FEAR FACTORY Forced To Pull Out Of First Show Of 'Rise Of The Machine' Tour Due To 'Extreme Weather Conditions'

FEAR FACTORY has been forced to cancel its appearance tonight (Saturday, February 25) at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California at the opening show of the "Rise Of The Machine" tour as the support act for STATIC-X.

Earlier today, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares released the following statement via social media: "Due to extreme weather conditions here in California FEAR FACTORY will not make the first show on the 'Rise Of The Machine' tour at the Fillmore in San Francisco We tried everything we could but the California Highway Patrol permitted anyone from driving through the 'Grape Vine' Tejón Pass for safety reasons. We apologies to anyone who bought tickets to see us but I promise 'We Will Be Back'. We will link back up on the tour w/ @staticxofficial in Portland Oregon see u there."

The San Francisco concert would have marked FEAR FACTORY's first appearance with new singer Milo Silvestro, who recently joined the band as the replacement for the band's original singer Burton C. Bell.

The "Rise Of The Machine" 42-date North American tour will also feature DOPE as well as select dates with MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.

Earlier in the month, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" about the FEAR FACTORY 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 drummer Mike Heller.