Shadow Zone by Static-X is a great album.

[pinbacker]

Having already heard two other Static-X albums which were disappointments after Wisconsin Death Trip, I got Shadow Zone and played it, and my reaction was:

1. This is the worst Static-X album I've heard yet.

2. WTF? How do you make such a great album and then start to suck?

3. Fuck this shit.

I mean, seriously. Not only does he SING on this album, in melodic tones, but he sounds exactly like the Korn guy, and a couple of these songs are borderline POWER BALLADS. How can a band that had an album of 12 straight tracks of brainblasting whateveritwas come out with this radio-friendly ripoff of Korn, Disturbed, and Alice in Chains all lumped together?

But then later I realized I kept wanting to listen to it again, and then the key became clear: It's a great album as long as you don't want it to be (anything) like Wisconsin Death Trip. It shows a far greater range of musical ability, the melodies and stuff are actually quite good, many of the songs still have very catchy, danceable rhythms, and a couple of the songs (including the very pretty, soulful last track) actually give me chills.

So, that's it. If you pretend it's a completely different band from the one that made WDT, and a different style of music, it's a very good album.

Thank you.

("Start a War" also works in this way, but not quite as well.)

[Vitriola]

It's no Wisconsin Death Trip.

After writing this, does anyone else think Wisconsin should not be spelled with an 'i' right at the end? Does that not just look really wrong? That's a total made-up word, right?

[pinbacker]

It's no Wisconsin Death Trip.

It's not, but WDT has nothing on it to compare to "Invincible", which is a completely different style of music, done (arguably) equally as well.

This is my point. I was hoping that there was going to be a band I could rely on to pump out one version of WDT after another. They failed at that. I am still looking for that.

In the meantime, there's plenty to like here too.

I gotta tell you, when I first heard Static-X, at that time in my life, given the music I'd been exposed to before, it was just SCARY. Everything about it was scary. The music, the sounds, the pictures on the cover of WDT, it was just like... whoa, this is a world that I don't know if I'm comfortable with. These are terrifying people, making terrifying, crushing music which I'm not sure I am ready to experience.

And now since I've gone through a death/extreme metal buying spree in the last couple weeks, I find myself throwing in Static-X when I need a fun, light-hearted little break.

Then again, I remember being 12 and thinking I was getting crazy and hardcore by buying the latest cassette by The Who.

[palavos3]

Pinback, if you really want some interseting metal, check out anything by Mercyful Fate/King Diamond. King Diamond, the greatest metal singer on earth.

[Metal Pinner]

I have played nothing else but the album "Ire Works" by Dillinger Escape Plan over and over and over again since I got it three weeks ago.

[Vitriola]

Do not listen to Palavos. KD/MF sucks, except maybe for 1-2 MF albums.

If you like the DEP, you might like the 2007 Pig Destroyer, since everybody I know is STILL talking about it. Same type of shit.