STATIC-X's TONY CAMPOS Says Working On 'Project Regeneration' Albums Has Been 'Really Satisfying'

STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos spoke to Australia's Metal-Roos about the band's upcoming eighth studio album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Due on November 3, the LP is a collection of 13 brand-new songs that contain the final vocal performances and musical compositions of founding vocalist Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup featuring Campos, Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums). The new album was produced by STATIC-X's current vocalist/guitarist Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

Regarding why he and his bandmates decided to make"Project Regeneration" a two-volume project, Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The majority of that stuff, of the stuff on the record, is all from just tapes and demos that we found just laying around in a storage space. After we found that last batch of demos and Wayne's vocal tracks, we were, like, 'This ain't all gonna fit on one record.' [Laughs]"

Asked how he would compare "Vol. 2" to "Vol. 1", which came out in July 2020, Campos said: "It's the continuation of the work that we started on 'Vol. 1'. So it's gonna be a lot of Wayne vocals, Wayne's riffs that we all worked [on] and brought to life as completed songs."

Looking back on "Vol. 1" turned out, Tony said: "I think the album came out great. There were some songs on there that I knew, off the bat, were gonna be good and then others that just were complete surprises. And we were just, like, 'Wow. This is really awesome.' The last track on 'Vol. 1', in particular, was a big surprise. I didn't think we would be able to make much of it, but it really blossomed into something special."

Asked if there are any surprises like that on "Vol. 2", Campos said: "Yeah. There's some tracks that were really rough. And just to [get them to] the place we got 'em has been really satisfying."

The first single released from "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is a cover of the NINE INCH NAILS "Pretty Hate Machine" classic track "Terrible Lie". The re-imagined version features vocals recorded by Static, along with a musical interpretation created by the original lineup and their producer Xer0. Wayne's vocals were discovered as part of a series damaged audio tapes that the band uncovered a few years back. A music video for the single — which features Static projected behind the band — is now available and can be seen below. The video was directed by the album's executive producer and longtime friend Edsel Dope, who is also believed to be touring and recording with STATIC-X as Xer0, and co-directed by Matt Zane.

All of the music associated with "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is the result of collaborations between the four founding members along with Xer0. No additional guests appear on the album and there were no outside contributions to the songwriting, musical compositions, or the performances on "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Between the two releases, STATIC-X fans around the globe have been treated to over two dozen brand new songs — most of which feature Static on lead vocals — and all released after his untimely passing.

Wayne's mother, father, and three siblings remain involved with STATIC-X's work to this day and have attended several shows since the band's reformation in 2019.

STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, Fukuda, Jay and Xer0 — hit the road in late February, headlining the "Rise Of The Machine" tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. The 42-date trek will wrap up April 15, in Los Angeles, California. STATIC-X also recently revealed plans for a tour of Australia and an appearance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest this year.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer