Music-Reviewer.com
April 2009 Music-Reviewer.com
Static X’s Cult of Static
By Heather Gioia
Intern
Title Cult of Static
Label Reprise Records
Rating 7 out of 10
For those of you who thought Static X was a one-hit-wonder with Push It in 1999, you were wrong.
Releasing their sixth album, Cult of Static, and continuing to work on albums to come, Static X continues to prove they are more than just some boys who “struck it lucky” with their debut album in the late 90’s. Cult of Static is the bigger, moodier, layered epic sound that Cannibal (2007) was lacking.
Offering fans the new sound of continuous improvement, Static X starts things off on a fresh note. Lunatic has a raw sound and a gripping groove, and that is just the beginning of a nonstop ride. Terminal takes the sound to another extreme. Slowing the guitar tempo down providing the perfect backdrop for Static’s moodier, dark and deep vocals; Koichi Fuduka, guitarist, showcases his talents, picking up the speed during his provocative solos. Terminal captures the unmistakable and remarkable sound that simple riffs and rhythms are made into when played by talented Heavy Metal musicians.
The pounding sound and heart pumping beats don’t stop with Terminal. With a brutal assault, Nick Oshiro, drummer, captures a deadly and haunting beat that is unmistakably intense in Hypure. The drums are accompanied by the wailing guitar of Fuduka lying-in behind the demonic sound of Static.
Because your heart may be pumping too fast for your body to handle track five, Tera-Field slows the pace back down and provides a five-plus minute ride through groovy riffs, dark metal sounds and epic gritty howls. Tera-Field is a track you can sit back and completely escape the terrors of everyday life in.
Making sure you’re not too relaxed however, Stingwray picks back up the beat. But it’s You Am I that really takes the cake. With a unique cybernetic rhythmic, a breakthrough throbbing sound, and mysterious grooves, You Am I almost literally explodes with power.
Get ready to hit the gas, get up and move as the rhythms of Skinned take over your body! Then, ending on as brutal a note as they began, Grind 2 Halt is an electronic journey of distortion and brutal noises that spiral into oblivion. Sit back or stand up – your call… Grind 2 Halt is a distorted journey thrown together with the familiar Static X sound to create a musical ride fans will really want to experience.
With fast-driving songs, raw noises and somewhat absent-minded passages, Cult Of Static is evidence of the sweat, thrown-out voices and numb fingers that Static X puts into all of their work.
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