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)
Otsego Amigo
Static-X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leave death behind
Into the night
Otsego life
Holy shit, start to run
Look out fuckers, here he comes
Now he's back from the dead
Don't try and get into his way
'cause you won't like the price you'll pay
Party down, run away
You'll be dead either way
When he comes, give your drink
You'll get used to his rotting stink
He'll show you a time as well
In the end you'll go to hell
You see the filth, you see a wretch
You want it all, but there's a catch
All your life, all your dreams
He can hear all your screams
Evil inside
Leave death behind
Into the night
Otsego life
Otsego amigo
Hurt the ones you loved the most
He'll make you turn white as a ghost
Frightening beyond belief and
Now your life is filled with grief
With his bony hands of death
He'll choke you till your final breath
Now you see, now you know
Your evil friend of otsego
Otsego amigo
The lyrics of Static-X's song Otsego Amigo describe an evil and revolting figure that has risen from the dead to spread chaos and destruction. The song portrays this character as someone on a mission to cause harm, and warns against getting in his way. The lyrics suggest that the character is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way, and that his actions will ultimately lead to eternal damnation.
The lyrics also describe the character's appearance, which is grotesque and repulsive. He is described as having a rotting stink, and his bony hands are said to be capable of choking people to death. The song seems to suggest that this character represents the darker side of humanity, and that we should be wary of our own potential for evil.
Overall, the lyrics of Otsego Amigo are dark and haunting, and they serve to underline the dangerous consequences of embracing destruction and chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Evil inside
The character has an evil or malevolent persona residing within them.
Leave death behind
The character embraces death and may use it as a means of power.
Into the night
The character feels more alive and powerful during the night time.
Otsego life
The character's way of living is associated with Otsego, which could have a negative or dark connotation.
Holy shit, start to run
There is a sense of fear and urgency in the situation that the character is in.
Look out fuckers, here he comes
The character is approaching and is a danger to others around him.
Now he's back from the dead
The character was previously believed to be dead but has resurfaced.
Here to start the shit again
The character is here to cause trouble and chaos once more.
Don't try and get into his way
It is best to steer clear of the character and avoid any confrontations.
'cause you won't like the price you'll pay
There are consequences for messing with the character.
Party down, run away
To rest and celebrate while avoiding the character's wrath is a wise decision.
You'll be dead either way
Regardless of what one chooses to do, the character's presence is a threat to one's life.
When he comes, give your drink
One may offer the character a drink to try to appease him.
You'll get used to his rotting stink
The character's smell is a disgusting aspect of his persona but eventually one becomes accustomed to it.
He'll show you a time as well
The character is capable of providing entertainment, fun and wild experiences.
In the end you'll go to hell
Spending time with the character may have dire consequences in the afterlife.
You see the filth, you see a wretch
The character's physical appearance is disgusting and wretched.
You want it all, but there's a catch
The character can offer a lot, but at a price.
All your life, all your dreams
Everything that one desires in life is at risk when associating with the character.
He can hear all your screams
The character takes pleasure in causing pain and hearing others suffer.
Hurt the ones you loved the most
The character is capable of inflicting harm on those closest to one's heart.
He'll make you turn white as a ghost
The concept of the character's power and ability to terrify is emphasized.
Frightening beyond belief and
The character's nature and behaviors are extremely unsettling.
Now your life is filled with grief
The character's impact on one's life causes great sorrow and despair.
With his bony hands of death
The character's hands represent death and danger.
He'll choke you till your final breath
The character's way of inflicting harm and death is described in detail.
Now you see, now you know
The character's true nature is revealed and understood.
Your evil friend of otsego
The character is associated with Otsego and his friendship is seen as evil or negative.
Otsego amigo
Closing line that repeats the association with Otsego.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTONIO CAMPOS, TRIPP EISEN, WAYNE WELLS, WAYNE R. (STATIC-X) WELLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind