Dino Cazares Formally Announces Fear Factory’s New Lead Vocalist

UPDATE (Feb. 21, 2023): Read our companion explainer article, “Who is Milo Silvestro?” and see our original update about the new Fear Factory vocalist announcement below.

Fear Factory revealed their new lead vocalist on Tuesday (Feb. 21) in an anticipated announcement that Fear Factory guitarist and bandleader Dino Cazares had been teasing over the last two years.

Original Fear Factory singer Burton C. Bell left the longtime Los Angeles industrial metal band in 2020. By the next year, Cazares said he had found a new lead vocalist for the band. But, in a calculated decision, he held off on revealing the replacement until now.

The New Fear Factory Vocalist Is Here

The new Fear Factory singer is Milo Silvestro, a musician from Italy who has performed electronic metal under the band name Dead Channel. Silvestro is a lead vocalist with experience playing the drums, among other talents, according to his Instagram bio.

Silvestro had a lot of competition for the gig. “I took my time finding the right individual for this job,” Cazares says in the video. “I auditioned at least 300 people, different vocalists from all different styles.”

Cazares discovered Silvestro from the singer’s Fear Factory cover videos online. “Fortunately enough, Dino was on that page and he complimented me,” Silvestro explains of their connection. “It was like, ‘Oh, this is amazing, dude.’ And I was like, wow.”

It’s Been a Long Time Coming

Tuesday’s announcement of the new Fear Factory vocalist comes a year after Cazares’ prediction for a 2022 reveal. In a 2021 interview with Full Metal Jackie, he explained his outlook for the new singer.

“I definitely want to continue with the tradition of the vocal style,” Cazares said. “The contrast between the melodic and the heavy parts. I definitely wanted to give the new vocalist some freedom to do what they like as well, whatever elements they are going to bring.”

The guitarist added, “But at the same time, we have to continue that tradition of where it started 30 years ago and continue moving forward with that same style.”

Enter the Continuum of Fear Factory

Fear Factory formed in 1989 and released albums such as Demanufacture (1995) and Digimortal (2001). They have endured hiatuses and legal entanglements. Cazares is their only original member left. The band now includes drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy) and bassist Tony Campos (Static-X, ex-Soulfly).

Aggression Continuum, Fear Factory’s latest studio album, arrived in 2021. The album features Bell’s vocals. (A remix effort, Recoded, followed in 2022). But in a September 2020 statement, Bell said he was “announcing to my fans my departure from Fear Factory, to focus all my energy” on his other projects, such as the gothic rock outfit Ascension of the Watchers.

See Fear Factory’s upcoming 2023 tour dates with Static-X below. Get Fear Factory concert tickets here.

It’s time to introduce the world to our new vocalist. The search was long and meticulous, but I know for sure we got the right guy. It is a big week for us in Fear Factory as we make our final preparations for our return to the live stage touring across the U.S. beginning Feb. 25 on the ‘Rise of the Machine’ tour. We can’t wait to get out on the road and start kicking some ass. ‘The Machine Will Rise.’

Fear Factory Announcement – Feb. 21, 2023

Static-X + Fear Factory 2023 Tour Dates

Feb. 25 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Fillmore
Feb. 27 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland
Feb. 28 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox
Mar. 1 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rickshaw
Mar. 2 – Spokane, Wash. @ Knitting Factory
Mar. 3 – Boise, Idaho @ Revolution Hall
Mar. 4 – Reno, Nev. @ Virginia St. Brewhouse
Mar. 5 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Ace of Spades
Mar. 7 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Van Buren
Mar. 8 – Albuquerque, N.M. @ El Rey Theater
Mar. 9 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Diamond Ballroom
Mar. 10 – Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues
Mar. 11 – San Antonio, Texas @ Aztec Theater
Mar. 12 – Houston, Texas @ House of Blues
Mar. 14 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Buckhead Theater
Mar. 15 – Orlando, Fla. @ Plaza Live
Mar. 16 – Charlotte, N.C. @ Underground
Mar. 17 – Baltimore, Md. @ Soundstage
Mar. 18 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ TLA
Mar. 19 – New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza
Mar. 21 – Boston, Mass. @ Big Night Live
Mar. 22 – New Haven, Ct. @ Toad’s
Mar. 23 – Montreal, Quebec @ Corona
Mar. 24 – Toronto, Ontario @ Phoenix
Mar. 25 – Detroit, Mich. @ St. Andrews Hall
Mar. 26 – Cleveland, Ohio @ House of Blues
Mar. 28 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Roxian
Mar. 29 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogarts
Mar. 30 – Columbus, Ohio @ King of Clubs
Mar. 31– Ft. Wayne, Ind. @ The Clyde
Apr. 1 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave
Apr. 2 – Green Bay, Wis. @ Epic Events
Apr. 4 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Intersection
Apr. 5 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Del Mar Hall
Apr. 6 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue
Apr. 7 – Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
Apr. 8 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Fillmore
Apr. 9 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Bourbon Theater
Apr. 11 – Denver, Colo. @ The Summit
Apr. 13 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ House of Blues
Apr. 14 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues
Apr. 15 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Belasco