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01.31.02 07:08:57 PM

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Static-X - Machine

            The long awaited follow up to Static-X’s debut; Wisconsin Death Trip has come blasting out of the studio and into our CD players like a big vicious snarling beast.  The punchy guitar and sample driven riffs come at you with no less fury than angry hellfire.  Mayhaps you remember the belligerent single “This is Not”.  Whether you heard it on the radio or off a shiny green demo disc handed to you by a tall, shady informant, the reaction everywhere was the same: “Thank you sir, may I have another.” As in, this is good shit.

            Now we have in our greedy little hands the full version, finished product and boy is it satisfying.  The excellent new Machine is a very worthwhile CD to spend your money on.  The majority of the CD is the same ferocious and insane evil sample drenched hard metal you heard before, only this time its faster, angrier, harder, heavier and above all else- better.  It’s also very safe to say that the CD has an interesting variety and mix of this winning formula.  Songs like the killer fast Get to the Gone and driving Permanence open the CD, and really get you in the mood to thrash around and destroy everything.  Other songs like the previously mentioned This is Not and Structural Defect spread the bellicose insanity with that good old “I’m insane and angry, get out of my way” type feeling. Still more variety can be found with the plodding, pounding and driving of such painful tracks as Cold and Machine’s title track: Machine.  These songs are heavy, slow and pretty darn good.  And while they are enjoyable, after a while you get the sensation that something is trying to bore into your skull, anyways... the CD is also doubly Mexican, with the opening and closing tracks, Bien Venidos and A Dios Alma Perdida, comprised mostly of some type of frantic Mexican music, composed mostly in part by the band’s crazy, short [and lovable?] Mexican American bassist, Tony Campos.  Who, by the way, got a haircut along with Wayne.  Also the band’s old guitarist Fukuda left due to language differences.  He has been replaced by the now ex-Dope guitarist Tripp Eisen.

            All in all, the new Static-X album is hard evidence to all those who would ask- Static-X has what it takes to be a kick ass band. They not only follow up to their “evil” debut, but they can top it.  The only question I have is- What’s next?

            Machine is Static-X version 2.0; harder, heavier, faster and better than ever before. Proof that they can do it again.  My only complaint is that the CD is a little short. Oh well, I’ll just listen to it again.

Razor_Mag\\E-Mail

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