Despite their influential run in the realm of industrial metal, Fear Factory were no strangers to nü-metal amid the late 90s and early 00s. It was 1998’s nü-leaning “Obsolete” that brought the band the height of their commercial fame, landing them their sole gold record in the United States.
Despite nü-metal’s chart dominance around that period however, the prospect of joining Limp Bizkit as a replacement for then estranged guitarist Wes Borland was an opportunity Fear Factory shredder Dino Cazares wound up passing on.
Reflecting back on that time recently with Metal Hammer, Cazares explained he turned down the offer, “Because it was in 2001 and I felt that that style of nü-metal had already hit its peak.”
He continued:
“Limp Bizkit’s [sound] was already oversaturated and on its way down. I said, ‘If I actually got that gig, it would have been career suicide.’ Fear Factory, we were pretty much at our peak. And it’s funny because, two years later, I was out of Fear Factory.”
Guitarist Mike Smith eventually assumed that roll in the multi-platinum nü-metal kingpins, Meanwhile, 2001 found Fear Factory riding out the tail end of their nü-metal phase, with the much maligned “Digimortal” track “Back The Fuck Up” featuring B-Real of legendary weed rappers Cypress Hill remaining a controversial addition to their catalog.
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