Ex-FEAR FACTORY Guitarist Has 'A Lot To Prove' With DIVINE HERESY

Lisa Sharken of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with with former FEAR FACTORY and current DIVINE HERESY guitarist Dino Cazares. A couple of excerpts from the chat found here follow:

KNAC.COM: I think people can't help associating you with FEAR FACTORY because you were an integral part of the band, and that's the group you're best known for playing with.

Cazares: "As far as the sound and the riffs, yeah, that was me. But I try to take a new approach with every project that I do. I didn't want this band to be a cyber-metal type of thing. I didn't want to be singing about robots and all the sci-fi stuff that's going on in FEAR FACTORY, and I didn't want to have a lot of keyboards and samples. I didn't want an industrial album. So it differs in that way, and also because there are also guitar solos on this record. That's a lot different than what I did when I was in FEAR FACTORY. It wasn't that I couldn't play solos, it was just that it wasn't called for. It was a different style of band. Most people do know me from FEAR FACTORY, and that's why a lot of people have to compare it. But I think a lot of people get confused between then and now. The people who love FEAR FACTORY and want to hear a little bit of FEAR FACTORY will be turned off by it if I do too much to make it sound that way. And if I don't do enough, they'll be turned off by it, too. So I'm kind of like a rock in a hard place. I wanted it to have a good balance of a lot of things I do. BRUJERIA and ASESINO are death metal bands. DIVINE HERESY is not a death metal band, but there are elements of death metal in the music. That's cool. But another thing that confuses people is that because of the musicians involved, they think that it's going to be a death metal band. Then those people may be disappointed because there's not enough death metal in it for them. But we please ourselves first with our music. If it's true to my heart and it's true to what I do, then that's all that matters. I think that once people get past the FEAR FACTORY comparison and understand that this is not FEAR FACTORY or a death metal band, then they'll love it. They'll realize that this is a really good fucking metal band with a lot of versatility."

KNAC.COM: What were the greatest challenges of putting together the band and making the record?

Cazares: "In putting the band together, the biggest challenge was finding the time. I didn't have a lot of time. I was doing too many projects. I was in two bands, BRUJERIA and ASESINO, and then I was a team captain for the 'Roadrunner All-Stars'. So putting together the band was the greatest challenge. As far as making the record, there really wasn't much of a challenge. It was a fun record to make, and even though Tommy Vext was the new kid on the block, he was definitely not green. He knew what he was doing. He was very well prepared. He's one of those guys who rehearsed in his bedroom every day, dreaming of this moment. So when he had his chance, he pulled his weight and did a great job."

KNAC.COM: In what ways has your guitar playing style changed?

Cazares: "My style has definitely evolved. I'm doing solos and there are a lot more riffs. There's a lot more guitar work going on. With FEAR FACTORY, I wasn't doing much soloing. Solos were kind of dead at that time, but now solos are huge. The main thing that's changed about me as a player is that I'm doing more solos. One of the other things is that my speed has increased immensely because Tim Yeung plays really fast. It can be pretty difficult at times to keep up with the drums, so I definitely had to build up my picking speed. It wasn't that I couldn't play fast, but I practiced with Tim to build up the endurance. The music we're playing has more riffs and it's much more intricate than what I was doing in FEAR FACTORY. At times, FEAR FACTORY was very simple and very stripped down. For me, this music has a much stronger attitude. This is my coming-back record, and I feel that I have a lot to prove.'

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM.