After more than two years of reschedules, fans were finally able to line up at The Clyde Theater for this stacked tour package consisting of Static-X, Fear Factory, Dope, and Cultus Black. For a lot of fans, such as myself, this is more than two years of anticipation. After the shocking 2014 death of front man, Wayne Static, who would have known that Static-X would ever tour again?

First to take the stage was Cultus Black from Raleigh, North Carolina. Cultus Black formed in 2018 and consists of former members of the now defunct Motograter. From the moment they hit the stage, you can tell you were in for something very different. Frontman L had his face and torso covered in black and white ceremonious cult body paint and his counterparts, guitarists H and T, bassist M, drummer E, and percussionist Z were all cloaked with form fitting face masks complete with tattered clothing. Cultus Black released their debut self-titled album shortly before embarking on this extensive tour, so I will admit I was not super familiar with their music. They kicked off the night on a very ostentatious note, by opening with “Witch Hunt”. They continued playing their intense singles “Killing the Beautiful” and “Nevermine”. They also added in their 2020 single, a reimagining of Nirvana’s “Negative Creep”, which they put their unique industrialized sound to. Their music is unapologetically unique laced with hypnotic melodies to draw you in.

Hitting the stage next was, Dope. I haven’t seen Dope since 2017 at my old stomping grounds in NJ and I was thrilled to see them again – especially since they’re intro backing track was the opening song for The Sopranos (felt like home). If you have never seen Dope but are checking out this tour, their high-energy show accompanied with their industrial sound is something to not be missed. These NYC natives formed by lead singer Edsel Dope, have been going hard since their 2009 release Felons and Revolutionaries. The current touring lineup consists of founder Edsel Dope on lead vocals/guitar, bassist Acey Slade, guitarist Daniel Fox, and drummer Chrissy Warner. Dope opened with “Blood Money” from their 2016 release Blood Money Part One, with its counterpart prequel album Blood Money Part Zer0 which was released earlier this year. They continued grinding through their set with their expansive discography, including “Violence”, Bitch” and “Debonaire”. Naturally, Dope played their staple medley dubbed "Die, Boom, Bang, Burn, Fuck", which consists of segments from their biggest single “Die MF Die”, “I'm Back”, and “Sick”. This medley was released on their No Regrets album, however, on the album they ended the compilation with a cover of NWA’s “Fuck the Police”. On this run they ended the with a cover of what Edsel stated as “the dumbest song ever written” – “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” from 80s dance pop band Dead or Alive. Dope of course put their spin – no pun intended – on the song by adding in their signature sound. Dope released the song as a single in 2000 on the re-release of their 2009 album Felons and Revolutionaries.

Third up on the bill was Fear Factory. These long-time legends in the industrial-metal genre are no stranger to most and have been at it since ’89. Despite them having a new frontman, Milo “The Italian Stallion” Silvestro, they were just as tight as ever, and their energy got the sold-out crowd pumped. Having Pete Webber of Havok filling in for drummer Mike Heller was a treat as he didn’t miss a beat all set. The legendary Tony Campos along with founding member/guitarist Dino Cazares helps cement this new lineup. Tony is playing double duty every night of this tour, as bassist for Static-X as well. They kicked their set off with the devasting 808 bass drop of “Shock” followed by “Edgecrusher” both from Obsolete released in 1998. Sitting at the midpoint of the set was “Powershifter” from their 2010 album Mechanize and “What Will Become” from Digimortal released in 2001. SPOILER ALERT: Dino himself said he would never play the next song live, but this late setlist surprises was “Archetype” from the 2004 album of the same name. Long-time Fear Factory fans know Dino was not a part of that album and it has been somewhat controversial since its release. They rounded out their set with a blistering three-song throwback to probably their most recognizable album, 1995’s classic Demanufacture with the title song of the same name along with “Zero Signal” and “Replica”. Based off this performance, I see they’ve been reinvigorated, and I truly look forward to seeing what’s next for them.

Finally, the time has come – Static -X was about to hit the stage! I unfortunately never got to see them with Wayne, but I knew he was there in spirit. It was a privilege to see the OG lineup with Tony Campos, Koichi Fukuda, and Kenneth “Ken Jay” Lacey.

When this lineup was put together before the pandemic, there was much speculation as to who Xer0 was, with the rumors circulating that Edsel Dope was the man behind the mask. While at this point it’s safe to assume it is indeed Edsel (although he has humbly denied this) many can make the connection with Dope’s latest album from earlier this year titled Blood Money Part Zer0. Additionally, numerous articles have also shown similarities between the character Xer0 and Edsel, including the same neck tattoo adorning both. Regardless of who is behind the mask, it’s clear that they are keeping the focus about Wayne using Xer0 as a platform to bring evil disco to the next generation. When Xer0 was first revealed back in 2019, the mask was adapted to Wayne’s trademark look. The new look for Xer0 is now a fully decked out cyborg complete with glowing red eyes, cable-like hair reminiscent to Wayne’s iconic look, complete with robot-esque arms and hands.

Static-X opened with a four-song run from 2001’s Machine, which included “Permanence”, “This is Not”, “Structural Defect” and “Black and White”. Then, they went back in time to 1999 to their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip playing hits such as “Love Dump”, “Wisconsin Death Trip”, and “Bled for Days”. About midway through, a sea of lighters and cellphone lights illuminated the Clyde Theater as things were slowed down with “Just In Case” from their 2005 album Start a War. Static-X then revamped the energy in the room with one of my personal favorites “Get to the Gone” – that’s when the bodies really started to fly over heads. What really surprised me, was they included a Nine Inch Nails cover of “Terrible Lie” into their set.

Static-X’s encore was a pure love letter and homage to Wayne. A tribute to their late frontman lit up the screen behind them, I honestly don’t believe there was a dry eye in the house during this tribute; I know mine weren’t. Then the lights went blue, snow started ascending down on the audience, and they started to play “Cold” from their sophomore album Machine along with “I’m With Stupid” and “Push It” both Wisconsin Death Trip. During “I’m With Stupid”, the band's mascot from the music video (also seen in “Terminator Ocsilator”), a robot with a big “X” written on its head, joined the band on stage and during the lyrics “So I grabbed my shovel” the nameless character stalked the stage and threatened the audience with a shovel.

This tour continues running throughout the country until April 15 ending in Los Angeles. It is evident that evil disco is back, and Static-X is keeping Wayne’s memory alive. If this tour isn’t sold out yet in your area, I cannot recommend enough to get tickets ASAP as this is one tour you do not want to miss this year!