Fear Factory ex DeVries explains departure

Former Fear Factory bassist Matt DeVries has opened up on his reasons for leaving the band.

The former Chimaira guitarist had been a member of Fear Factory since 2012 when he replaced Byron Stroud. He left the band last week and was replaced by Tony Campos, who left Soulfly as a result.

And DeVries has released a statement insisting his decision to step down was purely for family reasons and that his relationship with the band remains positive.

He says: “For those that haven’t already heard, I’ve decided to step down as bass player of Fear Factory. The main reason being to simply take some time off of the road and focus on my kids.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to take my place then Tony. He’s a good friend and great bass player. Thank you to all Fear Factory fans. You guys have been amazing and made the past three years a blast.

“Music is my passion, so this won’t be the last time you see me.”

In response, Fear Factory issued a statement of their own saying they will always remain friends with DeVries.

They say: “We’re really sad to see Matt DeVries go, but we totally respect his decision. The past three plus years have been beyond amazing. We’ve known Matt for a very long time and we’ve gone through a lot together so we will always be friends. We wish him the best of luck on his future endeavours.”

Fear Factory are working on their ninth album and follow-up to 2012’s The Industrialist.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.