We live in a truly blessed age. One where tragedy brings triumph sometimes and following a well thought out roll out, a band that essentially could’ve been forgotten has been utterly reborn. We’re of course, talking about Static-X who is set to release the second half of their Project Regeneration series ahead of another new tour celebrating the legacy of the late Wayne Static.
We’ll admit to having been skeptical initially at the whole concept but then Vol. 1 hit back in 2020 and we were sold. What surviving members Ken Jay, Koichi Fukuda, and Tony Campos brought alongside the enigmatic Xer0 was a revelation and then seeing them live in 2022 opening for Rob Zombie and Mudvayne and it was almost the exact same feeling witnessing the band for the first time after relentlessly hunting for Wisconsin Death Trip following reading many a Kerrang! write-up and listening through “Bled For Days” from the Bride Of Chucky soundtrack repeatedly in the late ’90’s/early ’00’s.
Which brings us to Vol. 2, an album that might be even better than Vol. 1??? As a whole unstoppable for sure and cut in parts pretty frelling sweet all around and something that should cause the most fervent Evil Disco fan to impulsively generate the biggest shit eating grin when listening through this new collection of carefully curated tracks. This time, though, there’s no warm up, no “Regeneration” to get you ready, just “Stay Alive” kicking it all off with those familiar Static vocals and that even more familiar sound of guitarist Fukuda, drummer Ken Jay, and Campos’ menacing bass absolutely tearing it up.
One thing that stands out especially on this last chapter of the Project Regeneration is how much more integrated vocalist/guitarist/producer Xer0 is to the proceedings which can really be heard on one of the first releases from the album, the blistering “Zombie”. If you’ve been to a recent show you’ll have by now noticed that Start A War‘s “Just In Case” has made a return to the live set and on PR Vol.2, there’s a slightly updated version called “jic boi” which is almost like a duet between Static and Xer0 in places while conjuring up some crushing vibes on the new faster-paced song.
Speaking of Start A War and even Shadow Zone, “Black Star” leans into the more melodic aesthetic of those records but with the intensity of the Machine era which doesn’t let up when the beast that is “Kamikaze” dive bombs in next with a ferocious fury. “No Hope” is precision Evil Disco as is “Take Control” with Ken Jay and a slew of programmed samples/synths starting things off before a big chorus hearkens back to many a killer Static-X anthem over the years. Later still, “Otsego” returns with new entry “Disco Otsego” that might be Static-X’s own version of Ministry’s “TV Song” series and the amount of call backs to previous releases and big singles within the bombastic aural bashing. Closing out with another token Static-X epic album ender in “From Heaven”, the quartet don’t leave fans hanging with a pair of bonus tracks as their shreddy rendition of NIN’s “Terrible Lie” and the electrified Metal of “Grover Yoda” up the BPM’s one more time before bowing out.
So where do they go from here? Who knows! “Static-X featuring Xer0” has a ring to it and we definietly think the Project Regeneration albums have proven that not only is Evil Disco alive and well, but that the need for it by the original progenitors of the genre is a must in some shape or form.
Project Regeneration Vol. 2 releases on January 26th through Otsego Entertainment Group. Pre-order your copy in a variety of bundles and formats by heading here. For the latest on Static-X, including where to catch them co-headlining with Sevendust at a venue near you (Like at Worcester’s Palladium on February 16th), follow them across their socials by clicking here, here, or here.
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