarist started to chat with his followers on the platform by asking them about the strange or negative stories that have been circulating about him, whether they are true or not. Then, a user asked Dino, referring to his time in Fear Factory:
“That you are an over-controlling prick (heard from Christian O.W. [Olde Wolbers], Ray H. [Herrera], and even Burton [C. Bell] at the time) in 2004. I’ve only met you once, and you were cool to me *Shrug.*”
Cazares’ Reply To The User
Cazares responded to the question, addressing the lack of a strong leader like him and a personal conflict within the band:
“Depends on who you ask. I controlled FF up until I was kicked out in 2002 with great success. From 2002-2009, the three of them only put out 2 albums, and they couldn’t keep it together cause they didn’t have a leader, + one of the guys was banging the other member’s wife.”
The Complex Reasons Behind Cazares’ 2002 Departure
His departure in 2002 from Fear Factory was marked by personal and legal disputes among the band members. The issues leading to his exit were complex, involving both personal conflicts and disagreements over the direction of the band and its business decisions. Speaking of his exit in a 2021 chat with Laundry Audio, Dino said:
“A lot of tension came around the writing process of [2001’s] ‘Digimortal’ because the record label wanted us to be a more commercial band. They wanted to bring in outside producers to help us write these radio songs. I wasn’t having it; I was against it, and the other three were for it. There was a battle on that record – that was behind the scenes.”
He added the following about what happened on the tour:
“Eventually, on tour in 2002, it blew up between me and Burton [C. Bell, vocals], we’ve gotten into an argument, we’ve gotten into a fight… I thought we patched it up, but apparently, he felt otherwise, so we decided to quit the band in 2002. We quit, the band broke up, and I went on to do other things…”
The period following his departure saw Fear Factory continue with different lineups. Cazares rejoined Fear Factory in 2009. His return was generally well-received by fans, and the band released new material that aimed to return to their earlier success and sound.
You can see the tweets below.
What’s the funniest or worst rumor u heard about me?
— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) December 27, 2023
Depends on who u ask. I controlled FF up until I was kicked out in 2002 with great success. From 2002-2009 the three of them only put out 2 albums and they couldn’t keep it together cause they didn’t have a leader, + one of the guys was banging the other members wife https://t.co/Tk8XoX0dqI
— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) December 30, 2023
