Never a band to take much of a break, Fear Factory once again get set to steamroll across the US for a seven week tour labeled The Machines At War. Along with special guests Suffocation, Hypocrisy, and Decapitated, this promises to be a feast for fans of extreme metal. Sea of Tranquility Publisher Pete Pardo caught up with Fear Factory drummer Raymond Herrera for some quick insight on the upcoming tour.

Read on for the interview!

Having taken part in the Gigantour trek last summer, as well as a headline tour with guests Soilwork, Strapping Young Lad, and Darkane, Fear Factory has been very busy promoting their most recent album Transgression. "Yeah, we feel like we've been on the road forever" states Herrera. "between the tours of the US and all the European shows and festivals, it's been non-stop for over a year!" I asked Raymond if they were able to get to any exotic locations at all for this tour, and he replied "We just got back from South America, and it was our first time there so that was really special." When asked if the South American fans are as fanatical towards extreme metal as is rumored, the drummer responded "they sure are, the fans are totally into the music down there!"

We talked a little about the latest album Transgression, and how it was received by the fans; "Well, the record has been out a little over a year now, and I think it's one of those albums that reallyt sort of grows on you after a while" states Herrera. "I know that the first couple of tours we did the vibe we got was a little lackluster, but I think over time fans have really grown to enjoy it a little more, which is good obviously." I mentioned how Transgression is a really varied album, one that has its share of classic Fear Factory thrash/industrial/death metal type songs, in addition to some straightforward pop rock material, but for the most part it's still a kickin' Fear Factory album. "Yeah, you can definitely still hear those elements that make it a Fear Factory album", proclaims Herrera, "but overall it is a little more on the different side."

With all this time on the road, has the band had any time to write new material for the next album? "I've actually written a few songs so far, but we're really not concentrating on it too much, as we are really in no rush to get the next one out, maybe next year." How about side projects? "Well Christian is producing the third album for the band Mnemic, and I'm doing a lot of video game work. I've got a recording studio and production company, so I've been busy with that stuff. Burton has been keeping busy with his side project called Ascension of the Watchers."

This tour, labeled The Machines at War, is packed with heavy hitters of the extreme metal scene. I asked Raymond what fans can expect from the Fear Factory set on this tour, and he replied "Well, you can expect roughly an hour and fifteen to an hour and a half set, with a good selection of tunes from all our albums, sort of like a "history of" set. " We spoke about their touring mates, and Herrera commented on all of them. "Suffocation we have played with a few times sporadically over the years, and Hypocrisy we did a tour with back in 1993 or 1994. Decapitated we've never played with, and I don't think I've even had a chance to see them live." When told of the recent news that Hypocrisy's lead guitarist had just left the band days ago, Raymond was surprised and said "really, I hadn't heard that! I guess Peter Tagtgren is going to be busy finding a quick replacement!"

The tour begins out on the West Coast and makes its way back East for roughly 7 weeks of gigs. Below is the complete tour schedule, so make sure you mark your calendar when The Machines at War make it to your neighborhood, and get ready for some furious sounds from four leaders of the extreme metal world.

Pete Pardo

Oct. 26 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
Oct. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
Oct. 28 - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
Oct. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club
Oct. 30 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Nov. 01 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse live
Nov. 02 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Nov. 03 - St, Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
Nov. 04 - Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Nov. 06 - Fayetteville, NC @ Jeeters Pub
Nov. 07 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Nov. 08 - New York, NY @ B.B. King's Blues Club
Nov. 10 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Nov. 11 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
Nov. 12 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
Nov. 13 - Montreal, Que @ Medley
Nov. 14 - Toronto, ONT @ The Opera House
Nov. 16 – Cohoes, NY @ Saratoga Winners
Nov. 17 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Nov. 18 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Nov. 19 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
Nov. 22 - South Bend, IN @ Club Fever
Nov. 24 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
Nov. 25 - Chicago, IL @ Metro/Smart Bar
Nov. 26 - Saginaw, MI @ Shooters
Nov. 27 – Sauget, IL @ Pop's
Nov. 28 – Columbia Hts., MN @ Star Central
Nov. 29 – Winnipeg, MB @ Ramada Conf. Center
Dec. 01 – Edmonton, AL @ Starlite Room
Dec. 02 – Edmonton, AB @ Warehouse
Dec. 05 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
Dec. 06 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Dec. 08 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theater
Dec. 09 – Albuquerque, MN @ Sunshine Theater