FEAR FACTORY's DINO CAZARES: 'My Playing Was Never Influenced By PANTERA'

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares has denied drawing influence from PANTERA, explaining that his playing and songwriting style was "already developed" by the time he got into the Texas metal act.

Earlier today (Wednesday, July 29),Cazares tweeted that late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott told him that he used FEAR FACTORY's 1998 album "Obsolete" as a "reference" when he was mixing PANTERA's 2000 LP "Reinventing The Steel". After one fan responded, "Pretty sure you said vulgar was the Demanufacture reference, in a remaster notes," referring to PANTERA's 1992 record "Vulgar Display Of Power" and FEAR FACTORY's 1995 effort "Demanufacture", Dino wrote: "I've never said vulgar was a Demanufacture reference because it took me awhile to get past PANTERA being a glam band that turned into a Grove Metal band. I didnt really start to appreciate the band till Far Beyond", referring to PANTERA's 1994 effort "Far Beyond Driven".

Dino elaborated in a separate tweet: "My playing was never influenced by PANTERA cause my style was already developed by the time I got into them. I'm sure we were influenced by the same bands. When PANTERA was doing glam I was listening to SLAYER, EXODUS, DEATH ANGLE, METALLICA, POSSESSED, DRI, DEATH etc..."

FEAR FACTORY has been off the road since its completed a U.S. headlining tour in 2016 on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

In a November 2018 interview, FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell said that the band had recorded a new album tentatively titled "Monolith". He also said that "legal technicalities" needed to be sorted out before the record could be released. The effort, which is expected to once again be made available via Nuclear Blast, will mark the Californian band's first collection of new music since 2015's "Genexus" LP.

FEAR FACTORY was the subject of breakup rumors in May 2017 when the band's former bassist-turned-guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers posted a since-deleted eulogy for FF on his Instagram. He wrote "RIP Fear Factory" and appended that post with the hashtag #GrownAssMenThatCantWorkOutShit.

Cazares recently launched a Patreon page where he is providing insight on his riff technique and riff writing, as well as engaging in gear talk and sharing his inspiration and survival stories on the road as a touring musician.