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Witness: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber, System of a Down, Slipknot, hed(pe), Soulfly, etc etc... Not to mention the sudden emergence of more anthemic bands like Filter and Metallica onto pop radio. And now, Static-X. This album is tight, fast-paced, blistering metal. Despite cries of "unoriginal" and "too few lyrics", Static-X have perfected a sound that is listenable, yet crushing. They are poised to lead people from the easier-to-stomach Limp Bizkit and Korn into harsher territory with only a few bruises and scratches.

Songs like "I'm with Stupid" and "I Am" are audio napalm, exploding from your stereo and burning into your subconscious. The title track manages to be ominous and humorous at the same time, while the slower tracks "Stem", "The Trance is the Motion" and "Bled For Days" have a relentless power that is at once meldotic, hypnotic, and chaotic.

If you like metal, chances are you will like this record.


I once thought this was interesting...   March 17, 2000
 10 out of 14 found this review helpful

When I first heard the blitzing "evil disco" sounds of Static X it sounded rather fresh. It was a more pure version of the machine-gun mania from south Cal that had been a missing gap in the genre left by the Ministry (to be on a future "Where are They Now" show?).

Then I peeked back into the archives of the new formation of the metal sound busting speakers all over the country and found some similarities so striking that I suddenly felt as if I was listening to a Will Smith CD with original lyrics and the obscure sounds of the past as the shoddy support structure girding his money-making machine. The good news is that Static X's "pseudo-sampling" (they play their own instruments) is a more well constructed support.

If you have found their single "Push It" to be all the blaring industrial-core you want, I urge you to go back to Helmet's 1991 release "Strap it On" and listen to the song "Bad Mood." It's the same song without sampling. Or peruse the vaults of Prong with their song "Lost and Found" and you will hear the future cry of "Bled for Days" prognosticated from the walled streets of a Manhattan drenched in Bush-era recession (once again without the electronic aid of sampling.) And, oh yes, did I mention Ministry? Take your pick along these same lines (sampling included here, of course.)

The point here is that I am unsure where Static X begins and where their influences end - a disappointment to say the least. If it is just in the creative use of sampling, I am unimpressed and no longer interested. So my suggestion is to go and pick up at least the two records mentioned above along with "Wisconsin Death Trip." It will give you more ammo to your arsenal and a good lesson in postmodern bricolage.


!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i   February 25, 2000
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

this cd is good for any fans of ministry, white zombie or powerman 5000. it best points are at the beginning. starting with the hit: push it.(appears on the idle hands soundtrack) then the soon-to-be-a-radio-release im with stupid. then you have the static-x first song released onto cd ever (bride of chucky soundtrack), bled for days. (also on universal soldier 2 soundtrack).then ity is tuned down a bit for love dump which has some of the most interesting lyrics. then on track 5, my personal fav, i am. this song has it all. the other two standout tracks are 6 & 10. buy this cd, you wont be disappointed.