After the successful celebration of the 20th anniversary of their seminal sophomore album “Machine” and a major North American tour supporting ROB ZOMBIE in 2022, multi-platinum selling industrial music icons STATIC-X have announced their eighth studio album, “Project Regeneration: Vol. 2”. The LP is a collection of 13 brand-new songs that contain the final vocal performances and musical compositions of founding vocalist Wayne Static, along with the original “Wisconsin Death Trip” lineup featuring Tony Campos (bass),Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums). The new album was produced by STATIC-X‘s current vocalist/guitarist Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild. The new album is scheduled for release on November 3 and is now available for pre-order at static-x.com in various configurations, including limited color vinyl, limited shirts, hoodies and more.
The first single released from “Project Regeneration: Vol. 2” is a cover of the NINE INCH NAILS “Pretty Hate Machine” classic track “Terrible Lie”. The re-imagined version features vocals recorded by Static, along with an epic musical interpretation created by the original lineup and their producer Xer0. Wayne‘s vocals were discovered as part of a series damaged audio tapes that the band uncovered a few years back. The band’s unique interpretation retains the electronic feel of the classic NIN song, while injecting it with the signature energy of STATIC-X and their Evil Disco sound. A music video for the single — which features Static projected behind the band — is now available and can be seen below. The video was directed by the album’s executive producer and longtime friend Edsel Dope, who is also believed to be touring and recording with STATIC-X as Xer0, and co-directed by Matt Zane.
All of the music associated with “Project Regeneration: Vol. 2” is the result of collaborations between the four founding members along with their new vocalist/guitarist/producer Xer0. No additional guests appear on the album and there were no outside contributions to the songwriting, musical compositions, or the performances on “Project Regeneration: Vol. 2”. Between the two releases, STATIC-X fans around the globe have been treated to over two dozen brand new songs — most of which feature Static on lead vocals — and all released after his untimely passing.
Campos says: “I am so happy that the recording for ‘Project Regeneration: Vol. 2’ is finally finished, and the album is currently being mixed by our longtime producer Ulrich Wild. The only thing left is for the vinyl manufacturing to be completed. I am proud to say that between ‘Project Regeneration: Vol. 1’ and ‘Project Regeneration: Vol. 2’, we have been able to bring the fans 25 brand new STATIC-X songs, most of which feature Wayne Static on lead vocals. Nobody would have imagined that any of this could even be possible a few short years ago.”
Wayne‘s mother, father, and three siblings remain involved with STATIC-X‘s work to this day and have proudly attended several shows since the band’s reformation in 2019.
Wayne‘s younger sister Aimee says: “We all miss Wayne very much and we are so proud of the way that the band has chosen to honor him through the completion of his final works. They continue to place an emphasis on his presence within their live shows and it’s been incredible to see the fans continue to connect with the band’s music and with Wayne‘s memory. We fully support the journey that STATIC-X is currently on, and we know that Wayne would be incredibly grateful for all of the hard work that Tony, Ken, Koichi and Xer0 have done over the past few years.”
Xer0 states: “We are so grateful to Wayne‘s family for giving us their blessings and trusting us to complete Wayne‘s final works. This has been an incredibly challenging task, to say the least, and it has all been done with an immense amount of love and respect. I am also grateful to all of the STATIC-X fans around the world for all of the love and support they have shown towards me.”
Adds Jay: “Due to this being a two-part album and the fans having already been treated to 13 original songs from ‘Vol. 1’, we thought it would be fun to share the NIN cover, as we announce the completion of ‘Vol 2’. ‘Terrible Lie’ is just a taste of what is to come, and we can’t wait for fans to heart the rest of this album!”
STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, Fukuda, Jay and Xer0 — will hit the road in 2023, headlining the “Rise Of The Machine” tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, California and wraps up April 15, in Los Angeles, California. Dates have been selling out across the country, with select markets upgrading to larger venues to meet the demand for the tour. STATIC-X also recently revealed plans for a tour of Australia and an appearance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest this year.
Photo credit: Matt Zane
