Static-X Album: “Cult of Static”

I might get bashed by the "tr00 to metal" community but you know what, I'm compelled to give this album a positive review.

Okay, so Static-X came out as the spikey-haired industrial-metal cousins of nu-metal's most active bands. But these guys were ahead of the pack, and that much was solidified when Wisconsin Death Trip received platinum status despite relatively little commercial support. Well, then their awesome guitarist, Koichi Fukuda, left to do other things and was replaced with a some guy who was kicked out when he was exposed for trying to be a kid toucher. Meanwhile, Ken Jay left the group and while Nick Oshiro handled some responsibilities since 2003, he didn't really commit full time to the band until about 2005. Afterward however, Oshiro committed to the group and Fukuda came back to the fold. Now, the band has released an industrial metal album that is very, VERY awesome and very complete for a metal album in general.

The album sounds great. The production is absolutely top notch. The group put out a dedicated effort and didn't spare a moment in making sure a good album got turned out. You're getting everything you've come to know about Static-X on this album (Wayne Static's growling, deep grooves on bass and guitar, rhythmic drumming with the occasional blasting, and the whole electronic-metal feel they like to have.) What you're also getting though are songs that have a strong attention to detail as well groovy interludes. Unlike most nu-metal bands though, this album makes sure to have guitar solos as well as the instrumental breakdowns that have become so familiar with the genre (not necessarily on every song, but when it can serve the song, they totally have it.)

If anyone were to ask my for my favorite songs on the album, I would tell you that "Lunatic" was my favorite, but that's a little unfair because Dave Mustaine (that's right, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth) has a solo on the song. Other tracks I dug were "Terminal", "Tera-Fied", "You and I", "Skinned", and "Grind 2 Halt" we're pretty rad. I would recommend the album to industrial metal fans, people who can be mature enough to admit they liked nu-metal when it was cool, and female metal fans. Conversely, for all you "tr00 metal" guys trying to pick up girls or show their prospective ladies something they like to listen to, this might be better then blasting Nile or Carcass (though Cynic's "Traced In Air" could be a slightly better for that... but that's almost an entirely different ball game depending on who you listen to.)

This is a nice follow up to Cannibal. This is one of the few "Nu Metal" bands that is still churning out good material or even still in existence. This has all the power and fury of that machine like precision/grind that a fan of Static-X Would expect. My favorite tracks are Lunatic (with a solo from Dave Mustaine of Megadeth) , Tera-feid, and the last track Grind 2 Halt (a very cool sound, a slow grinding "dark" sound). I have the bonus track edition with W.F.O. as track 12, an original by Static X, and Looks That Kill as track 13, a cool cover version of Motley Crue. The bonus edition also comes with a sign up for a contest for 20 pairs of tickets to be given away to a nearby show with a pre-show Meet and Greet with the band, and a 14th download track covering the Poison song "Talk Dirty To Me" . A great album.

If you loved Cannibal, you will love Cult. Where Static X was steering away from their unique sounds in Cannibal, they pushed a bit farther with Cult.

Personally, Start a War is my favorite, with Wisconsin Death Trip second in line.

Seeing them live always helps me appreciate them, and they never put on a bad show. Wayne is very energetic >:)

Keeping Disco Evil....

Needless to say, after the album Cannibal, for a while I had a big frown on my face and thought "I miss the 'otsego days'". Cult of Static however is a very 'good' album and has slightly renewed my faith.

On the lighter side Cult of Static contains some of Wayne's better programing skills e.g. 'Tera-fied' and 'Grind 2 Halt' and yes even guitars reminiscent of WDT e.g. 'Terminal', 'You Am I' and 'Isolaytore' just to name a few. I heard people mentioning similarities to WDT and I had my doubts. I had to hear it to believe it and I found that it was in fact true to some extent, not better -just similar.

On the other hand, is it just me or are you guys also getting tired of the lurching vocal style never changing? I wonder what happened to his voice most predominantly heard in their album Shadow Zone. I haven't heard Static actually "sing" like in the songs 'New Pain' or 'The Only' or 'So' or 'Invincible' in a very long time and I know Cult of Static would've been way more enjoyable if he had shown off his wider array of vocal talents. And please, PLEASE stop with the random unexpected guitar solos! (Please note "unexpected" isn't always a good thing.) These solos are good but they just don't belong here plain and simple. When I want to hear guitar solos believe me I don't and will never think of Static-X. You guys won't ever be known or remembered for these solos; please just stick with what we all know you are great at.

Song's that blew me away were 'Tera-Fied', 'You Am I' and definitely 'Grind 2 Halt'. Other memorable ones were 'Terminal' and 'Isolaytore'. The single 'Stingwray' isn't necessarily one of my favorite tracks but oddly it does remind me of some of the songs off of one of my favorite albums Start A War. I will admit it took a few listens to fully appreciate certain songs but I'm glad now that I put forth the effort.

Overall excellent album, definitely worth the $10 I spent on it. Personally I'm just getting sick of the lack of vocal variety and the out-of-place guitar solos. If it weren't for those two specific things this album would be right up there with Start A War and Machine. However, at this point I don't think anything will ever match up to WDT.

I don't understand all of these negative reviews. I haven't liked Static since "Machine". The moment I popped this CD in, I knew this was the band I fell in love with when they first came out. Maybe they'll never put out an album as good as "Wisconsin Death Trip" again. So what. If you love that early stuff, this will be a worthy addition to your collection. Plus, the first song has a guitar solo by Dave Mustaine. You can't go wrong with that.