The band's debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip, was released March 23, 1999. Notable songs from the album include Push It, I'm With Stupid, Bled For Days, and Fix. Static-X's touring schedule in support of the album included two Ozzfest stints. The following year saw the release of the little-known EP The Death Trip Continues, and the band contributed the song "Otsegolation" to the PlayStation video game Omega Boost. Push It also appeared on the Playstation video games Street Skater 2 & Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes.
After recording their follow-up album Machine, guitarist Koichi Fukuda left the band to spend time with his family and pursue other musical opportunities. Tripp Eisen, formerly of Dope, stepped in as Fukuda's replacement. Machine was released May 22, 2001.
Static-X quickly began work on their third album Shadow Zone, this time with Eisen performing and writing on the album. Before they started recording, however, Ken Jay left the band due to "political differences." Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle was brought in to drum on the album, and Nick Oshiro, formerly of Seether, was later selected as Jay's replacement. Shadow Zone was released October 7, 2003, and July 20, 2004 saw the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., a collection of rarities and demos. Later that year, Wayne did guest vocals on the Skinny Puppy song Use Less.
Shortly after the release of Beneath... Between... Beyond..., the band commenced work on their fourth studio album, Start a War. In February of 2005, Tripp Eisen was arrested in a sex scandal involving minors, and was fired from Static-X shortly after. Former guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who had been mixing the new album, rejoined Static-X to fill the vacancy left by Eisen. Start a War was released June 14, 2005.
Cannibal, released on April 3, 2007, marked the studio return of their original guitarist, Koichi Fukuda. One of the new tracks called "No Submission" is available on the Saw III soundtrack. The full track has also been released on Static-X's MySpace page. "Cannibal" was released as a digital download single at iTunes. "Destroyer" was released as a lead off radio single, before the album was released. Videos for the singles were supposed to be taken at the same time.
On March 20, the upcoming album was preceded with an exclusive Destroyer EP. The video for "Destroyer" has also been produced and is available now at headbangersball.com. The album itself debuted at #36 in the U.S. with sales of over 30,000.
On May 10, 2007 it was announced that the band would be playing on the main stage at Ozzfest 2007. Additionally, in a recent interview, Wayne Static announced his side-project called "Pighammer". The chorus of the song "Destroyer" was used in an advertisement promoting the latest video game in the WWE franchise, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.
In November 2007, Tony Campos joined legendary industrial act Ministry as a temporary touring bassist for Ministry's C U LaTour in the wake of Paul Raven's death.
The band began their sixth studio album, Cult of Static, in January 2008 after returning from the Operation Annihilation tour in Australia. In a posting at the Static-X message boards Wayne Static said that this time around he is focusing on longer buildups and break downs like in the Wisconsin Death Trip days of the band, however the album still maintains the heaviness that was present on Cannibal.
On October 14, 2008 Static-X released their much anticipated live CD/DVD, Cannibal Killers Live. On December 11, 2008 Wayne Static confirmed on the Static-X Message Board the new album's release date and name saying "I had hoped to announce it here first, but my publicist beat me to the punch! The new record is indeed entitled "Cult of Static" and will be released March 17. The "cult" part of the title is not to be taken in any religious manner, I am referring to and giving respect to the loyalty of all you good people that have supported us through the years. This record is definitely darker than Cannibal and has more synths and loops as well. And this is also the most crushing guitar tone I have ever had. There are 11 songs instead of our usual 12, and they are mostly longer and more epic than ever before." The album debut at #16 on the Billboard 200 chart, the highest a Static-X album has ever been since their second studio album, Machine. A new Static-X song called "Lunatic" appeared on soundtrack to the movie Punisher: War Zone.
In 2009, the band performed at the Download Festival. It also was the first time the band made an appearance at Rock on the Range.After finishing their final tour dates in Australia at the end of 2009, Wayne Static announced on the band's official X-Boards that he will now be focusing on his side project Pighammer. In a follow up post he was quoted "It's doubtful I will do anything with Static-X for the next couple years" leading fans to interpret that the band is still together and just on hiatus.
Later, he revealed that Tony Campos had left the band, and Campos has since joined the metal band Soulfly, taking over from Bobby Burns. Koichi Fukuda went on to join industrial metal / ambient band Drugstore Fanatics.
In 2010, Wayne Static has been confirmed for Graspop Metal Meeting 2011 as part of his 'Pighammer' solo project. He released his debut solo album "Pighammer on October 4, 2011.
In 2012 Wayne Static decided to reform Static-X, but none of the original members will join him. Instead his solo band will tour under the name Static-X.
The band's musical styles are industrial metal, alternative metal, and occasionally nu metal. But the band rejected the nu metal label and they also call their music as "evil disco". The band are influenced by metal and industrial bands like Ministry and Fear Factory.
On 1st of November 2014, news surfaced of Wayne Static's death. At this point no formal reason has been published for his passing.
Static died on November 1, 2014 in Landers, California, three days before his 49th birthday. He had consumed half of an oxycodone pill as well as alcohol that morning before going to bed with his wife Tera Wray. She woke up later that day to find that he had died in his sleep. His family issued a statement stating that rumors of his death being drug-related were false, noting that he and Wray had stopped using illicit drugs in 2009. An autopsy later confirmed that Static had died of multiple prescription drug toxicity, consisting of the painkillers oxycodone, hydromorphone, and the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam combined with alcohol, though the report also noted that years of past "chronic prescription drug and alcohol abuse" was a contributing factor.
Former Static-X members Koichi Fukuda and Tony Campos paid tribute to Static. Static was cremated in California. A memorial rock show followed in Los Angeles, and a family service followed in Illinois. In 2019 it was announced that a new Static-X album would be coming out with a new lead singer named "Xer0", who is rumored to be Edsel Dope from the band Dope.
Static-X released an album titled “Project Regeneration Vol. 1” on July 10, 2020 that features completed tracks that use demos of Wayne’s voice. The original band lineup, minus Wayne Static, contributed to this album as a tribute to Wayne. There are a few songs with the entity, Xer0, involved and one featuring Al Jourgensen from the industrial metal band Ministry. Ulrich Wild returned to produce this album along with Edsel Dope.
After multiple pushed back dates, another album called “Project Regeneration Vol. 2” was released on January 26, 2024. It features the last of Wayne’s unfinished vocal demos as well as some Xer0 original tracks. This is the final volume of Project Regeneration.
Members
Xero – vocals, lead guitar (2019-present)
Tony Campos – bass, backing vocals (1994–present)
Koichi Fukuda – lead guitars (1994–2000, 2005–present)
Ken Jay – drums, percussion (1994–2002, 2019-present)
Former
Wayne Static – lead vocals, rhythm guitars, keyboards, programming (1994–2014)
Ashes – lead guitars (2012–2014)
Brent Ashley – bass (2012–2014)
Sean Davidson – drums, percussion (2012–2014)
Tripp Eisen – lead guitars (2001–2005)
Nick Oshiro – drums, percussion (2003–2012)
My Damnation
Static-X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's harder than you know (got to change this)
Feel the muscle twitch (it's electric)
When you let go
Feeling primitive (in my dark room)
Pounding in my head (creeping silence)
They will never know (all the secrets)
Always the same and
I didn't know you were
Taking what's mine I
Can see it show through
Waiting to break me
'cause everyday it's
My damnation
Take another step (look around me)
All that I have left (taken from me)
Things that could have been (are forgotten)
Haunting me again
Set it my own ways (never changing)
Make it through the day (rearranging)
Nothing more to lose (i can tell there's)
Nothing more to say
Always the same and
I didn't know you were
Taking what's mine I
Can see it show through
Waiting to break me
'cause everyday it's
My damnation
Always to blame you
You crucified me
Leave it behind I
Can't take this hating
I'll make it go away
And everyday it's
My damnation
Go ahead
You throw the dirt
You tried
To make it hurt me
Everything, everything
Everything breaking me
Always the same
Always to blame
Always the same
Over and over it's my damnation
The lyrics to My Damnation by Static-X reflect the feelings and thoughts of someone who is trying to take control of their life but finding it difficult to do so. They feel like they are trapped in a primitive state, pounding in their head, and haunted by secrets that are better left unsaid. The song talks about the struggle to hold on to what's left, rearranging to make it through the day, and fighting against those who are taking what belongs to them.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is fighting a losing battle against their damnation, which they see as an everyday occurrence. The repetition of "always the same" highlights the feeling of stagnation and hopelessness, while the reference to being crucified makes the singer feel like a victim of circumstances beyond their control. Despite the struggle, there is a resolve to make things go away and take control of their situation.
Overall, the song speaks to the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of self-defeat and difficulty, but also highlights the importance of fighting against it and taking steps towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to take control
I am the one in control of my life, it's time to take charge.
It's harder than you know
Taking control of my life is hard, it requires real effort.
Feel the muscle twitch
When I make changes in my life and let go of what's holding me back, it feels electric and invigorating.
When you let go
I must let go of my fears and doubts to make real change happen.
Feeling primitive
When I am alone in my thoughts, I feel vulnerable and primitive.
Pounding in my head
My thoughts can be overwhelming and make me feel like I can't escape.
They will never know
My deepest secrets and anxieties are mine alone, and I can't share them with anyone else.
Better left unsaid
Sometimes it's better to keep our darkest thoughts to ourselves.
Always the same and
My life feels like it's stuck in a rut, and nothing ever changes.
I didn't know you were
I was unaware of the harm you were causing me.
Taking what's mine I
You took what was rightfully mine and didn't care about its impact on me.
Can see it show through
Your true motives and intentions become clear over time.
Waiting to break me
You were hoping to wear me down until I broke and gave up.
'cause everyday it's
My struggles are ongoing and never seem to let up.
Take another step
I must keep moving forward and taking action to create positive change.
All that I have left
What little I have left after being torn down by life and others.
Things that could have been
The missed opportunities and regrets that haunt me.
Are forgotten
These things cannot be changed or undone, and it's time to let go and move on.
Haunting me again
My past mistakes and heartaches continue to haunt me and weigh me down.
Set it my own ways
I must create my own path in life and stay true to myself.
Make it through the day
Sometimes all I can do is take it day by day and make it through one step at a time.
Nothing more to lose
When I have hit rock bottom, I have nothing left to lose.
I can tell there's
I have a sense that things are going to get better and change is coming.
Nothing more to say
Words are useless if I am not willing to take action and create real change.
You crucified me
You hurt me deeply and made me feel like I was being punished for something I didn't do.
Leave it behind I
It's time to leave the past and all its pain behind me.
Can't take this hating
I can't let the bitterness and resentment I feel towards others consume me.
I'll make it go away
I am capable of overcoming my negative emotions and making peace with my past.
Over and over it's my damnation
My struggles and hardships are ongoing and a constant presence in my life, but I have the power to overcome them.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTONIO CAMPOS, TRIPP EISEN, WAYNE WELLS, WAYNE R. (STATIC-X) WELLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind