WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRISS LOOMIS | The highly-anticipated “Machine Killer Tour” featuring Static-X, Sevendust, and Dope took the stage at the House of Blues in Anaheim on October 31, 2023. The concert, held on Halloween, was a thrilling spectacle of industrial metal and nu-metal music that captivated the audience from start to finish. The 2200-capacity music hall was filled with fervent fans who were treated to a memorable night of heavy riffs, thunderous percussion, and powerful vocals. Despite being a weekday show, the energy and enthusiasm were palpable, making it a resounding success.
Now five years into version 2.0, Static-X headlined the Machine Killer North American tour when it stopped in Anaheim on Halloween night at House of Blues along with Sevendust, Dope, and Lines of Loyalty. A nu-metal party right out of 1999 with this lineup, and they rocked Anaheim like never before and then some—a night not soon to be forgotten for sure.
Lines of Loyalty, this magnetic rock trio out of Kenosha, WI kicked off the night in fine fashion and successfully lit the metal fuse to ignite the House of Blues in preparation for the upcoming 1-2-3 punch of nu-metal.
Dope took the stage led by frontman Edsel Dope and played a short but ferocious set of powerful metal anthems fueled by piss and vinegar. The set kicked off with the recent “Blood Money,” then you got all the Dope hits you would expect and the crowd was intensely giving Edsel tons of energy as they sang every word. With Acey Slade on guitars for this tour, the band delivered “Bitch” as well as the medley “Die, Boom, Bang, Burn, Fuck” which gave you a little of all your favorite Dope songs. The band ended the set with the Dead or Alive cover “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).” Now half-way through the night band-wise, the crowd was PUMPED for Sevendust.
Guitarist John Connolly hit the stage first followed by his band-mates as Sevendust started their time on stage with “I Might Let the Devil Win” off their July 2023 release Truth Killer and proceeded to punch Anaheim in the face with a heavy as hell 13 song set. Lajon Witherspoon seamlessly went back and forth between barking the lyrics and hitting those beautiful clean tones as the band played a few additional songs from Truth Killer and mixed up all the hits from their thirteen previous albums.
Seeing Sevendust live quickly reminds you how heavy and huge this band sounds, and they are still on top of their game on stage. One of the coolest aspects of Sevendust—which is not too frequent with bands today—is that after 26 years the band still consists of all five original members. Connolly and Clint Lowery pound out the heavy six string riffs while Vince Hornsby thumps the bass, and then of course Morgan Rose on drums—WOW this guy is truly an animal, a hard-hitting beast on the kit—he sounds larger than life and is a visual spectacle. Sevendust ended with the intense “Face to Face” off 2003’s Seasons. These guys proved once again they are worthy of nu-metal royalty.
So it’s been a good five years since Static-X re-grouped with new vocalist Xer0 to honor the late, great Wayne Static (RIP) and he has continued to exceed expectations filling that role. His identity has still never been officially revealed, but is heavily rumored to be Edsel Dope for many reasons, but regardless of who he is, on stage he is paying the ultimate tribute to Wayne Static and we are all grateful Static-X is back.
With this night being Halloween, you never know if a band is going to come out on stage dressed up or what. Well, on this night, Tony Campos, Ken Jay, and Koichi Fukuda all painted their faces like the members of KISS and even Xer0 had a Black Star over his eye and some red lips on his mask. The band kicked off the night with “Hollow” and “Terminator Oscillator” off the 2020 album Project: Regeneration Vol 1 then much of the set was from Wisconsin Death Trip and Machine.
The back of the stage was filled with video panels and fake snow fell on the stage through many of the songs. Campos and Fukuda would switch sides of the stage often headbanging intensely. Drummer Ken Jay in his Peter Criss makeup held down the pounding rhythms while Xer0 nailed the vocals and the moves. Sonically Xer0 is almost a clone of Wayne Static’s voice—it’s scary how much he sounds like him, and visually he is wearing a mask, but has the stage moves and guitar playing down pat as well. The way the show is done totally puts you in the same zone, same vibe, as a Static-X show back in the early 2000s.
“Love Dump,” “Bled for Days,” “Get to the Gone”—all total bangers that had Anaheim in a total frenzy song after song. Static-X ended their set with their biggest hit and one of their more powerful songs “Push It.” Campos, Fukuda, and Jay bowed to the crowd hugged and thanked everyone and walked off into night. Certainly one of the more memorable Halloween nights for many, Static-X seems to only just be getting started as they hit the road again in early 2024 and have Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 set to be released in 2024 as well. Long Live Wayne Static and Static-X!!
DOPE
SEVENDUST
STATIC-X
