Page 89 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2019 Issue

The industrial metal band Static-X formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, California and
originally consisted of Wayne Static (frontman, vocalist, and guitarist), Tony Campos
(bass, backing vocals), Koicji Fukuda (lead guitar, keyboards) and Ken Jay (drum
kits). Static-X was first recognized in 1999 for their album “Wisconsin Death Trip.”

The founding members of the band would exit as the years progressed as they began
working on their own projects, with the last member leaving in 2011. Wayne Static
still performed the band’s music under his own name as a solo act until 2014. On
November 1, 2014, Wayne Static died of a drug overdose at the age of 48- years-
old.

On October 23, 2018, Tony Campos announced that Static-X would reunite with Ken
Jay and Koichi Fukuda to release a new album titled “Project Regeneration.” The
album contains previously unreleased tracks with Wayne Static’s vocals and guest
vocals by David Draiman, Ivan Moody, Dez Fafara, Burton C. Bell, Al Jourgensen,
and Edsel Dope.

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The release of “Project Regeneration” kicked off the Wisconsin Death Trip 20
Anniversary Tour, featuring a masked, unnamed vocalist on lead vocals and guitar -
- who was heavily rumored to be Edsel Dope.

ION Indie Magazine attended the Static-X show at Wally’s in Hampton Beach, New
Hampshire. As the band took the stage, the rhythmic drumming of their song “Bled
for Days” began. The crowd cheered as the masked frontman growled, “It’s
meaningless, it’s meaningless, it’s meaningless…” It was anything but meaningless,
though. The emotion pouring out from the band into the crowd was enough to
summon the spirit of Wayne Static himself.

As the show progressed, the band went on to perform the entirety of the “Wisconsin
Death Trip” album. The singer, whose identity was never revealed, caused a buzz
among fans -- who were convinced it was Edsel Dope as he was touring with the
band across the country. The roar of the sold-out crowd at the end of their set
demonstrated Static-X has successfully regenerated -- and paid homage to Wayne.

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