Machine (Static-X album)

Machine
Studio album by Static-X
Released	May 22, 2001
Recorded	October 2000 - January 2001
Genre	Nu metal, industrial metal, alternative metal
Length	42:55
Label	Warner Bros.
Static-X chronology
Wisconsin Death Trip (1999) Machine (2001) Shadow Zone (2003)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Blabbermouth.net	[2]
CDNow
Rolling Stone	[3][dead link]
Sputnikmusic	[4]

Machine is the second studio album from the American industrial metal band Static-X, released on May 22, 2001 and recorded at Studio 508 (Los Angeles, California). It is the album in which Tripp Eisen contributed guitars. When compared to the band's other albums, Machine features a lot more electronics and industrial effects, and much more screamed vocals from Wayne Static (as opposed to the use of clean vocals sprinkled around other albums, and "Cold" had the use of clean vocals).

Album information

Machine in some ways can be viewed as the bands darkest album; songs like "Permanence", "Cold" and the title track "Machine" have a darker more intense feel to them than any on the previous album Wisconsin Death Trip.

The song "Black and White" provided the album's first single and music video, and later a second single would be found in "This Is Not". The song "Cold" also had a video made for it, and tied in with the film Queen of the Damned. It was featured on the aforementioned film's soundtrack album, as was the exclusive "Not Meant for Me", performed by Wayne Static. The song "Anything but This", a bonus track from the Japanese version, is also found on the Resident Evil soundtrack.

Reception

Critical reaction to the album was mixed, with reviewers receiving the album rather poorly compared to its predecessor, while fan reaction was mostly positive. Despite the mixed reviews, Machine sold around 500,000 copies in the USA, making it the band's second most successful album (after Wisconsin Death Trip). It is often regarded as the band's heaviest studio album.

Production

In the unreleased Static-X DVD Where the Hell Are We and What Day Is It... This Is Static-X, it was commented that the songs for this album would have guitar solos; however, this was not the case.

The opening sample of the track "A Dios Alma Perdida", a synthetic arrangement with a filtered voice speaking in what sounds at times like English (notably closing with an eerie "It's me!"), is from the 1978 film Laserblast. This sample is an abbreviated version of a conversation between the aliens in that movie.

Comic book

A comic book series was created by Chaos! Comics entitled "Static-X Machine." Only one volume was printed as Chaos! declared bankruptcy shortly after its release. The comic was packaged with a CD containing one track, "This Is Not (Live)," as well as multimedia content featuring back stage interviews with the band and a live music video of "This Is Not" from the 2002 Machine tour.

Track listing

All versions
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bien Venidos"	0:21
2.	"Get to the Gone"	2:49
3.	"Permanence"	4:01
4.	"Black and White"	3:50
5.	"This Is Not"	2:57
6.	"Otsego Undead"	3:29
7.	"Cold"	3:40
8.	"Structural Defect"	3:39
9.	"...In a Bag"	4:21
10.	"Burn to Burn"	4:17
11.	"Machine"	3:27
12.	"A Dios Alma Perdida"	5:58
Total length:		42:55

Japanese bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Anything but This"	4:03
14.	"Sweat of the Bud" (Live)	3:24

Chart positions

Album Chart (2001) Peak position UK Albums Chart[5] 56 The Billboard 200[6] 11

Singles Year Song Chart Peak position 2001 "Black and White" UK Singles Chart[5] 65 Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[7] 35 "This Is Not" 36 2002 "Cold" 29

Personnel

• Static-X
  • Wayne Static - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming
  • Tony Campos - bass, background vocals
  • Ken Jay - drums
  • Tripp Eisen - guitars (Koichi Fukuda wrote the guitar leads performed by Eisen; as such, he is given a writing credit in the liner notes)
  • Koichi Fukuda - writing credit
• Ulrich Wild - keyboards, programming

References

1. ^ "Machine - Static-X". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r532101. 
2. ^ "CD Reviews". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=46. 
3. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/staticx/albums/album/310912/review/5944449/machine
4. ^ "Static-X - Machine (album review)". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/4525/Static-X-Machine/. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Chart Log UK (1994–2006) DJ S – The System Of Life". Zobbel. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_S.HTM. 
6. ^ "Machine - Static-X". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/album/static-x/machine/477182#/album/static-x/machine/477182. 
7. ^ "Cannibal > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/cannibal-r1031158/charts-awards/billboard-single.