This certainly explains why he recently left Six Feet Under. It’s been confirmed that Matt DeVries (former guitarist from Chimaira) has joined Fear Factory as their new bassist.

DeVries, who hinted that big news was still to come following his departure from Six Feet Under, had the following to say about his new gig:

“I have been asked by Dino and Burton to join one of my favorite bands.  I have been a fan of Fear Factory since 1992 and I could not be more excited to be part of this incredible band.  We have shared the stage many times together and now I’m beyond stoked to be on the same stage playing together.  Thank you to all my fans worldwide for sticking by me and I will be seeing you all on the road very soon.”

Guitarist Dino Cazares and singer Burton C. Bell shared his excitement, saying the following:

“We are very excited to have Matt playing bass for Fear Factory.  We feel he is a great addition to our touring line-up.  He has been a friend for a very long time and he is a great musician who will be a perfect instrument in the FF machine.”

This announcement also confirms that Byron Stroud is making 3 Inches Of Blood his sole focus, even though we expected him to juggle both bands. It also makes us question whether or not drummer Gene Hoglan is still in the band, considering that Testament have been hoping to make him a permanent member. As far as we know, though, Hoglan is still in Fear Factory.

Though it’s also unclear as to whether DeVries will appear on Fear Factory’s new album, tentatively titled The Industrialist, the band is supposedly in the mixing mode with the cover artwork nearly completed. Regardless, it would appear that we’ll get to see DeVries with Fear Factory soon enough.

[photo of DeVries courtesy of Miikka Skaffari]