Editing Fear Factory (section)

===Early years and ''Concrete'' (1989–1991)===
Fear Factory was formed in 1989 under the name '''Ulceration''', which the band agreed would "just be a cool name".<ref name="FFF" /> In 1990, the name "Fear the Factory" was adopted. The name was inspired by a factory that the band supposedly saw near their rehearsal space which was guarded by men carrying rifles. Later, they shortened the name to just "Fear Factory".

The band's origins can be traced to an outfit formed by guitarist [[Dino Cazares]]—formerly of ''The Douche Lords''—and drummer [[Raymond Herrera]] in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |author= Huey, Steve |url= {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p23420/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title= Fear Factory Biography |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= AllMusic}}</ref> Their first lineup was completed with the addition of bassist Dave Gibney and vocalist [[Burton C. Bell]] (ex-''Hate Face''<ref name="AMG" />), who was allegedly recruited by an impressed Cazares, who overheard him singing "[[New Year's Day (U2 song)|New Year's Day]]" by [[U2]].<ref name="FFF">{{cite web |author1=Hook, James |author2=Maske, Douglas A. |author3=Rhoney, Stephen |url= http://www.fearfactoryfans.com/bio.php |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050205232828/http://www.fearfactoryfans.com/bio.php |archive-date= February 5, 2005 |title= Who is Fear Factory? |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= FearFactoryFans.com}}</ref><ref name="MVT" /> Cazares played bass on the first three Fear Factory albums ''Concrete'', ''Soul of a New Machine'' and ''Demanufacture'', on which Cazares changed many of the riffs during the recording. It took Cazares two weeks to get the appropriate guitar tone. Cazares created, wrote and recorded all the music on the album. Olde Wolbers joined the band two weeks before they were scheduled to go on tour to promote the album and, although he contributed musical changes to a couple of songs on the album he stated that these were not significant.

Fear Factory's earliest demo recordings are strongly reminiscent of the early works of [[Napalm Death]] and [[Godflesh]], an acknowledged influence of the band in the [[grindcore]]-driven approach of the former and the mechanical brutality, bleakness, and vocal stylings of the latter. According to Brian Russ of The BNR Metal Pages, the demos are remarkable for integrating these influences into the band's death metal sound and for Burton C. Bell's pioneering fusion of extreme [[death growl]]s and clean vocals in the same song, which was to become a significant and influential element of the band's sound throughout their career.<ref name="BNR">{{cite web |author= Russ, Brian |url= http://www.bnrmetal.com/v3/band/band/FeFa |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120308113455/http://www.bnrmetal.com/v3/band/band/FeFa |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 8, 2012 |title= Fear Factory |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= BNR Productions }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2014}} The use of grunts and "throat singing" combined with clean vocals later defined the [[nu metal]] and other emerging subgenres of metal. Many vocalists in today's metal scene use two or more methods of singing and vocalizing lyrics. The band contributed two songs to the ''L.A. Death Metal Compilation'' in 1990.<ref name="AMG" /> The band played its first show on October 31, 1990.

In 1991, Fear Factory recorded a series of cuts with producer [[Ross Robinson]] in [[Blackie Lawless]]'s studio. Afterward, the band members was unhappy with the terms of their recording contract, and they refused to sign. The band retained the rights to the songs, many of which they re-recorded in 1992 with a different producer, Colin Richardson, for inclusion on their debut release ''[[Soul of a New Machine]]''. Meanwhile, Ross Robinson obtained the rights to the recording, which he used to promote himself as a producer. The album was released in 2002 by [[Roadrunner Records]] under the title ''[[Concrete (Fear Factory album)|Concrete]]'' after the band's breakup. The release was controversial because the album was issued without the approval of Fear Factory.<ref name="MVT">{{cite web |author= Purdie, Iain |url= http://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2015/12/interview-burton-c-bell-of-fear-factory/ |title= Interview: Burton C Bell of Fear Factory |work= The Moshville Times |date= December 20, 2015 |access-date= December 24, 2015 |publisher= Moshville Times}}</ref> Robinson ended up suing the band, which Bell jokingly said in 2021 that it was foreshadowing "the entire career of Fear Factory."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Everley |first1=Dave |title=Bust-ups, bankruptcy and backstabbing: how Burton C Bell escaped the wreckage of Fear Factory |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/burton-c-bell-my-life-story |website=Metal Hammer |date=April 8, 2021 |access-date=18 January 2024}}</ref> ''Concrete'' is viewed by the band as a demo; a developmental step toward ''Soul of a New Machine''.<ref name="MVT" />