Fear Factory in Perth, or OMG OMG OMG
South Fremantle Power Station, location of Fear Factory’s video clip for Cyberwaste.
A couple of weeks ago the news come out that Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell were doing a Blues Brothers and “getting the band back together”, aka Fear Factory. Rather than a full lineup with Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera they are instead teaming up with drum legend Gene Hoglan and Byron Stroud who has admittedly been around ever since the split with Dino when Christian switched from bass to guitar duties (thank you Wikipedia for noting that was in 2002).
Now, whether you call this a true Fear Factory reunion or not is an argument I will leave to the haters, because a true Fear Factory fan will take whatever they can get, and I’m putting myself in that category. Dino + Burton + Stroud is more Fear Factory than we’ve seen in quite a while. I was lucky enough to get to interview Dino Cazares on the phone for Metal As Fuck and he had a little to say on the matter too – that interview will hopefully be published soon so I’m not gonna say anything here.
So the first panic attack came when the band announced dates in Germany in early August – specifically, Hamburg, where we will be in early August. Unfortunately we’re leaving for Switzerland the morning of the 5th which is when they’re playing. Changing our flight would be disastrous to our holiday which is short enough as it is, as it would mean only 3 days in Switzerland and paying a fortune in changing flights and accoms. Rumour had it they would be playing Australia some time later in the year anyway.
Well, that announcement came last week, but again caused a mild heart attack – they’re playing in Perth on August 18, and thankfully after hastily checking our tickets we’re in the clear: that’s the day after we come back. Jet lag be damned – it’s going to be great. Except for the fact it’s at Club Capitol which has those headache inducing red-only lights which tend to make for shitty photographs.
I pretty much don’t know anyone who’s not stoked to be going to this show. I’ve seen them live four times – once at Metropolis City, 9th December 2001; then at the filming of the Cyberwaste video, February 8, 2004; playing an all-too-short set supporting Korn at Robinson Pavillion the next day; and then at Metropolis Fremantle, supported by Devildriver on the 18th of September 2006. I absolutely cannot wait to see them once again and I sincerely hope it won’t be the last time.