Genexus, the new record from industrial metal vets Fear Factory, is a concept album about the increasing hybridization of technology and humanity—and guitarist Dino Cazares says that their technologically advanced approach to recording the album fell right in line with its concept.
“Aside from two days in a studio recording live drums, we recorded everything direct to Pro Tools in a bedroom in my house,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t know if that disappoints people or not, but that’s the way we did it. This is where we are today with music technology. The ‘bedroom hobby’ stuff is now professional shit!”
A longtime adherent of profiling amplifiers, Cazares says he used a Kemper Power Rack for all of the album’s guitar tracks. “With my Kemper, I’m able to profile all the heads I have—the Soldanos, the Diesels, the Engls, the EVHs, the Marshalls, all that stuff. I used a combination of tones on this record, an original EVH mixed with Marshalls. And the beauty of technology these days is that you can download any cabinet that you want, and experiment with all sorts of cabinets and mic positions. We just picked out the cabinets we wanted, and—boom!—we recorded direct.”
Cazares primarily used his Ibanez DCM100 signature seven-string baritone on Genexus, though his Ibanez Custom Shop RGA8 eight-string baritone makes an appearance on the song “Soul Hacker.” He says that, these days, the two guitars, a backup seven-string and the Kemper are all he needs for touring as well as recording.
“Financially, it makes the most sense for us to take the least amount of equipment on tour as possible; plus, there’s less stuff that can get stolen. I laugh at all these bands that are spending so much money taking all these cabinets, all these heads and all these racks with them on tour. I mean, if you can afford to do it, go for it; but technology has made it possible to leave all that stuff at home!”
AXOLOGY:
GUITARS: Ibanez DCM100 signature seven-string baritone and Ibanez Custom Shop RGA8 eight-string baritone, both with Seymour Duncan signature Retribution pickups
AMPS/EFFECTS: Kemper Power Rack
STRINGS: D’Addario NYXL .010–.054 (seven-string) and .010–.064 (eight-string)
