Burton C. Bell: Severing The Machine That No Longer Served Him...

Fear Factory is a staple on my Spotify playlist, the catalogue and love for this band runs so deep I can still dig out a plethora of well-used albums (yes, actual, physical albums) all safely tucked away for posterity. I’m talking decades worth. From trading albums such as Obsolete and Digimortal with friends in my teens to sharing with newcomers via streaming platforms as recently as 2024; the band… was eternal.

2023. Burton C. Bell severed the machine that no longer served him. In reality it wasn’t this poetic and it cut just as harshly. Burton C. Bell had left Fear Factory. When we reflect on bands that were a cornerstone (or, maybe… a Linchpin *boom-tish*) of our youth, bands that guided us through our trials and tribulations, it is difficult to accept change. But you know what they say – change is good when you’re the one making it. For the sake of closure, for all of us – Sentinel Daily caught up with Burton ahead of his solo Australian tour…

It’s been a hot minute Burton and the world has been waiting to see where you would resurface. We won’t focus on the past. Leaving Fear Factory was clearly an incredibly difficult time in your life. So, tell us, how did you get here today? “It was a lot of reflection, introspection, meditation. You know, trying to really sort out exactly what I wanted to achieve, what I wanted to do moving forward – I came to the conclusion that I have been a part of so many great projects over the years and instead of confining myself under another banner and working towards a certain type of sound, I decided to go under my own name and bring it all together, you know; amalgamate everything I’ve ever done. It took the practice of thought and I came up with this mantra ‘heavy, groovy dark and moody’. As soon as I came up with this, everything just seemed to fall into place. It all really started when I did that colab with Paul Ferguson [Killing Joke] covering Rammstein’s Du Hast in 2023. It was from here, right at the recording studio, speaking with the engineer (who also co-produced the album) about my desires, my goals – really expressing my thoughts and putting it out there what my intent was. I spoke to a lot of engineers, producers, industry folk about a song I had and if anyone wanted to check it out. That song became Anti-Droid. It sounds new age, but I put it all out in the universe, you know. It’s true, I mean, if you don’t talk about these things, if you don’t express yourself – no one knows about it. Nothing comes of it. It all snowballed from there”. It’s an easy trap to fall into – when something has been a part of yout life for so long, it becomes your identity. You need to take stock and ask yourself, well, what do I really want to do. And you’ve put the work in and this has opened up so many doors for you? “It really has”.

Its the next chapter, a second coming of Burton. How has this opened you up creatively? As we’ve discussed – confining yourself under the one banner, being pigeon-holed to a particular sound for the majority of your career – how does this feel right now? “Ohh, the freedom is a breath of fresh air. It is liberating. I don’t feel the necessity to stick to one sound. It is the first time, in, I think, ever, where I’ve been able to do whatever I want. This mantra I now have; it is the criteria. It can cover a lot of ground and I can express it in so many different ways. The new found creativity is ten-fold”.

Take us through your new material, you’ve given us a taster – tell us what you’re working on now and where you hope to take it. “Well, I’ve released two singles so far; Anti-Droid, written by producer Alex Crescioni and Technical Exorcism – written by me. The arrangement was helped along by my guitar player, Henrik Lindt. Since then, I have curated a band to play it all live. Because I want to see what happens here, it is a necessity, it something that calls to me. So, I’ve curated this band over the past couple of years who have all been submitting songs to me that we all collaborate on. The band I have and the material we’re recording is very cohesive, the songs really define where I am moving as a musician and they fit into this heavy, moody, dark and groovy criteria. We hope that by the time we hit Australia, at least one of the songs will be released so I can play it live for the fans. The drip feeding is working so far as its important to keep the fans interested and I’m excited for what’s next”.

This curated band, do tell “So the first musician I started working with was Henrik, a great guitar player out of LA. Swedish and he. is. talented. My bass player is Tony Baumeister, I’ve known Tony since, wow, 1993 maybe 1994. He’s always been in killer bands. I’ve got my drummer, Ryan ‘Junior’ Kittlitz, also in an array of killer bands, and an incredible drummer – he is exactly what I was looking for. Cory Clarke is my second guitarist, a fantastic talent and a super cool guy with some great textures and rhythms. Together, Corey and Tony are unstoppable. So, as I go forward with my music, with a thirty year discography under my belt; Fear Factory, Ascension of the Watchers, City of Fire – I can reimagine these creations with a second guitarist instead of a keyboard, I can breathe new life into these songs with guitar solos and so far it just sounds awesome”.

How many shows under the belt? “We’ve done three live shows so far, the first was a headlining show last year, a showcase really – where we showed the Technical Exorcism video clip. Then an invite for an opening slot for God Forbid in LA then a headlining gig in San Diego. These warm up shows went great. A chance to test not only the new material, but the new band. The band and I, we just locked in and had so much fun. Australia will be the real proving ground though. A grueling schedule of four consecutive shows, we’re ready. Ready to rip some faces off”.