[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "The Videography of Static X"
10/26/11
BY MIKEY MIGO
We’re closing off “industrial week” with a look at a select industrial band’s videography. I had originally intended on going with Rammstein but they have like three million videos. Same can be said for Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson. I took to the internet, found a list of industrial bands and Static X stood out to me as my obvious choice.
I’m sure there are “industrial purists” that would say that Static X isn’t “REAL” industrial. Whatever. They are. They’re one of those bands that are hard to really pin point a genre. They’re metal, they’re rock, they’re nu-metal, groove metal, and alternative metal. They’re a lot of things, but their main genre IS “industrial”. They’re of a newer breed and have carried the flag well. I was really into their first album and think I went through two copies myself. Then they sorta just hung out. I know they had some big tours and I’m pretty sure I saw them at least twice. I enjoyed a few songs here and there. “Cold” is a great song. But in reality, they’re not a band I listen to every day. I haven’t seen most of these videos so it’ll be a fun experience. I hope…
”Push It”
Album: ”Wisconsin Death Trip”
Director: Mick Olszewski
Year: 1999
This song and video are the reasons I was really into Static X’s first CD. The claymation was all cool and creepy and the visual of seeing Wayne Static for the first time was awesome. It’s a really bad ass first video for a metal band. I remember everyone I knew said they ripped off Tool’s animation style, but Static X would carry on the industrial and mechanical theme throughout. I used to tell people Static was saying “Mia-via!” in reference to The Rock. I was a dumb teenager, but this song still rocks. Respectable comparisons aside, this is still a really well done video. Rating: 8.0
”I’m With Stupid”
Album: ”Wisconsin Death Trip”
Director: David Meyers
Year: 2000
This video is as numetal as they come. It looks like a million other Korn and Papa Roach videos. The energy is right though. At lot of times a video likes comes off all stiff and cold(see band Cold), but Wayne Static’s stage presence and personality makes this video cool. It’s simplistic and a lot like a lot of other videos, but it’s not horrible. Rating: 7.0
”Bled for Days”
Album: ”Wisconsin Death Trip”
Year: 2000
I barely remember this one. It’s a live video. It has a really raw look to it. A lot of live videos from around this time frame are always over produced. This feels gritty and shows off what a show feels like. I’ve edited a hundred shows like this from many of the same camera angles so I’m really bias towards this one. This isn’t a video that’s really going to win over any new fans, but it’ll sure as hell please those they already have. Rating: 6.5
”Black and White”
Album: ”Machine”
Director: Les Wiseman
Year: 2001
I remember this one too. It had that same “sorta like Korn” look to it. I like the song, it’s a harder metal take on things as opposed to the uber-bouncy first album. The video looks good and the weird pixilation into skeletons was cool, but not enough to make this video anything to write home about. By the time the terminator robots really show up you’re already a bit bored with it. I give it more credit than it should get because it looks neat. Rating: 6.5
”This Is Not”
Album: ”Machine”
Director: Atom Rothlein
Year: 2001
Yes please. This video is awesome as is the song. It’s another live video, but it’s about 100 times cooler. The energy here is awesome, the cuts are solid, and I really like the harsh coloring. There is not a narrative here or anything so I don’t know what else to say. Rating: 7.0
”Cold”
Album: ”Machine”
Director: Nathan “Karma” Cox
Year: 2002
This is my favorite song of the bands. It’s not really like their other stuff, but I like the composition and the gloomy tone of it. The video really consists of Wayne Static working on stuff, living in isolation, reading, and then being haunted by really hot vampires that I guess is his former love. I remember that this song was on the “Queen of the Damned” soundtrack. The end is with some weird Hot Topic goth vampire battle. And yeah, the band does turn to vampires too. It’s a little too cheesy for my liking, but it’s still fun enough for one viewing. Rating: 7.0
”The Only”
Album: ”Shadow Zone”
Director: P.R. Brown
Year: 2003
This is another cool tune. The video is all performance. This time the band brings their lurking energy to a small dingy room with stuff scrawled on the walls. Then just as you can’t think they can’t rock enough, the room rises! They’re in the middle of a crowd rocking out and reaching for them. Rating: 7.0
”So”
Album: ”Shadow Zone”
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Year: 2003
Within a few seconds you can tell this video is not exactly like the others. They do have the whole performance thing going on again. This time in a lofty looking warehouse type of area. This is all cut with shots of Wayne Static roaming the streets looking creepy, praying, and doing other randomness. He even sings a long while playing an acoustic guitar in front of a sun set. Then it looks like he goes on joy ride. I’m hoping this goes somewhere. Pun intended. So it ends with him sitting Indian style in what looks to be a crazed state. Okay. I’m docking this one half a point for leading me on. Rating: 6.5
”I’m the One”
Album: ”Start a War”
Director: P.R. Brown
Year: 2005
The band… performs… somewhere. This time it’s another random location. The video has no narrative, but the editing is somewhat cool. The coloring is a deep Matrix looking green tint and the cuts, zooms, and quick transtitions are really cool. I’ve seen a lot of videos and have done plenty of editing myself and have never seen a video quite like this. The idea is simple, but the editing here is neat. Good stuff. Rating: 7.5
”Dirthouse”
Album: ”Start a War”
Director: Nate Weaver
Year: 2006
This is my first time hearing this song and seeing the video for sure. The band performs the song in what looks to be a brick room of sorts. Visually, it’s really well done. I like the coloring and the cuts, but that’s me being an editing fan boy. As a casual viewer this video doesn’t do it for me. It’s pretty bland and there is no imagination in this except for maybe the idea of the roof crumbling above them a little. Rating: 7.0
”Cannibal”
Album: ”Cannibal”
Year: 2007
I can already tell this is a live video. Off the bat it’s the coolest live video ever simply for the funny elevator intro. Then… holy shit! This is the Static X I’ve seen at Ozzfest a few years ago. Their stage show and grasp on the crowd is amazing and keeps evolving. This is a good glimpse of how bad ass they can be live. It’s a typical live video for sure. The cuts are about the same as any other live video, but there is still a certain electricity that’s not your normal live track. The song is fantastic. Rating: 7.5
”Destroyer”
Album: ”Cannibal”
Year: 2007
Wow… a narrative?! The band performs in the middle of a roller rink while hot chicks beat the shit out of each other in a thuggish game of roller derby. The video tells a little story, is a tad tongue-in-cheek, and has hot chicks in it. This is NOTHING like anything else the band has released. I like the fact they’d actually loosen up and do something more like this. It’s feels a little like a Grindhouse production, but we never get any blood. That might have been the only thing this video is missing. That was fun. Rating: 8.0
”Stingwray”
Album: ”Cult of Static”
Year: 2009
Static X’s most recent video is a black and white one. They peform in a tagged up and dirty room. It’s like one part “opening of Fresh Prince” and one part “Blink 182’s Adam’s Song video”. It’s just weird and doesn’t feel right in this situation. We get shots of a woman in her undies lurking around and destroying shit and a disco ball. Okie dokie. It looks cool and all, but it feels out of place. At like the 2 minute mark it cuts to shots of Wayne driving with a hot chick and being seduced. Ah man, she destroyed the disco balls. That’s about it. Rating: 8.0
VERDICT
I like Static X. Like I said, I’m not their biggest fan. I’ve only seen them a few times at festival type shows and really know the first album and a few select singles. The truth of the matter is that their videos aren’t all that great. It’s mostly them just standing around and rocking out while someone gets interesting camera angles of them and edits accordingly. I know, I know… they’re a road band. They are a insanely good live band, but that doesn’t translate very well when they’re playing directly to a camera in a random location. I found the couple live videos of them performing for a crowd have a lot of adrenaline to feed off of. The highs here are the “Push It” video, the roller derby chicks, and some good editing. There aren’t many lows. If you like Static X’s music you shouldn’t have a problem with the videos. If you’re not a fan of Static X, I don’t think the videos are going to win you over. Go see them live.
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