Static-X
Encyclopedia
Static-X is an American industrial metal
band from Los Angeles
, California
. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records
and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static
, which was released on March 17, 2009.
The band rose to fame with their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip
, which went platinum in 2001. However, this is the only album they have released to date that has reached such sales levels. Their sound incorporates elements of a sub-genre called industrial metal
. Static-X often refer to themselves as "evil disco".
Static-X has released six studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, twelve singles, twelve videos and a guitar tab book entitled Static-X Guitar Anthology
. They recorded a DVD entitled Where the Hell Are We and What Day Is It... This Is Static-X
, but it was never released due to a threatened lawsuit by Sharon Osbourne
over tracks recorded at Ozzfest
.
Static-X was founded in 1994 after the disbandment of Wayne Static
and Ken Jay's former band Deep Blue Dream. Static and Jay originally met at the Chicago
record store where Jay worked and were introduced to one another by Smashing Pumpkins
vocalist Billy Corgan
(the band also shared a rehearsal space with Smashing Pumpkins for a time). Once Deep Blue Dream folded, Static and Jay joined the Chicago metal band Stygian and recorded a demo under the band name Drill only to later move to Los Angeles
to search for new band members. There, they met bassist Tony Campos
and guitarist Koichi Fukuda
, completing the band's original lineup. Originally, they were meant to be called the name of their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip
, but figured it was too long and went with Static-X.
Static-X signed with Warner Bros. Records
in early 1998, and released their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip
, on March 23, 1999. Soon after, they released their first single "Push It" (featuring remixes by fellow Warner Bros. Records
artists Mephisto Odyssey
), followed by "I'm with Stupid
" and "Bled for Days
" in 2000. Static-X toured strictly in support of the album and twice performed on Ozzfest
. In the following year a promotional EP
, The Death Trip Continues
, was released, however this album was not available in stores. In 2001, Wisconsin Death Trip went platinum and is, to date, Static-X's only album to reach this success.
The band has contributed numerous tracks from this album to video game soundtracks and for other promotional applications. The song "Otsegolation" was used in the PlayStation
video game, Omega Boost
, where it is featured in the main menu and the final boss sequence. The song "The Only" was featured in "Need for Speed Underground". The song "Push It" is included in the games Street Skater 2 and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
, both also for the PlayStation gaming console, and as downloadable content for the game Rock Band
on the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
gaming consoles. Most recently the song "Love Dump" was featured in the soundtrack to the 2009 action adventure
game, Brütal Legend
for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
During recording of their follow-up album Machine
, Koichi Fukuda left the band to spend time with his girlfriend and pursue other musical opportunities. Fukuda was only on one song "Otsego Undead" as keyboardist, which was on the soundtrack to Dracula 2000
. As Fukuda's replacement, former Dope
member Tripp Eisen
stepped in. Machine was released May 22, 2001 to major success, and shortly after, Static-X began work on their third album, Shadow Zone
, this time with Eisen performing and writing on the album. However, before they could start recording, Ken Jay left the band due to musical and political differences. To drum on the album, Josh Freese
of A Perfect Circle
and The Vandals
was brought in. Later, Nick Oshiro
, formerly of Seether
, was selected as Jay's replacement and the band's permanent drummer.
During production of the album, Jonathan Davis
of Korn
contacted Wayne Static to record the vocals for a song he wrote for the Queen of the Damned
soundtrack, entitled "Not Meant for Me" as well as contributing the song "Cold". A music video for the song was included as one of the special features on the dvd release (see: Queen of the Damned
). Shadow Zone was later released on October 7, 2003. Static-X continued their affiliation with video game soundtracks: "This Is Not" from Machine, was included in the video game Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder
; "The Only" from Shadow Zone was featured on the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Underground
.
July 20, 2004 saw the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond...
, a collection of rarities and demos. Shortly after the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., the band commenced work on their fourth studio album, Start a War
. In February, 2005, Tripp Eisen was arrested in a sex scandal involving minors, and was subsequently fired from the band. Former guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who had been providing samples and keyboards for the new album, rejoined Static-X to fill the gap left by Eisen. Start a War was finally released on June 14, 2005. "I'm the One" and "Dirthouse" were released as singles from the album. The song "Skinnyman" is included in the soundtrack of the 2005 street racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted
, while the song "Start a War" was featured in WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
.
Cannibal, released on April 3, 2007, marked the studio return of their original guitarist, Koichi Fukuda. One of the new tracks called "No Submission" is available on the Saw III soundtrack. The full track has also been released on Static-X's MySpace page. "Cannibal
" was released as a digital download
single at iTunes
. "Destroyer
" was released as a lead off radio single, before the album was released. Videos for the singles were supposed to be taken at the same time.
On March 20, the upcoming album was preceded with an exclusive Destroyer EP. The video for "Destroyer" has also been produced and is available now at headbangersball.com. The album itself debuted at #36 in the U.S. with sales of over 30,000.
On May 10, 2007 it was announced that the band would be playing on the main stage at Ozzfest 2007. Additionally, in a recent interview, Wayne Static announced his side-project called "Pighammer".
The chorus of the song "Destroyer" was used in an advertisement promoting the latest video game in the WWE
franchise, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008
.
In November 2007, Tony Campos joined legendary industrial act Ministry
as a temporary touring bassist for Ministry's C U LaTour in the wake of Paul Raven's death.
, in January 2008 after returning from the Operation Annihilation tour in Australia. In a posting at the Static-X message boards Wayne Static said that this time around he is focusing on longer buildups and break downs like in the Wisconsin Death Trip days of the band, however the album still maintains the heaviness that was present on Cannibal. On October 14, 2008 Static-X released their much anticipated live CD/DVD, Cannibal Killers Live
. On December 11, 2008 Wayne Static confirmed on the Static-X Message Board the new album's release date and name saying "I had hoped to announce it here first, but my publicist beat me to the punch! The new record is indeed entitled "Cult of Static
" and will be released March 17. The "cult" part of the title is not to be taken in any religious manner, I am referring to and giving respect to the loyalty of all you good people that have supported us through the years. This record is definitely darker than Cannibal and has more synths and loops as well. And this is also the most crushing guitar tone I have ever had. There are 11 songs instead of our usual 12, and they are mostly longer and more epic than ever before." The album debut at #16 on the Billboard 200
chart, the highest a Static-X album has ever been since their second studio album, Machine.
A new Static-X song called "Lunatic" appeared on soundtrack to the movie Punisher: War Zone.
In 2009, the band performed at the Download Festival
. It also was the first time the band made an appearance at Rock on the Range
.
After finishing their final tour dates in Australia at the end of 2009, Wayne Static
announced on the band's official X-Boards that he will now be focusing on his side project Pighammer. In a follow up post he was quoted "It's doubtful I will do anything with Static-X for the next couple years" leading fans to interpret that the band is still together and just on hiatus.
As of 2010, Koichi Fukuda is a member of the industrial metal
/ambient
band Drugstore Fanatics.
Wayne Static recently revealed that Tony Campos had left the band. He has since joined the metal band Soulfly
, taking over from Bobby Burns.
Wayne Static has been confirmed for Graspop Metal Meeting
2011 as part of his 'Pighammer' solo project.
Wayne Static released his debut solo album Pighammer
on October 4, 2011
, electronic keyboards, pounding bass riffs, and fast-paced, aggressive vocals. Songs sometimes apply heavy use of synthesizers and insertion of samples
, such as snippets of movie dialogue. For example, A Dios Alma Perdida samples spaceship drone sound effects and alien chatter from the film Laserblast
. A new element used on their Cannibal album is the presence of guitar solos; solos weren't present in the previous albums, except (briefly) on the albums 'Shadow Zone' in the song 'Destroy All' and 'Start a War' in the song 'Pieces'.
Static-X have been labeled a variety of genres by the press, most notably industrial metal
although the band disputes this, stating they are "more industrial than anything else".
Former
Session
Live
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
band from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static
Cult of Static
Cult of Static is the sixth studio album by Static-X, and was released on March 17, 2009. The album's first single "Stingwray" was released and made available on the band's on February 17, 2009...
, which was released on March 17, 2009.
The band rose to fame with their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip (album)
Wisconsin Death Trip is the debut studio album by the American industrial metal band Static-X. Originating in the Midwestern United States when lead singer Wayne Static , and drummer Ken Jay , met at a Virgin Records store in Chicago, it was not long after they were introduced by the lead singer of...
, which went platinum in 2001. However, this is the only album they have released to date that has reached such sales levels. Their sound incorporates elements of a sub-genre called industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
. Static-X often refer to themselves as "evil disco".
Static-X has released six studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, twelve singles, twelve videos and a guitar tab book entitled Static-X Guitar Anthology
Static-X Guitar Anthology
The Static-X Guitar Anthology, released October 1, 2004, is a book by the "Evil Disco" band Static-X. The book is filled with guitar tabs from 16 songs from the albums Wisconsin Death Trip, Machine, and Shadow Zone- Songs Included :...
. They recorded a DVD entitled Where the Hell Are We and What Day Is It... This Is Static-X
Where The Hell Are We And What Day Is It... This Is Static-X
Where The Hell Are We And What Day Is It... This Is Static-X is a rockumentary DVD that was set to be released in 2001 by industrial metal band Static-X. It features behind-the-scenes and live footage, along with all of Static-X's music videos and an audio-only concert...
, but it was never released due to a threatened lawsuit by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
over tracks recorded at Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
.
Inception and debut album (1994—2000)
Wayne Static
Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...
and Ken Jay's former band Deep Blue Dream. Static and Jay originally met at the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
record store where Jay worked and were introduced to one another by Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
vocalist Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
(the band also shared a rehearsal space with Smashing Pumpkins for a time). Once Deep Blue Dream folded, Static and Jay joined the Chicago metal band Stygian and recorded a demo under the band name Drill only to later move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to search for new band members. There, they met bassist Tony Campos
Tony Campos
Tony Campos is a Mexican American musician. He is the bass guitarist for the heavy metal band Soulfly and former bass guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X and frontman/bassist for Asesino. Campos was the final bassist for Ministry, which retired in 2008, though he rejoined when the band...
and guitarist Koichi Fukuda
Koichi Fukuda
Koichi Fukuda is a Japanese American musician, and the lead guitarist, programmer, and keyboardist for the industrial metal band Static-X and Drugstore Fanatics -Biography:...
, completing the band's original lineup. Originally, they were meant to be called the name of their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip (album)
Wisconsin Death Trip is the debut studio album by the American industrial metal band Static-X. Originating in the Midwestern United States when lead singer Wayne Static , and drummer Ken Jay , met at a Virgin Records store in Chicago, it was not long after they were introduced by the lead singer of...
, but figured it was too long and went with Static-X.
Static-X signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in early 1998, and released their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip (album)
Wisconsin Death Trip is the debut studio album by the American industrial metal band Static-X. Originating in the Midwestern United States when lead singer Wayne Static , and drummer Ken Jay , met at a Virgin Records store in Chicago, it was not long after they were introduced by the lead singer of...
, on March 23, 1999. Soon after, they released their first single "Push It" (featuring remixes by fellow Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
artists Mephisto Odyssey
Mephisto Odyssey
Mephisto Odyssey is an American House music group from San Francisco California who have been credited with helping to pioneer the San Francisco house music sound. The group went on to release a number of self released singles until doing tenures at City of Angels and Warner Bros. Records from the...
), followed by "I'm with Stupid
I'm with Stupid (Static-X song)
"I'm with Stupid" is the second single from Static-X's debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip. The song starts off with singer Wayne Static screaming out the words of the chorus, "He’s a loser, she said" and quickly moving on to the main guitar riff that is repeated throughout the song.-The Shovel...
" and "Bled for Days
Bled for Days
"Bled for Days" is the third single from the industrial metal band Static-X's debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip. It has appeared on several soundtracks, including the Universal Soldier: The Return and Bride of Chucky soundtracks. The music video for "Bled for Days" was recorded at a Static-X live...
" in 2000. Static-X toured strictly in support of the album and twice performed on Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
. In the following year a promotional EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, The Death Trip Continues
The Death Trip Continues
The Death Trip Continues is a rare EP released by Static-X in 2000, following their debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip. This EP was a promo CD only and was not available in stores.-Track listing:#"Love Dump "...
, was released, however this album was not available in stores. In 2001, Wisconsin Death Trip went platinum and is, to date, Static-X's only album to reach this success.
The band has contributed numerous tracks from this album to video game soundtracks and for other promotional applications. The song "Otsegolation" was used in the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
video game, Omega Boost
Omega Boost
Omega Boost is a three dimensional shoot 'em up developed by Polyphony Digital for the Sony PlayStation.In the game, players take control of the Omega Boost, a giant robot. The player is charged with travelling back in time to stop an artificial intelligence called Alpha Core from altering ENIAC,...
, where it is featured in the main menu and the final boss sequence. The song "The Only" was featured in "Need for Speed Underground". The song "Push It" is included in the games Street Skater 2 and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
Duke Nukem: Land of The Babes is a third-person shooter video game in the Duke Nukem series of video games. This game is a direct sequel to the 1998 title, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill.-Plot:...
, both also for the PlayStation gaming console, and as downloadable content for the game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
gaming consoles. Most recently the song "Love Dump" was featured in the soundtrack to the 2009 action adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
game, Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...
for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Machine and Shadow Zone (2000—2003)
Machine (Static-X album)
-Chart positions:AlbumSingles-Personnel:*Static-X**Wayne Static - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming**Tony Campos - bass, background vocals**Ken Jay - drums...
, Koichi Fukuda left the band to spend time with his girlfriend and pursue other musical opportunities. Fukuda was only on one song "Otsego Undead" as keyboardist, which was on the soundtrack to Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000, also known internationally as Dracula 2001, is a 2000 horror film written and directed by Patrick Lussier. The film stars Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito.Dracula 2000, the...
. As Fukuda's replacement, former Dope
Dope (band)
Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
member Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen (born Tod Rex Salvador June 29, 1965, also known "Tripp Rex Eisen" or "Rex Eisen", is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the industrial metal band Static-X...
stepped in. Machine was released May 22, 2001 to major success, and shortly after, Static-X began work on their third album, Shadow Zone
Shadow Zone
Shadow Zone is the third album by the band Static-X, released on October 7, 2003. It is the first Static-X album that guitarist Tripp Eisen helped write and record. Nick Oshiro joined after the recording process. However, "Shadow Zone" is Static-X's only album without the use of profane language...
, this time with Eisen performing and writing on the album. However, before they could start recording, Ken Jay left the band due to musical and political differences. To drum on the album, Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
and The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
was brought in. Later, Nick Oshiro
Nick Oshiro
Nick Oshiro is an American musician, best known as the current drummer of the industrial metal band Static-X. He has previously played with the South African post grunge band/alternative metal Seether. He started out with a drumkit made by his father as he stated in an interview with Tama. It was...
, formerly of Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
, was selected as Jay's replacement and the band's permanent drummer.
During production of the album, Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
of Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
contacted Wayne Static to record the vocals for a song he wrote for the Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
soundtrack, entitled "Not Meant for Me" as well as contributing the song "Cold". A music video for the song was included as one of the special features on the dvd release (see: Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
). Shadow Zone was later released on October 7, 2003. Static-X continued their affiliation with video game soundtracks: "This Is Not" from Machine, was included in the video game Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder
Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder
Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder is a PlayStation 2 game with a similar feel to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, published by Activision 02. The game features many famous snowboarders including Shaun Palmer and Shaun White...
; "The Only" from Shadow Zone was featured on the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh racing game in the Need for Speed video game series developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003...
.
Beneath, Between, Beyond and Start a War (2003—2006)
Beneath, Between, Beyond
Beneath... Between... Beyond... is an album released in 2004 by the band Static-X. It is a compilation of previously unreleased tracks, remixes, cover versions, and the band's original demo tracks...
, a collection of rarities and demos. Shortly after the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., the band commenced work on their fourth studio album, Start a War
Start a War
Start a War is the fourth Static-X album; it was released in June 2005. A special version was shipped with an additional DVD titled X-Rated.-Album information:...
. In February, 2005, Tripp Eisen was arrested in a sex scandal involving minors, and was subsequently fired from the band. Former guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who had been providing samples and keyboards for the new album, rejoined Static-X to fill the gap left by Eisen. Start a War was finally released on June 14, 2005. "I'm the One" and "Dirthouse" were released as singles from the album. The song "Skinnyman" is included in the soundtrack of the 2005 street racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a racing video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is the tenth installment in the Need for Speed series. The game features street racing-oriented game play, with certain customization options from the Need for Speed: Underground series...
, while the song "Start a War" was featured in WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console and the PlayStation Portable handheld console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
.
Cannibal (2006—2008)
Cannibal (Static-X song)
"Cannibal" is a song by industrial metal band Static-X and the first single from their album with the same title. It features John 5 as a guest guitarist on the track, most notably for a sterling guitar solo. This is also the first time Static-X have released a single for the title song....
" was released as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
single at iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. "Destroyer
Destroyer (Static-X song)
"Destroyer" is a song by industrial metal band Static-X and the second single from their album Cannibal. The song was released digitally on 13 February 2007. On the U.S. weekly Mainstream Rock chart, it peaked at number 23....
" was released as a lead off radio single, before the album was released. Videos for the singles were supposed to be taken at the same time.
On March 20, the upcoming album was preceded with an exclusive Destroyer EP. The video for "Destroyer" has also been produced and is available now at headbangersball.com. The album itself debuted at #36 in the U.S. with sales of over 30,000.
On May 10, 2007 it was announced that the band would be playing on the main stage at Ozzfest 2007. Additionally, in a recent interview, Wayne Static announced his side-project called "Pighammer".
The chorus of the song "Destroyer" was used in an advertisement promoting the latest video game in the WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
franchise, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS video game consoles by THQ in November 2007. Amaze Entertainment oversaw development for the Nintendo DS...
.
In November 2007, Tony Campos joined legendary industrial act Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
as a temporary touring bassist for Ministry's C U LaTour in the wake of Paul Raven's death.
Cannibal Killers Live, Cult of Static and recent events (2008—present)
The band began their sixth studio album, Cult of StaticCult of Static
Cult of Static is the sixth studio album by Static-X, and was released on March 17, 2009. The album's first single "Stingwray" was released and made available on the band's on February 17, 2009...
, in January 2008 after returning from the Operation Annihilation tour in Australia. In a posting at the Static-X message boards Wayne Static said that this time around he is focusing on longer buildups and break downs like in the Wisconsin Death Trip days of the band, however the album still maintains the heaviness that was present on Cannibal. On October 14, 2008 Static-X released their much anticipated live CD/DVD, Cannibal Killers Live
Cannibal Killers Live
Cannibal Killers Live is a CD/DVD box set from the industrial metal band Static-X. It is the first time the band has released a live album, and contains footage from a live performance in Spokane, Washington. Cannibal Killers Live contains the entire library of the band's officially released...
. On December 11, 2008 Wayne Static confirmed on the Static-X Message Board the new album's release date and name saying "I had hoped to announce it here first, but my publicist beat me to the punch! The new record is indeed entitled "Cult of Static
Cult of Static
Cult of Static is the sixth studio album by Static-X, and was released on March 17, 2009. The album's first single "Stingwray" was released and made available on the band's on February 17, 2009...
" and will be released March 17. The "cult" part of the title is not to be taken in any religious manner, I am referring to and giving respect to the loyalty of all you good people that have supported us through the years. This record is definitely darker than Cannibal and has more synths and loops as well. And this is also the most crushing guitar tone I have ever had. There are 11 songs instead of our usual 12, and they are mostly longer and more epic than ever before." The album debut at #16 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, the highest a Static-X album has ever been since their second studio album, Machine.
A new Static-X song called "Lunatic" appeared on soundtrack to the movie Punisher: War Zone.
In 2009, the band performed at the Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
. It also was the first time the band made an appearance at Rock on the Range
Rock on the Range
Rock on the Range is an annual rock festival featuring mostly mainstream rock bands, with a classic band usually headlining the show. The festival is held at two venues; Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio and Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
.
After finishing their final tour dates in Australia at the end of 2009, Wayne Static
Wayne Static
Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...
announced on the band's official X-Boards that he will now be focusing on his side project Pighammer. In a follow up post he was quoted "It's doubtful I will do anything with Static-X for the next couple years" leading fans to interpret that the band is still together and just on hiatus.
As of 2010, Koichi Fukuda is a member of the industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
/ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
band Drugstore Fanatics.
Wayne Static recently revealed that Tony Campos had left the band. He has since joined the metal band Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...
, taking over from Bobby Burns.
Wayne Static has been confirmed for Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting is an annual metal festival in Dessel, Belgium that has taken place each year since 1996. Despite the small size of the festival grounds the festival draws a large number of international spectators, with a total of 142,000 visitors in the course of the 2011 edition...
2011 as part of his 'Pighammer' solo project.
Wayne Static released his debut solo album Pighammer
Pighammer
Pighammer is the debut solo album by Wayne Static released on October 4, 2011 through Dirthouse Records. It debuted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 4,700.-Album title:...
on October 4, 2011
Style and influences
Though Static-X have described their music as "evil disco", Static-X's sound shares much in common with their industrial metal influences, using heavy distortionDistortion (guitar)
Distortion effects create "warm", "dirty" and "fuzzy" sounds by compressing the peaks of a musical instrument's sound wave and adding overtones. The three principal types of distortion effects are overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Distortion effects are sometimes called “gain” effects, as distorted...
, electronic keyboards, pounding bass riffs, and fast-paced, aggressive vocals. Songs sometimes apply heavy use of synthesizers and insertion of samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, such as snippets of movie dialogue. For example, A Dios Alma Perdida samples spaceship drone sound effects and alien chatter from the film Laserblast
Laserblast
Laserblast is a 1978 American science fiction film about an unhappy teenage loner who discovers an alien laser cannon and goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge against those who he feels have wronged him. The low-budget film was directed by Michael Rae and produced by Charles Band, who is...
. A new element used on their Cannibal album is the presence of guitar solos; solos weren't present in the previous albums, except (briefly) on the albums 'Shadow Zone' in the song 'Destroy All' and 'Start a War' in the song 'Pieces'.
Static-X have been labeled a variety of genres by the press, most notably industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
although the band disputes this, stating they are "more industrial than anything else".
The Otsego songs
Song titles using variations of the word "Otsego" exist on their first four albums, with Cannibal being the first album to break this trend. The songs are titled: "Otsegolation", "Otsego Undead", "Otsegolectric" and "Otsego Amigo". The track "Otsego Undead" is misspelled on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack, and was printed as "Ostego Undead". An explanation for the "Otsego" tracks was given in a 2003 interview with Metal Edge Magazine, where Wayne Static said:Members
Current- Wayne StaticWayne StaticWayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitars, keyboards, programming (1994–present) - Koichi FukudaKoichi FukudaKoichi Fukuda is a Japanese American musician, and the lead guitarist, programmer, and keyboardist for the industrial metal band Static-X and Drugstore Fanatics -Biography:...
– lead guitars (1994–2000, 2005–present) - Nick OshiroNick OshiroNick Oshiro is an American musician, best known as the current drummer of the industrial metal band Static-X. He has previously played with the South African post grunge band/alternative metal Seether. He started out with a drumkit made by his father as he stated in an interview with Tama. It was...
– drums, percussion (2003–present)
Former
- Ken JayKen JayKenneth "Ken Jay" Lacey is an American musician, best known as the original drummer for Static-X.Jay was born in Jamaica, Illinois. He started Static-X with Wayne Static in 1994...
– drums, percussion (1994–2002) - Tripp EisenTripp EisenTripp Eisen Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen (born Tod Rex Salvador June 29, 1965, also known "Tripp Rex Eisen" or "Rex Eisen", is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the industrial metal band Static-X...
– lead guitars (2001–2005) - Tony CamposTony CamposTony Campos is a Mexican American musician. He is the bass guitarist for the heavy metal band Soulfly and former bass guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X and frontman/bassist for Asesino. Campos was the final bassist for Ministry, which retired in 2008, though he rejoined when the band...
– bass, backing vocals (1994–2010)
Session
- Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drums, percussion (Shadow Zone)
Live
- Marty O'Brien – bass (2001)
- Will HuntWill HuntWilliam Martin "Will" Hunt is an American musician who has served as drummer of the band Evanescence, Dark New Day, Skrape , ELI, Static-X and Black Label Society, just to name a few. Hunt was in Skrape until 2004 and Black Label Society until 2011. Both were signed to major record labels...
– drums, percussion (2007, 2009) - Bevan DaviesBevan DaviesBevan Davies is an American musician best known as the drummer for the groups Still Rain, Madfly, Comes with the Fall and Danzig while he is currently a member of MonstrO, a group he formed with former members of Bloodsimple and Torche...
– drums, percussion (2007)
Studio albums
- Wisconsin Death TripWisconsin Death Trip (album)Wisconsin Death Trip is the debut studio album by the American industrial metal band Static-X. Originating in the Midwestern United States when lead singer Wayne Static , and drummer Ken Jay , met at a Virgin Records store in Chicago, it was not long after they were introduced by the lead singer of...
(1999) - MachineMachine (Static-X album)-Chart positions:AlbumSingles-Personnel:*Static-X**Wayne Static - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming**Tony Campos - bass, background vocals**Ken Jay - drums...
(2001) - Shadow ZoneShadow ZoneShadow Zone is the third album by the band Static-X, released on October 7, 2003. It is the first Static-X album that guitarist Tripp Eisen helped write and record. Nick Oshiro joined after the recording process. However, "Shadow Zone" is Static-X's only album without the use of profane language...
(2003) - Start a WarStart a WarStart a War is the fourth Static-X album; it was released in June 2005. A special version was shipped with an additional DVD titled X-Rated.-Album information:...
(2005) - Cannibal (2007)
- Cult of StaticCult of StaticCult of Static is the sixth studio album by Static-X, and was released on March 17, 2009. The album's first single "Stingwray" was released and made available on the band's on February 17, 2009...
(2009)