Ex-FEAR FACTORY Drummer RAYMOND HERRERA Says DAVE MUSTAINE 'Did Not Like' His Remix Of MEGADETH's 'Symphony Of Destruction'

In a new interview with Story Mode, former FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera, who is also a composer and producer of music for video games, television, feature films and transmedia, spoke about his one-off collaboration with MEGADETH nearly two decades ago. He said: "That's actually a funny story. We [FEAR FACTORY] were on tour with MEGADETH in 2006, and I said to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], 'Hey, I'm working on this video game and the soundtrack is more on the electronic side, but I really want to get one of your songs on there. Could you get me the instrumental version or your recording sessions files?'. And he agreed. He said, 'Yeah, let's do it' and got me the files [for 'Symphony Of Destruction' from 1992's 'Countdown To Extinction' album] pretty soon after. And then we set about remixing it."

He continued: "So we mixed it over around two weeks and then met Dave. 'All right, dude, I got the remix. You wanna check it out?' I asked and played it for him. We were having lunch at catering before one of the shows and he listened to it and did not like it. I assured him that gamers would love it, and that I would cover the cost of mixing and recording it for the game. I even told him that if he didn't like the final version, we wouldn't use it. Eventually and surprisingly, he approved it, but, man, he did not like it."

In 1996, Raymond started to secure music licensing of FEAR FACTORY's music for dozens of video game titles, which allowed him to branch out and create Herrera Productions (which later became 3volution Productions) as a cross-genre composer-producer working on numerous video game projects. His experience writing and producing rock, metal, industrial and rap music, combined with orchestral, techno and other genres, led him to work on projects for many top video game publishers and developers in North America, Japan and Europe including Microsoft, SEGA, Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, THQ, Midway, Capcom, Namco, Atari, Majesco and others.

Raymond's mechanically precise playing defined FEAR FACTORY's sound in the first 15 years of the band's existence. By the end of the 1990s, they had released three albums and played alongside BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, IRON MAIDEN and MEGADETH, among many others. FEAR FACTORY split up in 2006 and a new version of the group was formed in 2009. Guitarist Dino Cazares is the sole remaining member of FEAR FACTORY's classic lineup.