Fresh off Megadeth's Gigantour summer festival, Los Angeles metal men Fear Factory will headline their own tour, beginning October 28th in Lawrence, Kansas, in support of their fifth album, Transgression.

Frontman Burton C. Bell says his band -- Bell, guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, bassist Byron Stroud and drummer Raymond Herrera -- chose that title for their album because of all the "contention in the world, personally and socially."

Bell has always been drawn to music that takes a strong social stance. "Back in the day, I remember when punk rock used to have a statement, tell a story about angst and depression and social behavior," he says. "That's a big influence on me. But punk rock is bullshit these days. The best graffiti I ever saw was in Austria, where it said, 'Whatever happened to the anger in punk rock?'"

For their latest effort, Fear Factory worked with Alice in Chains producer Toby Wright, a collaboration that Bell called "natural." "I always wanted to have an opportunity to work with a producer of his caliber -- super-creative and super-cool," Bell says. "He really worked with me vocally: We worked together for a month straight. During the time we had, we came up with some killer ideas, killer vocals. He's very patient, and just super genius."

Working with Wright also allowed Fear Factory to experiment more with their sound. "We wanted to do something different, and I think it's the most experimental record that we've done in years," says Bell. "Our last album was called Archetype because that's what we've always done. It didn't break new ground. But this record's all about transgression, stepping over the boundaries, violating known thought processes, going over the border. Trying to step over and step up."

"It's like we're moving forward," he adds. "There's no telling where this band is going to end up."

Fear Factory's North American tour dates:

10/28: Lawrence, KS, Granada Theater
10/29: Sauget, MO, Pop's
10/30: Chicago, House of Blues
10/31: Minneapolis, MN, The Quest
11/1: Milwaukee, WI, The Rave
11/2: Grand Rapids, MI, The Intersection
11/4: Cleveland, OH, House of Blues
11/5: Detroit, Harpo's
11/6: Toronto, Opera House
11/8: New York, Irving Plaza
11/9: Worcester, MA, The Palladium
11/11: Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom
11/12: Philadelphia, Electric Factory
11/13: Towson, MD, The Recher
11/14: Norfolk, VA, NorVa
11/15: Atlanta, Masquerade
11/16: Lake Buena Vista, FL, House of Blues
11/18: Houston, Meridian
11/19: Fort Worth, TX, Ridglea Theater
11/20: San Antonio, Graham Central Station
11/21: Tulsa, OK, Cain's Ballroom
11/22: Albuquerque, NM, Sunshine Theater
11/23: Denver, Ogden Theatre
11/25: Las Vegas, House of Blues
11/26: Scottsdale, AZ, Venue of Scottsdale
11/27: San Diego, House of Blues
11/28: Anaheim, CA, House of Blues
11/30: Los Angeles, House of Blues
12/1: San Francisco, The Pound