Deus Ex Machina is a Singaporean death metal/thrash metal band, and is one of the few extreme metal acts from Southeast Asia that has gained a following in Europe and the United States. They represent a rarity in the Southeast Asian Metal scenes in favouring a more melodic musical approach and concept-based poetic lyrics in contrast to the more aggressive and brutal stylings of the region. They are also a highly internationalized band, with a background of having band members from different parts of the world.

Fear Factory were formed in 1989 in Los Angeles by Dino Cazares (guitar), Raymond Herrera (drums), Burton C. Bell (vocals) and later Christian Olde Wolbers (bass) under the name Ulceration before switching in 1990 to their current moniker.