In 2020, OG Fear Factory singer Burton C. Bell quit the seminal industrial-metal band to focus on his goth project Ascension of the Watchers, and founding guitarist Dino Cazares took sole control of the ship, with the two hurling barbs at each other in the press following the split. Since then, the question has hung in the air: Who will be Fear Factory's new vocalist?
Cazares has said that he intends to reveal the identity of Burton's replacement in early 2023, around the time that the band is set to hit the road again. In the meantime, he recently appeared on The Jasta Show podcast and shared his dream pick for the job.
"The No. 1 guy would be Mike Patton," the guitarist told the Hatebreed frontman, as transcribed by Metal Injection. "If Mike Patton said, 'Hey, I'm singing for you guys,' [I'd say] 'OK.' There's no hesitation at all, whatsoever. He's one of those guys that can do it all, and you know it's gonna be exciting, charismatic — you know it's gonna be interesting every night."
As cool as it might be to see Patton singing for Fear Factory, don't get your hopes up. Between Dead Cross' imminent new album, II, and Mr. Bungle live dates in December, the man of a thousand voices — who is still recovering from a mental health crisis that sidelined him over the last couple years — has his slate pretty full.
