Editing Fear Factory (section)

===Hiatus and other projects (2006–2008)===
An online statement from Wolbers in December 2006 said the band would return to the studio to record a new album, produced by the band, immediately after the completion of the ''Transgression'' touring cycle.<ref name="Forums2">{{cite web |author= Myra |url= http://www.fearfactoryforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12605 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929060444/http://www.fearfactoryforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12605 |archive-date= September 29, 2007 |title= New Album News? |access-date=March 14, 2007 |publisher= Fear Factory Forums}}</ref> That month, Bell confirmed in an interview that the band would leave Liquid 8 Records.<ref name="Blab3">{{cite web |author= Krgin, Borivoj |url= http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=63178 |title= FEAR FACTORY Splits With LIQUID 8 RECORDS – Dec. 2, 2006 |access-date= March 14, 2007 |publisher= [[Blabbermouth.net]]}}</ref>

Rather than begin work on a new studio album, the band members briefly parted and began working with other projects. Bell contributed vocals to the songs "End of Days, Pt.1", "End of Days, Pt. 2", and "Die in a Crash" on [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]]'s 2007 album ''[[The Last Sucker]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/burton_c_bell_talks_about_involvement_with_ministry.html|title=Burton C Bell Talks About Involvement With Ministry|publisher=UltimateGuitar}}</ref> and later toured with Ministry in support of the album. In an interview for the website [[Metalsucks]], Bell called this a "dream come true", describing Ministry frontman [[Al Jourgensen]] as "one of [his] heroes".<ref name="metalsucks.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/05/06/metalsucks-interviews-burton-c-bell-of-ascension-of-the-watchers-ex-fear-factory/ |title=Interviews Burton C. Bell Of Ascension of the Watchers (Ex-Fear Factory) |publisher=MetalSucks |date=May 6, 2008 |access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> In the same interview, Bell talked at length about his new band Ascension of the Watchers, providing insight into the inspiration behind the project's formation.<ref name="metalsucks.net"/>

On March 21, 2008, while Fear Factory was on hiatus, Bell spoke in a video interview about the band's future, saying he no longer wanted to contribute to the violence and aggression he saw in the world with the aggressive type of music Fear Factory produced.<ref>{{youTube|jy14Omrhoz8|BURTON C BELL OVERCOMES FEAR FACTORY}}</ref> Wolbers and Herrera started a new band called [[Arkaea]], with vocalist Jon Howard and bassist [[Pat Kavanagh (musician)|Pat Kavanagh]] of [[Threat Signal]]. Wolbers said, "Ironically, half of the Arkaea album consists of songs that were intended to be the next Fear Factory record".<ref name="metalunderground.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/bands/details.cfm?bandid=6178 |title=Arkaea – in Metal Bands |publisher=Metal Underground.com |date=April 20, 2011 |access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> Arkaea's debut album ''[[Years in the Darkness]]'' was released on July 14, 2009.<ref name="metalunderground.com"/>