2009 marks ten years since the release of Static-X's debut, 'Wisconsin Death Trip,' which established the band as an industrially-tinged, hard rock force. After a decade of sample-driven metal, the band has released 'Cult of Static,' which vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static told Noisecreep is a bit of a reference to their legion of ardent fans. "That is why we named it that. They are like a cult, since they are so loyal," Static said.

Static also accepts that his band inspires either love or hate among heavy music fans. He thinks that the band has endured because "what we do is fresh and we're not putting out the same old crap. Obviously, we've proved a lot of skeptics, who thought we'd be gone after a record or two, wrong. We became one of those bands that could be around forever like Slayer. We can go on as long as we want to, as long as we have fun."

'Cult of Static' is the band's rawest record to date, a fact that Static agrees with, saying, "Sometimes things get too layered and compressed or there's too many effects and they turn into mush on record. I strive to keep it raw and live-sounding, like you are in the room watching the band play. It's harder to do than it sounds, to be audible, yet raw." The album features more keyboard work than previous efforts, which lends more melody. "I'm not a melodic singer so the melody doesn't come from that," Static says. "There's more keyboards and programming than any other record in the past. The riffs are more melodic, too."

The singer's new wife, former XXX actress Tera Wray, factors into the album, appearing on a song. "When you write, what's going on in your life shines through in the songs," Static says. "I got married when I started writing the record and she was around for it, so some songs are about her as I was having a good time. Her appearing on the record is more of a vocal thing. I used samples but this time, I recorded conversations and her reading things and put that together. It's more organic when a person is reading, as opposed to a sample."

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