Watch: STATIC-X's XER0 Unveils New Mask At Opening Show Of 'Rise Of The Machine' Tour

Industrial music icons STATIC-X kicked off their "Rise Of The Machine" U.S. tour last night (Saturday, February 25) at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. Video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Capital Chaos TV).

STATIC-X recently partnered with master costume/prop maker Eddie Yang and his Deity Creative to evolve the look for guitarist/vocalist Xer0. Yang is a movie industry veteran known for his work with "Avatar", "Iron Man", "Man Of Steel", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Robocop" and "Terminator: Salvation", to name just a few. Eddie got his start working with Academy Award winners Rick Baker and Stan Winston before branching out on his own in 2006 with Deity Creative. The updated Xer0 look — including the new mask and wardrobe — was the result of a collaboration between DOPE frontman and creative director Edsel Dope — who is widely believed to be Xer0 — and Ed McDonough from ECCO Studios and Eddie Yang. The idea for the new mask and overall image update was born out of a desire from STATIC-X to evolve Xer0's look to match the theme of the "Rise Of The Machine" tour. Xer0 unveiled his new look at the San Francisco show.

Says Yang: "I have always been a metal fan and have listened to STATIC-X since their first release 'Wisconsin Death Trip'. I am honored to contribute to Wayne's [Static, late STATIC-X frontman] legacy and to work with the band on their incredible vision for evolving STATIC-X and Xer0 into something that is truly unique. This project finally combined my passion for character design and metal music into one big check-off the bucket list."

"Eddie is a genius" says Xer0. "We wanted to evolve the Xer0 character into a more cybernetic/robotic figure for the 'Rise Of The Machine' tour and Eddie absolutely fucking killed it!!!!!!!

"Eddie took the mask to a level that we never imagined possible, and we are so stoked with the result," adds bassist Tony Campos.

STATIC-X's eighth studio album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2", is scheduled for release 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, Fukuda and Jay. The new album was produced by Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

All of the music associated with "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is the result of collaborations between the four founding members along with their new vocalist/guitarist/producer 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.

STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, drummer Ken Jay, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and Xer0 — will hit the road in 2023, headlining the "Rise Of The Machine" tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, California and wraps up April 15, in Los Angeles, California. Dates have been selling out across the country, with select markets upgrading to larger venues to meet the demand for the tour. STATIC-X also recently revealed plans for a tour of Australia and an appearance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest this year.

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Dope recently told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0's identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is "properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X," he clarified. "There's one living, breathing singer of STATIC-X, and that's Wayne Static. And then there's a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow STATIC-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to STATIC-X and fits the branding of what STATIC-X is, and that's what the importance is. It's the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character."

Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band's Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0's distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person.