ScarForge

ScarForge (previously known as Khaos Faktory) is an industrial-metal band from North Fort Myers, Florida. Originally created as a solo side project by guitarist/programmer Mike in 2006, ScarForge has since evolved into a full-fledged band with an ever-increasing fanbase, and has released three EPs Open For Business, Khaos Faktory Sampler CD 1.0, and ScarForge Promo CD 1.5 as well as two full-length albums, Sinthetic Alchemy and Sinthetic Alchemy 2.0. Khaos Faktory has been featured on the Sweat Soundtrack and the Skratch Compilation v.44. As of January 1, 2010 the band has been renamed ScarForge and is currently recording a new EP titled Twisted Fixes due out in early 2010. Current members also include vocalist Dave Spencer, guitarist/vocalist Brandon Casterline, bassist/vocalist Shawn Klick, and drummer Greg Tali.

Formation
Khaos Faktory was spawned in the summer of 2006 while Mike was working on 80-Proof Throwdown's debut album Trailer Park Rhapsody. Recording of that album had been on hiatus for a while, so Mike began recording new industrial-rock songs to alleviate boredom. The result of this was Khaos Faktory's first disc, the Open For Business EP, with Mike playing all the instruments and performing all the vocals and programming. 50 copies of the disc were pressed and given away for free, mostly at a small North Fort Myers record store named A.B.CD's. Response to the disc was mild and mixed; some liked it, others hated it. Open For Business has not been in print since then, and will never be re-released.

After self-releasing Trailer Park Rhapsody, 80-Proof Throwdown was shelved due to lead guitarist/vocalist "Beerkeg" Brandon Casterline's departure from the band to pursue his career in the United States Marine Corps, and Mike was unable to find a replacement for him. Late in 2007, Mike was joined by vocalist Dave Spencer, who had previously played in a short-lived metal outfit called 13 BC with Mike on rhythm guitars. For a brief time, lead guitarist Alex Rosado (also ex-13 BC) came onboard; however, he was excused from the band due to personal problems with Spencer. Next to join was Matt Pyro (ex-NotEmo) on bass, Das on guitars and synthesizers, Brian Friesen on lead guitars, and Joel Metz on drums.

Sinthetic Alchemy
With the lineup complete, the band began recording its debut LP Sinthetic Alchemy in January 2008 without Metz performing a real drum set; Mike and Das opted to use a drum machine instead due to Joel's drunken antics and short attention span. Pyro and Friesen only performed on one song each: "Stoked" and "Scratch", respectively. In March 2008, as the album started coming together, Khaos Faktory was signed to California-based indie label A Dark Philosophy Records (more commonly referred to as ADP Records), with "Knife" Sotelo as Executive Producer.

The disc was originally intended to be a six- or seven-song EP, however more songs were added due to pressure from ADP Records to put out a full-length release; this resulted in "Scratch" and "All Good Things Must End" being included on the final version. Two filler tracks created by Knife were added to bring the total number of tracks up to ten. The album took only three months to write and record with the exception of "Stoked", which had been recorded in November 2007, and "Cattle", which had originally been written in 2005 by Mike and Casterline while they were in 80-Proof Throwdown (although the new recording was made during the Sinthetic Alchemy sessions). The album was released on April 20, 2008. Only 1,000 copies of the official release disc have been printed. There was also a limited-edition release marketed through ADP subsidiary Neighborhood Records, of which 100 copies were produced, for a total amount of 1,100 copies of the album in existence.

Shortly before Sinthetic Alchemy was released, Metz was excused from Khaos Faktory due to multiple factors. Literally just a few days before the album debuted, Matt Pyro quit the band on his father's demand, and publicly stated that he wanted nothing further to do with the band, the album, or the record label the album was released on. He was immediately replaced by Das on bass.

About a month after the debut was released, Brian Friesen left the band on amicable terms to go to college. Khaos Faktory continued on with Spencer on vocals, Mike on guitars and programming, and Das on bass and synthesizers.

Sweat Soundtrack
Around this same time, Khaos Faktory was approached by underground filmmaker Ryan McClellan and asked to submit a song for his upcoming motion picture, entitled Sweat. Mike ended up collaborating with McClellan on the creation and promotion of the picture's soundtrack CD and submitted four songs in all, which included "Stoked" and "Cattle" from Sinthetic Alchemy, as well as two previously unreleased remixes, "Turboslut (Sausage Wallet Remix)" and "Cattle (Reverse Polarity Mix)".

The Sweat soundtrack CD was releasd on August 1, 2008 via McClellan's production company JaDEd EyeZ Entertainment, and was sold exclusively on the movie's official website (now defunct, as the film was cancelled), although the bands featured on the album were given CD's to sell by themselves.

2009 - Present
In August 2008 David "Stoney" Mustonen signed on as lead guitarist, and in September 2008 Greg Tali (formerly of Fort Myers black-metal band Neither) joined as the new drummer. Dave Spencer moved to Indiana around the same time, and Stoney took over the vocal duties for three of the band's live performances. Shawn Klick (ex-A Season Of Violence) took over four-string duties in early 2009. Das left the band in early 2009 and formed a new ambient/comedy-industrial project called Da Manginas From China with a Laser Beam.

As of January 2009 Khaos Faktory has been released from their contracts from ADP Records.

Ryan McClennan took over management of Khaos Faktory and co-founded Khaos Records with Mike in late 2008. The band's first full-length release on the label was Sinthetic Alchemy 2.0, an extended and remastered version of the shorter ADP Records disc. The new album was released on February 8, 2009 (a somber day for Mike personally, as it marked the tenth anniversary of his best friend Richard's death) and features "Struggle", which was written and recorded a few months after the original Sinthetic Alchemy sessions, as well as a cover of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist" (renamed "Khaos A.D. [Refuse/Resist]") and a remix of "Liberated" by hip-hop musician Sage. Neither's keyboardist Kat Rodriguez performed keyboards on "Struggle", adding an eerie ambience to the track unlike anything the band had recorded up until then.

In June 2009 Stoney was fired from the band over his drug addictions and personal problems with certain other band members. He was replaced by former 80-Proof Throwdown singer/guitarist Brandon Casterline in November 2009. Casterline's recruitment began with Mike's proposal to re-engineer and re-record "Raising Hell", one of the standout tracks from 80-Proof Throwdown's lone full-length release Trailer Park Rhapsody.

As of January 1, 2010 Khaos Faktory has changed its name to ScarForge.

ScarForge is beginning work on new material as well as some collaboration efforts with labelmates D-O-E and Harpsichoid for future releases, and plans on releasing an EP titled Twisted Fixes in early 2010. In the meantime the band has released a free 3-song EP generically titled ScarForge Promo CD 1.5, which features the new single "Obsidian" and "Cattle" and "Konflikted" from Sinthetic Alchemy 2.0 and "KOCK Radio Episode 2" as a hidden bonus track. The latter was originally intended to appear on Sinthetic Alchemy 2.0 but never made it to press.

Influences
Each member of ScarForge draws inspiration from different sources. Dave Spencer has cited Tool, Lamb of God, Korn and Devildriver as his main influences. Mike gives credit to several industrial, metal, and punk bands, including Argyle Park, Ministry, Celldweller, Hypocrisy, Pantera and Misfits. Das says his style comes from an amalgamation of influences such as AP2, Mindless Self-Indulgence, Combichrist, and several Psychopathic Records artists. Shawn Klick has mentioned several old-school thrash and death metal acts as his influences, including Deicide, Slayer, Metallica and Cannibal Corpse. ScarForge's overall sound has been compared to that of Circle of Dust, Soul Of A New Machine-era Fear Factory, and even Amon Amarth on occasion.

Current members

 * Dave Spencer: vocals (2007-2010, currently on hiatus)
 * Mike: guitars, vocals, synthesizers (2006-present)
 * Brandon Casterline: guitars, vocals (2009-present)
 * Shawn Klick: bass, vocals (2008-present)
 * Greg Tali: drums (2008-present)

Former members

 * Das: guitars, bass, synthesizers (2007-2009)
 * Alex Rosado: lead guitars (2007)
 * Brian Freisen: lead guitars (2008)
 * Matt Pyro: bass (2008)
 * Joel Metz: drums (2008)
 * David "Stoney" Mustonen: lead guitars (2008-2009)

Albums/EPs
(as Khaos Faktory)


 * Open For Business (EP, 2006, independently released)
 * Sinthetic Alchemy (LP, 2008, A Dark Philosophy Records)
 * Sinthetic Alchemy 2.0 (LP, 2009, Khaos Records/JaDEd EyeZ Entertainment)
 * Khaos Faktory Sampler CD 1.0 (promo EP, 2008, Khaos Records)

(as ScarForge)


 * ScarForge Promo CD 1.5 (promo EP, 2010, Khaos Records)

Compilations

 * Sweat Soundtrack (2008, JaDEd EyeZ Entertainment)
 * Skratch Compilation v.44 (2008, Skratch Magazine)