Work On New FEAR FACTORY Album Is Underway, Singer MILO SILVESTRO Says "It's A Badass Team At Work"

Milo Silvestro has spent the better part of the last two and a half years fronting one of metal’s most revered acts — and he’s still taking it all in. In a recent interview with "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of Pod Scum, the Fear Factory vocalist opened up about his experience stepping into such an iconic role and shared updates on what’s next for the band.

"Oh, it's going great. It's been an interesting, crazy journey and [I'm] so stoked to be here still,” Silvestro reflected (via Blabbermouth). “It's been two years and a half almost. We toured the world. We [had] crazy experiences, had the privilege of playing with a lot of favorite bands of mine, and it's crazy."

As for whether Fear Factory is currently working on a new album — one that will mark Silvestro’s first full-length with the group — he confirmed, "Yes, correct. So we are currently working. I'm here at Dino's [Cazares, Fear Factory guitarist and main songwriter] to record the vocals for the new album. So, we're currently working on it."

Silvestro’s contributions extend far beyond just recording vocals. "Well, fortunately enough, I'm so thankful to Dino for the fact that he has given me a lot of creative space into the album. So, not just vocally, but instrumentally speaking," he explained. "I'm laying down a lot of ideas for keyboards and synths, which is part of my background. I have a background of like electronic music composer, soundtrack composer, so I'm using a little bit of that skill of mine."

"And vocally, yeah, of course, I'm writing all my lyrics and stuff, and of course we discuss concepts with Dino, because, of course, he also has a lot of ideas about concepts and stuff,” Silvestro added. “So watch a lot of movies, and we talk about, 'We should talk about this. We should talk about that.' So it's a really cool collaboration of different minds."

He also noted that drummer Pete Webber has already recorded two tracks, bringing his own "cool flavors and fills," while Tony Campos is handling bass duties. "So it's a badass team at work right now," Silvestro said.

Replacing longtime frontman Burton C. Bell was never going to be easy, and Silvestro is well aware of the gravity of stepping into the role. "Well, fortunately enough, the very majority of the fans are loving this new lineup of Fear Factory. And I'm so thankful to all the fans for being this supportive, because it's not something you take for granted, for sure, because you are replacing not just an iconic singer, but an iconic lineup in general,” he acknowledged.

“Every member in the classic Fear Factory lineup [was] iconic in their own way. So, it's kind of like trying to — I don't wanna say rebrand, but literally giving different faces to an established brand. So, it's definitely not easy."

One of the most rewarding parts of the transition for Silvestro has been winning over skeptical fans. "The comments that make me the most happy are the ones from the skeptical people, people going, like, 'I used to be skeptical, like, who the fuck is this new guy? But then I heard him and I'm, like, oh, I'm all in,'" he shared. "So, that makes me so happy, 'cause it means that they didn’t accept you just because it’s Fear Factory. They listened to it, they maybe went to the show and they liked it and we changed their minds. So I feel really accomplished [when they say stuff like that]."

While some online negativity is inevitable, Silvestro says the backlash has been minimal. "Of course, the hating is always gonna be there, but we are lucky that we have a very minimal part. It's literally, like, 30, 40 people in the whole world, and mostly on Facebook. We rarely get hate on Instagram. For some reason, Facebook, it's becoming a platform of hating."

As for how the band’s music is taking shape in this new era, Silvestro pointed to Cazares's rhythmic creativity as a major source of inspiration. "Dino is very musical. He has really musical ideas. The rhythms he has in his mind, rhythmic patterns, they're really inspiring for not just drums, of course, that are typically locked with the guitars, but a lot of other things," he said.

"Sometimes his riffs can inspire my vocal rhythmic patterns. And being myself primarily a percussionist and a drummer, I love to write syncopated, groovy vocal patterns for screaming vocals. I wouldn't say 'rap', but because, of course, it's not the Fear Factory style, but still groovy, heavy vocals."

Drawing influence from acts like Pantera, Coal Chamber, and Slipknot, Silvestro has found ways to blend his natural style with the band’s established sound. "Even Pantera and bands like that, they're called groove metal because there is some groove aspect in the vocals," he explained. "So, I feel like I added a little bit of that in the new album, which is definitely the style I always [gravitated toward]. If you listen to [my previous band] Dead Channel, there's a lot of that."

He also credited vocalists like Dez Fafara and Corey Taylor as inspirations. "They have crazy flows when they do heavy vocals. So, there's definitely a little bit of that, without straying too much from Burton C. Bell's style rhythmically."

Ultimately, though, the spark usually starts with Cazares's guitar work. "Most of it came out from my ideas, most of it came out from inspiration from Dino's riffs. So, yeah, most of it starts from Dino's riffs. So, when he writes the chorus, I start writing melody to it," Silvestro said. "Sometimes I even pick up the guitar and I'm, like, 'Oh, I have this chorus in mind that could fit this melody that I have in mind.' So it can start from everything."