Imagine yourself, hacking into an FBI computer network, enclosed inside a small dark apartment where nothing more than moonlight to highlight the keyboard shines, then this is the setting that would best suit the sample driven group Static-X.
Making a brief introduction in 1999 with the album
Wisconsin Death Trip the band didn't make much impact musically. Since that prelude the band have produced and recorded four albums to follow, the latest being the recent release
Start a War, {2005}. During this period of just over six years fronted by Wayne Static, Static-X have developed a quite individual sound, blending fast techno rhythm with a industrial nuance in a metalcore theatrical make-up, which can either have you pondering or thrown back.
While making some success in their early stages, the band found themselves in many moments of loosing members and regaining them, which tossed them around constantly. This effect probably assisted the quartet into falling behind the barrage of metal and not keeping into appropriate technical rhythm with other success stories at the time with groups such as
Slipknot (with a similar sound in their first two albums),
Korn, and a few groups that were making immediate success while coming out of the darkened closet like
Chimaira,
Shadows Fall and finally
Trivium. With all these success stories circling Static-X, their reputation became minuscule and a hardcore fan base small. The band has still never made to ultimate achievement in the now enormous world of American metal.
The album
Machine, {2001} follows on from
Wisconsin Death Trip and is an assortment of everything that is Static-X. From its foregoing album, which featured the guitarist Koichi Fukada (who would later return on their latest studio recording), this album features Tripp Eisen, former
Dope guitarist who also recorded with the
Murderdolls. He would later leave weak ties with Static-X after being jailed for child molestation and kidnapping after only residing with the band for two years.
Machine's roller coaster begins with
"Bien Vendios" and is purely a bizarre circus recording which holds little emotion or style and can be shunted off immediately. After its brief disappointing precursor the album quickly turns into what most people recognize as Static-X; fast techno metal.
"Get to the Gone" remains as one of the album's few highlights and begins with Static churning out an inhuman growl backed by bouncing hi-hats and rhythm guitar, which most of the album is composed of. While this sound is somewhat matchless and may even bring the occasional 360° loop to its grinding course, it wont leave most people's heads turned, on the other hand if you are a fan then you should quite enjoy its overall composition and will certainly be taken on for the ride.
Unfortunately after even just the third track, no progression musically is shown and you're left searching the rest of your playlist for something more to your liking. It becomes difficult to string out the album into its individual parts because it simply feels like one complete piece that lasts 42 minutes, with only the occasional off-throw movement. The differentiation between tracks like
"Permanence," "Cold" and
"This Is Not" is insignificant and can drag the album into its lower points quickly. The roller coaster at this point turns quickly into a continuous helix, catching little more then a few random catchy interludes and breakdowns like in the song
"Burn to Burn", another highlight for the album. If by this time you haven't become jaded into monotony you will hear the final two tracks that conclude the album,
"Machine" nothing more the a final filler track to only concern diehard fans, showing everything that has already been done in the albums first few turns and a conclusive instrumental
"A Dios Alma Perdida" that simply slows the tempo, and mills the coaster to a measured ending, only to be finally completed with low frequency clamor.
Following up the Machine is
"Shadow Zone", {2003}[/u] and
"Beneath, Between, Beyond", {2004}. These two albums reference many movements of
Korn-like rhythms and arrangements while also dividing the equation with hints of
Slipknot and
Ministry. Overall their composition is merely a unity of these bands, showing a slight unique style, but nothing to marvel on. Machine for many can be interpreted in a similar way, and it would be being rational to describe this particular work as an average production from a band that is still struggling to start. The songwriting is simple, yet on the occasion quite effective, the lyrics aren't relevant to begin description towards because they follow a standard teen-angst style, and finally the drums and guitar are programmed to blast out a sonic driven course that can only on the rare instance gouge the surface of whatever they are trying to create.
(Machine was also released as a Japanese import with two untitled bonus tracks, adding little to it's already average composition).
