Riff Retrospective: Static X "Wisconsin Death Trip"
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- Опубліковано 4 кві 2023
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Its time for a brand new Riff Retrospective with Uncle Ben Eller! This time, we are gonna be talking about one of my absolute favorite albums from the nu-metal heyday of the late 90's, Wisconsin Death Trip by Static X! Its a full album of evil disco fun, and i'm gonna show you just what makes it great by breaking down the sickest riffs this album has to offer. I'll also dispel some long-standing myths about their tuning and debunk some inaccurate TABs along the way, too.
What album should we visit on the next Riff Retrospective?!
Gear:
Synergy Peavey 6505 module
Boss SD-1
UA OX
Woodrite Warlord in C standard tuning
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Thanks for joining me for a Static X Wisconsin Death Trip Riff Retrospective! Grab the tabs and tons of other bonus goodies here: www.patreon.com/posts/81082898?
Another cool one from this kinda era would either be Fear Factory (Demanufacture) or Strapping Young Lad (City).
Detox is famous as Dev's favorite song from City. Likewise Scumgrief from Demanufacture is another big riff machine. Its all part of that heavy palm-muted industrial style that came out of the 90s as a reaction to some of the Norwegian Black Metal (even Devin talks about Emperor and how that later influenced the wall of sound on "Alien").
Thanks again, keep the faith and the videos coming. I can tell you put a lot of time into these!
Can you do retrospective of band Smak from Serbia, I believe you would be blown away with their guitarist Radomir Mihailovic Tocak.
Biska 2
Ulazak u harem
Tegoba
Maht Tema
Etc.
Those are instrumentals, so you could her Tocaks playing, they mostly sing in Serbian, but have 2 albums in English, check it out ;)
I love the love for Static X’s simplicity. It’s simple, but it’s catchy, & it fkn grooves. Evil disco forever
Agreed. I don’t think of them as Nu Metal at all. More industrial metal.
I'm older and I hated Nu Metal, but I loved Static-X from the moment I heard them, and Wayne was a unique person with a really cool style not only guitar, but vocals too, and his look. One of a kind, RIP Wayne.
Wayne was my BFF. I loved him and working for him was my honor. Cheers for the nice words. And yes, somehow they transcend the label nu metal. Must be why this is one of the only platinum albums from that era
Ha! That’s what everyone says…I hate Nu Metal but I love Limp Bizkit (or Korn or Slipknot or Tool)… you like Nu Metal…it’s OK!🤣
Yeah. Didn't like Korn, Disturbed, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, any of that. But Static-X always had a special place in my heart.
Bro made slim jims as hair look cool af haha! 🤘😝🤘
I hated a lot of it too but Static X has serious groove without the raprock nonsense or extreme angst of other bands
I saw Static X in El Paso in the summer of 2003. This club had a 200 person capacity. We were right up to the edge of the stage. One of the best shows I've ever been to.
Props to you Ben for giving Wayne and this album the credit it deserves. It was key for me as beginner in developing a tight picking hand and discovering the importance of where you place your hand in conjunction to the bridge when palm muting for those uber percussive chugs. Also worth mentioning was the Marshall Valvestate 8100 he used. The amp sounds vicious with a Duncan Distortion and a good clean boost in front.
On the note of the “Shall I grab my shovel?” sample: This was taken from an interview of a lady who fought off an intruder and hogtied him. The final sample is from the film “Sorority Babes In The Slime Bowl-O-Rama”.
Dude!!!! Mystery solved, I’m so glad to know what that’s from hahaha
Thanks 🙏 , I’ve wondered for many years where that came from … no way in hell would I have ever figured that out! Evil Disco Rules! 👑🤟🏻😎
Theres a big reason why this album went platinum!
One of those albums you can listen to from the beginning to the end!
You should do Rammstein's Sehnsucht next. Another 90's classic full of simple yet timeless and awesome riffs.
Oh my GOD great idea!!!!
Sehnsucht is a banger from start to finish. Rammstein never wrote a better riff than the intro and verse to 'Küss Mich'.
Rammstein and Static-X are similar in that regard, that the guitars don't need to be complicated. There's a lot going on around them and they just need to hit hard.
Love your vids man!
There must be something in the air. Static-X is popping up everywhere lately and I love it. Maybe it's their recent revival, which is really cool btw!
Great video as always, uncle Ben. Couldn't agree more with your sentiments. Static was and is still amazing.
Very cool of you to make a Static-X video. Sure it probably won't be your most watched video, but those of us who are here to watch it appreciate it very much.
I'll always love the simplicity of their riffs because the vocals are doing complicated things, they take the centre stage while the band brings the right amount of groove so any non musician can follow and remember, like you said they have a very percussive approach, rather than a melody they focus on rhythm. This record still holds up today and would go down just as well if it was released today. Nu-metal brought so much unique ideas to the metal scene.
Wayne's vocals really are the star of their songs. Remember "Dirthouse"? Possibly the most repetative song ever, but it's f**ng great.
Holy frick this just unlocked a core memory for me. Back in ye olden Limewire days, whenever I heard about a band that I sorta liked I would download EVERYTHING that came up when searching for them. so I typed in '3 doors down', hit search, slapped ctr+a and downloaded it all. obviously half of the shit was labeled incorrectly so eventually when I listened to my music on shuffle, I got this amazing song '3 doors down - I'm with stupid'. All I could think was "maybe this is some of their older shit or whatever but it goes HARD"
Hahahaha oh my god, those were definitely the days!
I bought Wisconsin Death Trip and I played it in my car all the time. I knew all the words. Machine came out, that was awesome, too. I got to see Static-X open up Family Values 2002, and they tore the place apart. It was awesome. That night, I saw Static-X with Wayne, STP with Scott Weiland, and Linkin Park with Chester.
I was introduced to these guys with Shadow Zone, but going back and hearing their back catalogue was pretty awesome.
I think my favourite tracks rotate between Wisconsin Death Trip, Permanence, Otsegolectric and I'm The One. They really hit on something special with Evil Disco.
I thumb-up'd this video 5 seconds into it, because I love Wisconsin Death Trip so much. Listened to it non-stop back in 1999/2000-ish. Wayne Static was one of a kind.
I started playing in 99 . July 23 😂 I wrote the date inside mi guitar, I love static X but listened to them maybe in 2000, RIP Wayne 😢
Both PM5K and this Static-X album were huuuge parts of my adolescence. Love that the simple dance’y riffs are getting some credit.
Saw them together in New Orleans - great show!
I've always thought "Otsegolation" was a love letter/homage to the legendary Dutch industrial/electronica group, Front 242. There is so much of a Front 242 groove to that song. Wayne's singing style for that song screams Front 242 in a lot of ways. Loved Static X since 1999. They weren't afraid to experiment.
Wayne did say that when composing a song, the guitar was almost an afterthought for him. His focus was on programming, singing and performing. He was such a great entertainer.
I also think that his music shares some qualities with Rammstein in that it's never meant to be Dream Theatre but simple riffs hitting hard with lots of other stuff around the guitars going on.
Sometimes groove and a simple riff is more than enough to carry you through.
One of my 1999 favorites: Filter, Title of Record. But my all-time favorite from the semi-industrial metal 90's will always be Cleansing from Prong. Would love to hear a Tommy Victor riff retrospective!
The 3, 2.7, 2.5 harmonic stuff would fit right in on a "More Things Gojira Does" video.
"I'm With Stupid" always reminded me of "A New Level" by Pantera. The chuggy groove and the half-step modulation gives me strong Dime vibes.
Dude, totally!
Static-X to me is one of the best examples of a band that does a lot with a little.
Such basic guitar work, but it's a perfect fit with all the added electronic samples taking the spotlight.
A lot of us, myself included, like to point and laugh at nu-metal, but I will always defend Static-X.
I was lucky enough to meet the band a few times, including a special private show at a studio in Philadelphia (my buddy won tickets through the radio). They were always great live and kind when talking with them.
Tony once made fun of me because I asked him to sign my hand - I asked the band to sign them since I had no merch for the studio set and had to take pictures as proof. I met them again during the Shadow Zone tour at a show on Wayne's birthday. We waited for hours for him to come out after celebrating in the bar. His hair was flopped over at 45 degrees by that point. 😆
I remember one day taking a static x cd with me to the amusement park and those songs will forever remind me of riding roller coasters with headphones on
Holy shit I’ve got chills from that Push It riff. Damn… Wayne was somehow a genius.
The Push it riff seems similar to Suite Pee by System of a Down. Just slowed down a tiny bit. Anyone else notice this or is it just me?
@@yesmaybe3791 almost all these riffs are the same. The genius is the arrangement and the attitude behind it. Part of why Wayne is dead. Live fast. ☠️
Before Wisconsin Death Trip came out, a friend took me to see them at the Troubadour in LA, and they blew me away. Such a fun band and really nice people. RIP Wayne.
Favorite late 90's album is a tough choice, but I've gotta rep Powerman 5000's Tonight the Stars Revolt
I wouldve never guessed they would play in C standard. Dethklok, The Black Dahlia Murder and Dying Fetus use it too. Its definitely one of my favorites.
Hatebreed is also in C Standard
isn't Dying Fetus plays in C# standard?
So great seeing guys like Wayne Static/Static X getting the recognition they deserve. Nu metal guys like them got a lot of hate in their time.
My favorite band. "I'm With Stupid" was the song my wife and I chose for our wedding. 😁
I just revisited Static X and forgot how much I enjoyed their music
This band was crazy underrated, imo. Not that they were 'small' by any means, but they should've been way more huger.
As for my favorite album of the late 90s, I'm gonna count the year 2000 itself and say Finger Eleven - The Greyest Of Blue Skies. Such a cool, multi-faceted album full of great songs post-grunge, alt-metal, chunky bois with some great melodic choices.
Also - that is a seriously dope guitar.
Do it. Tonight. The stars. Revolt!!
As for the riffs on this record being "nothing" riffs that most people would discard, the record wasn't written around the guitars, it was written around the synths. The guitars were to fill out the sound.
The idea of making simple, but effective riffs is something I need to really remember.
I'm not an advanced player by any stretch, but I also get lost in wanting to create overly technical stuff
Put a big smile on this old man's face. Those were fun times. Wayne had great energy in that album.
powerman 5000 for the win! That whole record is a great warmup before a gig.
Wisconsin Deathtrip was my very first “P.A.” Album I bought on my 16th birthday and played it so much, I had to buy another copy a year later. I ended up having to buy it 3 more times… still one of the best albums from that time and it’s hard to beat to this day. Wonderful video.
Evil disco is the best description of their style at this time, and I love it 😂🔥
Title track remains my favorite song. Trance is the motion is the sexiest track. Such groove.
"Absolutely fantastic! I consider myself lucky to have worked as a photographer for Circus Magazine in the past, and I had the opportunity to take pictures of Static X on several occasions. The entire band was consistently approachable to both fans and media. Wisconsin Death Trip remains one of my top favorite Albums/CDs. Many thanks Uncle Ben."
Wisconsin Death Trip is named after a photo essay folio published as a book by Charles van Schaick. It’s horrific.
My man! Coming after my heart with Static X and a Powerman 5000 reference! These two bands will always have a special place in my heart.
Favorite late 90s album? Wow thats practically impossible so much great music was released during that time all the way from pop to death metal. Quite possibly my favorite time in music history.
I was lucky enough to see Static-X open for Pantera on the Reinventing the Steel tour in 2001. Wayne was rocking a Steve from Blue's Clues shirt!!
I saw that tour too! I was at the Huntington WV show, met Kerry King out on the street before the show!
My first real concert was Iron Maiden in 96 in Memphis. Dave Murray was wearing a plain white tee that said titties-n-beer.
I dare you to do a riff retrospective of that Powerman 5000 album.
Stem is my favorite track. It's so simple and the slowness gives it more weight.
I was able to see Static X live while serving overseas. There was this 2 day show called the Beast Fest. A friend of mine had already seen Static X live and told me “you’re gonna have a blast these guys put on a hell of a show” so the background track for “Get to the Gone” starts and then they come in. They were great live. ❤👽🤘🏼 R.I.P Wayne.
I have a Warlord too. Great guitars. Steve did a masterful job on them. Great vid. Thanks Uncle Ben.
Uncle playing Static X on a woodrite ? Dreams do come true!
Haha it’s the combo none of us knew we needed
I don't know for sure because I haven't seen any interviews where they've talked about it, but I think part of the lucky draw of writing "simple" riffs was because Wayne had to sing along. Most of these groovy riffs fit hand in hand with the vocals, both in timing and in their tonal subtlety hiding in the chunky mud. First 3 Static X albums are still very much in my listening rotation.
The Staind album with Mudshovel on it has some interesting stuff. Definitely depressing but relatively unique guitar stuff.
I would love to hear you tackle "Faith no more's "Angel Dust"!
People talking about and showing their passion for any given subject that gives them purpose. It's the best content you can find.
Their music is timeless and is still good till today, can't say that about a lot of bands of that era.
Static x will always be one of my favs. Glad I got to see them live before Wayne passed.
I saw Static X 3 times, too busy rocking tf out to look at hands for guitar tips. Loved it every time, wish I had a 4th time.
I love this video! Static-X is one of my favorite bands. Powerman 500 is also one of my favorites and I would love to see a video on that album. It's one of my favorites.
I remember driving to band practice and my guy going "hey, check out these" and it was Wisconsin Death Trip and also Hed PE first album.
So chaotic and awesome.
R.I.P. Wayne Static...
Great upload my friend, best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧🤘🎸
I'd love to see you do even more Static-X. They've always been an underrated band to me, and they have so many great simple riffs!
9:00 I absolutely hear that every time as well. Was really surprised to find out that's not what's played. Crazy how distortion effects can overlap and create different tones. I love it.
Right?! So cool. Like hearing it again for the first time.
I love that Static is getting the attention they have always deserved. I was just a little tyke when WDT came out, but I also have fond memories growing up, listening to this album. Long live Evil Disco!
Oh my heart. So much love for Static-X... This is so great, they deserve it so much
Always found it interesting that Wayne always used low end gear. Epiphone V into Marshall MG series. Funny seeing a mainstream musician whose professional touring/recording rig could be bought for about $1K lol
I didn't know he used the MG as well, I know he used the Valvestate series. Just like Wayne and his playing those amps are underrated. If you expect a classic marshall sound you might be disappointed, but if you know how to use them you'll be pleasantly surprised
Pretty sweet live rig.
In the studio for WDT Wayne mostly used a modded Gibson Goldtop Les Paul. For Machine, Shadow Zone & Start A War he used a Gibson Gothic Explorer.
Sometimes simplicity is 🔑
Great video of an underrated band. The song Dirthouse is from a different album but it's literally only one note and it still rocks. Static-X is the definition of "less is more."
I find Trance is the Motion riff so hypnotizing with the simple but SOLID rhythm is lays down. Took me a long time to get into static-x and when I did it sucked me in and the infectious groove wins every time ha My favorite is Start a War but WDT still is a stone cold classic and I don't think will ever die. RIP Wayne \m/
OMG thank you so much! I was first introduced to Static X when I saw them live in July of 2022 while they were touring them with Powerman 5000, Mudvayne, and Rob Zombie and Static X was the standout for me and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. I’ve been looking for a video like this for AGES and seeing all the tricks they use like the harmonic thing is SUPER inspirational and I can’t thank you enough Uncle Ben, this genuinely made my day!
Uncle Ben doesn't disappoint!
Literally had the same exact experience
Oh man, you missed Stem. The way they let the palm mute ring out and how it interacts with the bass is epic. I really think Stem is the one song where the bass, drums and rhythm guitar carry everything. The vocal patterns really carry the majority of this album. Death trip as an album really stands out as a sonic landscape that was never able to be copied by any other band again. Even Static X never recaptured the sound and textures they got on that album.
The way you talk about this album is exactly how I feel about Tonight the stars revolt! My brother and I would just listen to it all the time like we were trying to burn a hole in the CD.
We'd point out all the similarities between that and Hellbilly Deluxe. Just recently saw Static -x, PM5k and Rob zombie on tour. Such a fun show!
Without knowing anything about Static-X, I bought "Wisconsin Death Trip" solely based on the album name and (maybe) the CD cover. I was blown away with how cool and simple and aggressive the songs were. I got to see them live ( they played after Orgy, and before Slayer, who opened for Pantera) and I was again amazed at how good they sounded live, too. That was a dream concert for me! I VERY much appreciate the riff retrospective on Static-X, Uncle Ben!!
The Trance is the Motion!!
Wisconsin Death Trip will forever be in my top 5 favorite albums. To this day I just get the itch to play this record as loud as I can and jam. RIP Wayne!
I played this and their follow up Album out, it was so melodic and awesome!!! 😜🤘
I remember my friend was like dude you gotta hear this. Instantly loved Static X. What a great sound they had.
I have been on a Static-X kick lately! And this album is soooo great! Never gets old!
Big static x fan, always wanted to learn the songs
Man, this was one of my favorite album in high school. Roaming the halls blasting this shit in my Panasonic Shockwave discman haha
push is easily among my favourite basslines from the nu metal genre it has a lot of fun groove and wdt is just such an amazing all around album
Nothing to do with nu metal they just shared a Market base and touring circuit. It's industrial metal, and was from the outset.
Because of the time they came out, they were always lumped in with the Nu Metal thing. I always thought of them as more Industrial Metal. Waynes Pighammer project was also badass, wish we could've got to hear more of it.
They were industrial metal from the outset. A lot of bands shared the Market demographic and touring circuit with nu metal bands and the public imagined it as a much bigger genre than it ever really was. I can think of like three actual nu metal bands.
Saw Static-X in 1999 on the Ozzfest tour. I became an instant fan.
Next Riff Retro has to be Demanufacture!!
Fkn love Static-X some of the most fun and insane live shows and Wayne was just the most likable fun cool guy and genius of his music. Love his stuff to this day. If I wanna get happy, pumped, on my way to a good tIme i play Wisconsin death trip. Front to back.
Some of the earliest exposure I had to heavy music was Static-X. When I was in Taekwondo we had to do demonstrations and my instructor choreographed it to Push It, which always caught the audience by surprise haha. Also, as a Wisconsinite, Wisconsin Death Trip always makes me giggle.
Can't believe you didn't include stem and the trance is the motion. Especially trance has like the most interesting stuff going on. But anyway, great to see wdt getting some more of the love it definitely deserves
I *Tripple-Doggy Dare you* to do a riff retrospective on *Powerman 5000.*
I unironically loved that 'Worlds Collide' record too. Pop metal was big dumb fun, at least for a while.
I second that.
One of my favorite albums from the 90’s
I never really paid much attention to Static until I saw them open for Pantera and Slayer in 2001. They were cool live.
Yes! All time great album. Loved this (Death) Trip down memory lane.
"Bled for days" always sounded to me like if Godflesh went more "poppier" , cool tune
I love the deep dive of static X, no idea they tuned to C standard, as I was tricked by all the tabs out there. No idea you were a fan of the X!
Would love to see a KoRn deep dive
I still gym jam this. Super underrated album of the era for riffs. The dress metaphor was solid. You may now continue reading other comments.
The first guitar pick I ever caught at a concert was Wayne's at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas - Ozzfest 99. It has the Static-X Logo on one side and KEEP DISCO EVIL on the other. It's one of the most important things I own.
this album has been a huge inspiration to me and even waynes pighammer solo album was nuts!!! the riffs wayne static created were so simple but beyond timeless and catchy, one of the rare geniuses in metal history...
I agree 💯 % Wayne Static Rules ! I love him and the Band. I really love all of their albums and the covers that they did do. Pig Hammer was so Awesome 🤟🏻🤯🤟🏻. I also loved the Newest album with “Zero”. In most cases i can understand why most people ( rock stars etc) might not ever want people to recreate them after they have passed away ( Wayne’s image ) like what they did … But this is Not like most situations… To anyone who would say that in this particular situation about Wayne Static, He was not a regular Rock Star⭐️ he sounded like he did because he was way different than anyone else out there musically and vocal style wise. By being different it made him Original and memorable immediately. it’s a huge part of what made him super cool 😎. I actually think that Wayne would be 100% into the way he and his music has lived on because of the band ( it’s obvious they really do love Wayne ) and the fans love for what he and they did together! Purely so Awesome on every level. 😎 for a couple of years I thought what is going to happen to the music he was working on? ( hoping that it didn’t just sit there in a box / or computer file and never to see the light, knowing he was almost ready to drop another album of awesome tunes ) I love what they have done! ( I think that Wayne himself would love it!) I think that given a bit more time they would have reformed Static-X and I do not see a single molecule of disrespect. I see the very polar opposite of disrespectful, it’s what he would have wanted! they have found a way we can all continue celebrating who he was and his incredible music. We all knew then and do still know that Wayne was a Special Dude as well as a very unique person that just thought🎉 about things way differently from most people do. ( Damn he was very funny too 😄) and especially considering who is behind the mask 🙂 and unlike most singers he really can nail Wayne’s very unique singing voice down just right , better than anyone else out there ever would have. Edsel Dope is the Perfect person vocal style and personality wise as well to do the “Zero“ character I think 🤔( I can’t even think of another guy that could pull it off properly!) . The guys have all done such an amazing thing and I truly believe that Wayne Static would love the fact that the fans can hear what he was doing with the new music and that his image lives on 💥💯🤯👍🏻 Super cool !!! It couldn’t have been very easy in a number of ways to finish that and get it out there… Cheers 🍻to all the guys for doing all that ! Static-X Rules ! That new album is Awesome! 🤟🏻🤯🤟🏻
Thank you. Simple efficacy. Static were geniuses of this concept.
That Warlord is screaming Bill Kelliher at me, love it!
"Motion! Can't you feel the motion? You can see right through me. We can etch a part of me!"
Such a killer album, man. Nothing too flashy or unnecessarily forced. Just badass groove and energy. 🤘🏻
I've always wondered how wisconsians feel about wisconsin death trip or if a trip to wisconsin is as deadly as it sounds 😝🤘
It's reference to a book, I'm pretty sure.
The 18 minutes went by so fast with the awesome combination of riffs, tone and that C standard tuning. The guitar is a beauty!
Riff Retrospectives I’d pay money to see:
High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings may be the easy choice…but Death is This Communion might be the pick
Down - Nola
COC - In the Arms of God