Static X / Powerman 5000 / Roseland Ballroom / Feb. 18, 2002
Face it, heavy metal is back better than ever. Minus the extraneous guitar noodling, masturbatory jams, needless drum solos, and superego bombast of yore, several prodigal sons have expanded the usually restrictive confines with an infusion of economic riffs, newfound nihilistic punk attitude, and unapologetic techno-derived metronome beats.
The newest challenger for the title of King of Metal is big-haired vocalist/ guitarist Wayne Static, leader of Wisconsin’s demonic Static X. Prancing like an uncaged animal, his savage groans and spasmodic maneuvers kept ecstatic fans bobbing heads and shakin’ fists in the air while rampant body surfers got passed overhead to the security-protected area in front of the stage. Dedicating the gut-bustin’ “He’s A Loser” to “all the people who’ve been called losers” bonded Wayne with all the angst-y, hard-headed teen outcasts feeling out of place and inadequate in our corporate-decayed society. Throughout, axe grinding Koichi Fukuda’s bludgeoned three-chord riffs, diabolical Tony Campos’ shotgun bass, and Ken Jay’s muscular skins gave each thunderous eruption an inescapable, in-yer-face thrust. Nothing fancy – just a piledriving sonic blitzkrieg unmatched by better known competitors. Anyone with a hankering for prime, state of the art metal should immediately score a copy of the quartet’s claustrophobic masterpiece, Wisconsin Death Trip.
When fluorescent yellow-haired singer Spider screeched loudly in a hoarse-throated moan, “this is what it’s like when worlds collide!” before sliding into Powerman 5000’s most enthusiastic number, pierced teens took that as a sign to slam-dance in a last ditch, orgiastic free-for-all frenzy which matched the bombastic implosion of the lyrics’ myopic, decadent savagery. While Rage Against The Machine profoundly pledge allegiance to righteous revolutionaries, Spider’s prophetic indulgences and lethal ruminations offer no concrete societal resolutions for the New World Order he exploits so terrifyingly on Tonight The Stars Revolt! So when he begs the question, “Are you ready to go?,” avid fans swirling in an uncontrollable tizzy fail to grasp the prospect of such carelessly Apocalyptic mayhem.
And while it’s difficult for Spider to step out of big brother Rob Zombie’s dark, sprawling Goth-metal shadow, his limber gyrations and the bands’ full throttle propulsion bring each catastrophic theatrical extravaganza to a glam-rock climax just a shade lighter than Zombie’s Halloween-ish spectacles. Spider’s kitsch-y sci-fi mutterings may be sociologically insignificant, but his vulture-like delivery and the dual guitar sear of Adam 12 and M.33 assault the senses with confrontational affirmation. To their legion of loyal fans brave enough to get “in the pit,” Spider dedicated the thrilling concert staple, “Car Crash.”
More visually captivating and less musically substantive than Static X, Powerman 5000 continue to improve their dynamic live shows with spirited Kiss-like execution, a consolidated repertoire, and flashy, retina-burning laser lights.