Arriving four years after
Static-X's big 2020 comeback,
Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 is another satisfying assault of frantic "evil disco" -- really just hopped-up industrial metal -- from the surviving members of the band and the mysterious masked vocalist
Xer0 (whose identity most fans have figured out already). Purported to be comprised of late frontman
Wayne Static's final vocals and compositions left in the vault, the set was produced by
Xer0 and mixed/mastered by
Ulrich Wild. While
Vol. 1 played on the nostalgia for the one-two punch of their most well-received albums, 1999's
Wisconsin Death Trip and 2001's
Machine,
Vol. 2 digs into more muscular fare, echoing the band's more brutish aughts output like
Shadow Zone and
Start a War. For fans of the debut, the jagged "Stay Alive" stabs and pogo-bounces like "Push It," right down to
Static's shouts and the unnerving film dialogue samples, and "Z0mbie" churns with jackhammer riffs and head-spinning distortion on one of the record's standout moments. "Jic Boi" injects some trance into the mix, while "Black Star" goes full nu-metal with sludgy, down-tuned guitars and growling vocals that
Jonathan Davis would appreciate. On other genre callbacks, the catchy chaos of "Take Control" echoes early
Marilyn Manson, while "Terrible Lie" takes the most direct route to hero worship with a faithful cover of the
Nine Inch Nails classic. The band even reference themselves on the mashup "Disco Otsego," which diehards should appreciate. The de facto album closer "From Heaven" ends this set (and
Wayne Static's presence on
Static-X's output?) in bittersweet fashion, with a full minute of static (get it?) for their late leader.
Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 is a fitting tribute that never feels forced or unnecessary, and just like
Vol. 1, it's a very decent installment to the group's discography that stands tall alongside some of their strongest releases. ~ Neil Z. Yeung