Ex-FEAR FACTORY Singer BURTON C. BELL Is Putting Finishing Touches On Debut Solo Album: 'It's 10 Completely New Songs'

In a new interview with Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks, former FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell spoke about his plans to complete his debut solo album after releasing four singles over the past three years: "Savages", which came out in May 2025; "Anti-Droid" and "Technical Exorcism", which arrived in 2024; and a cover of RAMMSTEIN's "Du Hast" in 2023. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm here in L.A. [Los Angeles] finishing it up right now, recording. We have 11 songs, brand new songs. I got one more song to record — well, two more songs to finish — and then I'm gonna start shopping."

Bell went on to say that none of the previously released solo singles will appear on the upcoming LP.

"It's 10 new songs — completely new songs," he said, before clarifying: "I think 'Savages' will be part [of it], maybe like a bonus track, because 'Savages' is the first single I did with the band I'm currently working with. So I would like 'Savages' to be like a bonus track."

Regarding the musical direction of the material which will appear on his upcoming album, Bell said: "Something I wanted to do with my solo career — I did not wanna focus on one particular band or one particular genre, because I've not only been in FEAR FACTORY, I was in G/Z/R, I was in ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS, and I was in CITY OF FIRE. I've been guest vocalist of many different bands. I was the guest vocalist for MINISTRY for a couple years. So what I decided to do was to encapsulate everything I've ever done. I love heavy, groovy, dark and moody music. So I'm taking all my favorite parts of all these bands and creating a whole new sound. I'm not trying to be FEAR FACTORY, I'm not trying to be CITY OF FIRE, I'm not trying to be THE WATCHERS, I'm not trying to be G/Z/R. But you can hear elements of everything I've ever done in all the new songs… And it's unmistakable. Once people hear the music, [they] might [go], like, 'Whoa, what's going on here?' I mean, it's still heavy, but it's, like, oh, it's obviously me singing. So it's, like, 'Okay, it sounds like Burton.' So it's, like, 'Oh, this is cool.'"

As for a possible release date for his solo album, Burton said: "Hopefully soon. Like I said, we're finishing up the final recordings, and the next project is to shop it. I would like to have distribution through a label to put it out. 'Cause doing the singles on my own, it was good — it helped me keep my name out there — but it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work. And having a label come in and... Maybe we'll have some financial help from a label to where we could pay for P.R., that kind of stuff. Or maybe enough to get us on a tour."

He added that he is open to working with any record label that makes him a good offer. "I'm gonna talk to whoever I can," he explained. "Me and my management's gonna talk to whoever we can."

Asked if there will be any special guests on his upcoming album, Burton said: "I am talking to a couple of people. A couple of people were suggested to me. I'm, like, 'Huh, I guess so.' I'm not gonna say any names, but there's a couple people I'm talking to — old friends."

Earlier this month, Bell announced "Obsolete By Word Of Mouth", a rare and deeply personal spoken-word experience celebrating the 30th anniversary of FEAR FACTORY's "Obsolete" album and offering audiences the opportunity to hear the story behind the landmark LP directly from the artist whose voice, lyrics and vision helped define it. Three exclusive October events have been announced for San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

For tickets and more information, visit www.burtoncbell.com.

Bell was featured on FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", which was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, also included fellow original FF member Dino Cazares (guitar) alongside drummer Mike Heller.

During an April 2022 appearance on "The Ex-Man" podcast, Burton admitted that "it was difficult" for him to leave FEAR FACTORY. "Stepping away from FEAR FACTORY was not an easy decision by [any] means," he said. "But what I experienced for the 10 years before that, the lawsuits, the acrimony, that was the one that killed me. And I just had to step away to realize, you know, they can take all this stuff from me — they can take the money, they can take the royalties, they can take the trademark away from me — and I realized that didn't define me. They can take that, but I'm still Burton C. Bell, motherfucker, and whatever I have they can't take. So I'm just kind of moving forward and doing new things."

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.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In June 2025, Bell headed to Australia for a solo run.

Bell played the first concert with his solo band on June 13, 2024 at 1720 in Los Angeles, California.

Backing Bell at his recent gigs have been guitarist Henrik Linde (THE VITALS, DREN),drummer Ryan "Junior" Kittlitz (ALL HAIL THE YETI, THE ACID HELPS),bassist Tony Baumeister (ÆGES) and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Cararas.

Bell's discography includes multiple live and recorded collaborations with BLACK SABBATH icon Geezer Butler and JOURNEY's Deen Castronovo (as G/Z/R); industrial maverick Al Jourgensen and MINISTRY; and guest vocal appearances with PITCHSHIFTER, CONFLICT, SOIL, STATIC-X, SOULFLY and DELAIN, among others. He's the vocalist of ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS and CITY OF FIRE and, of course, the co-creator of FEAR FACTORY and the only musician to appear on every FEAR FACTORY release from 1992 through 2024.

FEAR FACTORY created a sound that revolutionized extreme metal, defined in no small part by Bell's innovative scream/sing dichotomy and the influences he brought from post-punk and industrial. Songs like "Replica", "Linchpin", "Edgecrusher", "Fear Campaign", "Archetype", "Cyber Waste" and "Zero Signal" are modern metal anthems. "Demanufacture" (1995) and the RIAA gold-certified "Obsolete" (1998) are genre-redefining works heralded by fans and critics as essential albums. Orwell, Bradbury, "Blade Runner", and sophisticated sci-fi and fantasy works fed Bell's lyrics and concepts.

The band toured the world with METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, KORN, MEGADETH and OZZY OSBOURNE, taking bands like SYSTEM OF A DOWN and STATIC-X out as support acts in their early stages.