Static-X
Cannibal
Warner


You got to hand it to Static-X for sticking together despite so many line-up changes. Their fifth album is no doubt the band's heaviest release to date, shifting away from the mellow direction their last two blasphemous albums took. 'Cannibal' sees the band return to their 'Wisconsin Death Trip' days.

As per usual, the band stick to their stereotypical disco-metal sound, working extremely apparent influences from the dance/techno loop-culture, where the same riff is pretty much repeated over and over throughout entire songs. In this release we see two minor changes. One being the increasing role electronics and keyboards play in the music. The second was unexpected: the unusual inclusion of guitar solos. I know as a reviewer it would be social-suicide to use the words Static-X and 'technical' in the same sentence, so I won't, but they have undeniably jumped on the guitar-solo bandwagon and some of the lead breaks don't sound half bad. However, for a band that is infamous for creating entire songs from two or three chords, the solos sound dreadfully out-of-place.

We also see Wayne Static (vocals) realising that he can't actually sing harmonies, sticking to sharp aggressive shouting of idiotic random lyrics.

The title track Cannibal has a feisty opening hook riff backed up by bouncy-techno keyboards... but that's it. Songs like No Submission and Chroma-matic follow the same repetitive pattern. Don't get me wrong, they have some good riffs, but lack any diversity, and it's the same for the rest of the album.

For old-school Static-X fans, 'Cannibal' is undoubtedly a return to form for the nineties nu-metallers, and will most likely appeal to you. For others, you'll need a high tolerance for repetition to enjoy this one, or you'll find yourselves wanting to bang your head against a wall by the time it finishes.

Brad Holland