While last year’s The Industrialist was an impressive album, many fans wondered why Fear Factory opted to record the album with a drum machine instead of longtime drummer Gene Hoglan. As it turns out, Hoglan is still wondering the same thing.
In an interview with Metal-Rules, the “Atomic Clock” revealed that he found out via Blabbermouth that his services in Fear Factory were no longer needed. When asked whether he was “completely done” with Fear Factory, Hoglan shared the following:
“Yeah, they made some choices and I wasn’t a part of their choices, so it was like ‘Ok. You got the human drum machine playing for you, but you’re going to record with a drum machine? Ok Bye.’ Like I was saying earlier it’s like I go where it’s fun and if it’s fun and I’m valued and I feel like part of the team – great – and apparently I was so not even part of team I wasn’t even told that ‘oh yeah we recorded the record, with the drum machine.’ I was waiting for a schedule, like seriously I waited. Waiting for like hey ‘When do you guys want to go to the studio, like hey I’m booked, I’m trying to get in touch with you guys to block time out – everybody’s asking me to come play on this project come do this over here. When are you guys going to go in the studio’ and they are like ‘Oh we will let you know.’ Then I read on Blabbermouth the album is done, I’m like ‘Ok well so am I, so you made your choice. Bye.’”
Hoglan even admitted that the only reason why he joined Fear Factory in 2009 to record the band’s comeback album Mechanize was because of bassist Byron Stroud, who he played with in Strapping Young Lad. However, once Stroud left under similar circumstance at the beginning of last year, Hoglan became less interested to be in Fear Factory. Regarding the way Fear Factory handle the split, Hoglan added the following:
“Those guys are my friends still, they’re still my buddies, but your business decisions were, I understand it’s like there is not a lot of money there and I don’t come cheap and I went cheap for them, but they knew that the next album since I did that first one super cheap and all the touring super cheap that it wasn’t going to be cheap anymore. They made the proper business decision for themselves, so they wouldn’t be super broke, but I don’t know it, I think they’ve made it very apparent that it’s no offense intended but it kind of looks like a sinking ship. I dig the guys that are playing for them, they’re nice guys but you know – bury your differences with Christian and Raymond – get those two guys back and you’ll be on top of the game again. You know that’s all you got to do. I’m sure that will never happen, because they’ve gone to court against each other and all that sort of stuff, but if you really want to have a future that’s the only way.”
It’s certainly not the first time business has forced lineup changes in band. Still, it’s a shame to hear that this is how Hoglan’s stay in Fear Factory came to an end, especially since his drumming played such a major part in Fear Factory’s resurgence. With that said, Hoglan doesn’t need to worry too much about losing the Fear Factory gig since he’s been kept plenty a busy with Testament and Dethklok (to name a few bands), and will stay busy with The Gene Hoglan Experience clinic tour this year. Read the entire interview (where Hoglan also discusses his potential future with Testament) over at Metal-Rules.
