Dino Cazares
A sonic architect who welded mechanical precision to raw aggression, defining industrial metal's texture with down-tuned, polyrhythmic guitar fury.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American guitarist·Birthday: September 2·Generation X
Biography
Dino Cazares didn't just play guitar; he engineered a new kind of metallic assault. Emerging from the Los Angeles scene, his work with Fear Factory in the early 1990s became a blueprint. He rejected traditional metal shredding for a surgical, rhythmic approach, treating his instrument like a pneumatic drill. Cazares was instrumental in bringing seven and eight-string guitars into extreme music, mining deeper, more dissonant tonalities. His signature sound—a hyper-tight, palm-muted chug interlocked with blast-beat drums—created a futuristic, factory-floor aesthetic. While internal band conflicts led to periods of hiatus, his influence never waned. Through projects like Asesino and Brujeria, he explored his Latin heritage with brutal results, and he pioneered the use of digital amp modelers, proving monstrous tones could come from a suitcase. Cazares remains a foundational figure for musicians seeking precision and weight.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Dino was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dino Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Dino's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential industrial metal band Fear Factory, whose albums 'Demanufacture' and 'Obsolete' defined the genre.
- Popularized the use of seven and eight-string guitars in metal, expanding the instrument's low-end vocabulary.
- Pioneered the use of digital amp modeling processors like the Line 6 Pod in professional metal recordings and tours.
- Formed the grindcore/death metal band Brujeria, a culturally significant group known for its masked persona and Spanish lyrics.
Did You Know?
He is of Mexican descent and often incorporates Spanish lyrics and cultural themes into his side projects.
Cazares is a vegetarian and has spoken about animal rights and his dietary choices in interviews.
Before Fear Factory's breakthrough, he worked in a machine shop, an experience that influenced the band's industrial aesthetic.
He is known for his extensive collection of ESP and Caparison signature model guitars.
“I wanted the guitar to sound like a machine, like a piston firing.”
