Static-X — Project Regeneration: Volume 2

Five years ago, the remaining original members of Static-X reunited to celebrate both 20th anniversary of their breakout debut, Wisconsin Death Trip (review) and the life of deceased frontman Wayne Static. Touring plans quickly lead to the announcement of not one but two new albums, said to be based on material recorded by Static prior to his death in 2014. New technology had purportedly enabled the recovery of isolated vocal tracks, allowing the band to expand on plans already in the works.

The provenance of this new material was somewhat disputed, with former guitarist Tripp Eisen claiming that significant portions of the material on Project Regeneration: Volume 1 (review) were written by himself and Static. In the end, that album credits T. Salvador (Eisen's real name is Tod Rex Salvador) on three tracks; any remaining claims of authorship appear to have been handled privately, as nothing more has been said by anyone involved.

Posthumous releases are always a touchy subject, often motivated more by financial opportunism than any concern for artistry — or similarly quaint notions such as the wishes of the deceased. The band's utilization of Wayne's image and name have drawn some criticism, specifically the video for "Stay Alive" and its allusion Static's addiction issues — which ultimately took his life. The presentation is made all the more eerie by its inclusion of outtakes from when Wayne recorded a video for "Assassins of Youth," a single from his solo record Pighammer (review). It's impossible to not at least consider some of these decisions exploitative, even if Static's family has given the band their blessing.

The first installment was a very pleasant surprise, but a second posthumous release still drew a skeptical side-eye from me. Growing up with nu metal means I am also old enough to remember seeing Tupac release 6 albums — of significantly declining quality — after he died. Usually material didn't get released for good reason, either because it was too raw and unpolished or it was a demo for something else that did end up on a record. In spite of any reservations I had, Project Regeneration: Volume 1 was a very impressive effort. We will never know what business dealings occurred to make it happen, but the actual end result was a solid Static-X record — on par with any of the band's best work. There are small variations in tempo, but at no point are there any lulls or tracks that feel like filler.

Project Regeneration: Volume 2 assuaged any remaining fears I might have had, although it strongly indicates that the well of unreleased material has been exhausted. This record also lends a little bit of credence to Eisen's statements that there were demos made between Shadow Zone and Start A War, with "Black Star" and "Jic Boi" both sounding like they could have easily been slotted into either release's lineup. That being said, it's impossible to tell what was taken from the unearthed recordings and what are brand new compositions. These are seasoned pros, working within a sonic niche they crafted together.

As a technical feat, this record is incredible. Whatever the ratio of new : old material is, the production and engineering are really commendable. Not that composing Static-X material requires that broad of a range, but all the elements sound genuine: Wayne's distinctly raspy vocals are powerful as ever, complemented by chugging grooves, digital synths and loops, and capped off with a big budget production aesthetic. Longtime fans will be able to pick out tiny pieces of past songs — a key sample from "I'm With Stupid," screams from "Get To The Gone," and sundry "yeah-yeah-yeah" type lines — but not in a way that detracts from the material. The only songs that noticeably feature Xer0 (AKA totally not Edsel Dope) are "Take Control" and "Z0mbie." The new frontman does a decent job, but is dwarfed even by the echoes of Wayne Static.

While there is nothing groundbreaking about anything on this album, that wasn't really the point to begin with; Static-X were always a known quantity and have never suggested anything to the contrary. As a tribute to the band's late frontman, this is as respectful as this sort of venture is capable of being. Twelve industrial nu metal bangers, plus a competent Nine Inch Nails cover and one last bonus track on the extended edition. Project Regeneration: Volume 2 should satisfy fans of the band, delivering the closest thing possible to new material from the complete original line-up.

Summary

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of Wayne Static's death, Project Regeneration: Volume 2 manages the seemingly impossible feat of being the second in a line of posthumous releases that maintains a high level of quality. These aren't scrapings off the cutting room floor; the instrumentals indicate a band firing on all cylinders, and whatever digital sorcery conjured up Wayne's vocals has set a new gold standard. I am genuinely impressed and, as a long-time fan of Static-X, completely satisfied with both volumes in this series. Any weird vibes I get from how the band has used Wayne's image are mostly offset by the fact that these records are jam packed with bangers.

Album Information

Release date: January 26th, 2024
Record label: Otsego Entertainment Group

Wayne Static — programming, lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)
Xer0 — rhythm guitar, production, lead vocals (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14)
Koichi Fukuda — guitar, keyboards, programming
Tony Campos — bass, backing vocals
Ken Jay — drums
Ulrich Wild — production, engineering, mixing, mastering

Track Listing

1. Stay Alive
2. Z0mbie
3. Jic Boi
4. Black Star
5. Kamikaze
6. No Hope
7. Take Control
8. Tone
9. Run For Your Life
10. Dark Place
11. Disco Otsego
12. From Heaven
13. Terrible Lie (Nine Inch Nails cover)
14. Grover-Yoda-Data_14

Link: spotify.com

—by Derek

Published: February 5th, 2024.