BY DREW SINCOCK
Fans wasted no time getting in line for this sold-out show at The Underground on Thursday night with lines wrapping around both sides of the building well before doors opened. Static-X had finally brought their Rise of The Machine Tour with Fear Factory, Mushroomhead, and Dope after a few delays. Fans were excited to witness this impressive lineup of bands after much anticipation, as seen by the buzzing talk in the line. This was my first time seeing all of the bands on the roster tonight so it’s safe to say I was just as excited.
Dope
As soon as hard rock legends Dope took the stage Thursday night there was an immediate pickup in the energy of the crowd despite the lack of space. “We call this fitting 40 feet of stuff in a 10-foot box,” said Edsel Dope frontman of the band, “The roof of my Subaru is higher than this place and I don’t even own a Subaru” he continued joking with the crowd before their second song. “Good luck fitting Mushroomhead up here… that should be… fun.” Edsel finished as the band began to play their second song of the night, “Violence”.
Although their set was only nine songs long it only took four before the crowd surfers started to fly through the air above the fans. It’s pretty rare to have fans excited this early on in the night, but Dope had no problem keeping the energy high. “It’s not a party until someone sticks their d**k in the mashed potatoes.” roared Edsel before the band’s final song of the night which was their cover of “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead or Alive.
Dope puts on a fantastic show and I highly recommend catching them live. You can find the band on Instagram here. You can find their latest release here.
Dope consists of Edsel Dope (lead vocals, programming, keyboards), Virus (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Acey Slade (Bass, Rhythm Guitar), and Daniel Fox (drums).
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead put on the most unique show I have ever seen at The Underground between their water-soaked drums and the costumes they all wear on stage it was quite the experience. Mushroomhead’s two vocalists spent arguably more time on the barricade and crowd surfing above the fans than they did on stage. I always love to witness this crowd engagement at a level like this, it’s a truly memorable time for all of the fans when they get to share the crowd with a band member during the show.
Definitely drive as far as you need to see Mushroomhead live, I promise it’ll be worth it. You can find the band on Instagram here. You can find their latest music and more here.
Mushroomhead consists of Steve “Skinny” Felton (drums, percussion, samples), Dave “Gravy” Felton (guitars), Ryan “Dr. F.” Farrell (bass), Robbie “Roberto Diablo” Godsey (drums), Steve Rauckhorst (vocals), Joe “Jenkins” Gaal (guitars), Jason “J Mann” Popson (on hiatus) Rick “St1ch” Thomas (on hiatus), as well as current touring members, Aydin Michael (drums, sampling) and Scott Beck (vocals).
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an industrial heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1989. Despite multiple lineup changes over the years the band has kept its innovative approach to music throughout its discography. They have released 10 studio albums over the years throughout a few hiatuses.
As the second to last band to take the stage, Fear Factory had fans going absolutely wild. Playing a heavy mix of songs from their first three albums – Soul Of A New Machine, Demanufacture, and Obsolete gave fans old and new something to enjoy.
Although some had been apprehensive at first about Fear Factory’s new frontman Milo Silvestro, he made it clear that he was truly made to be on stage. Milo has an incredible vocal range & puts on a hell of a show. I highly recommend checking this band out if they’re ever in your area. You can find them on Instagram here. You can find their music here.
Fear Factory consists of Dino Cazares (guitars, backing vocals), Mike Heller (Drums), Tony Campos (bass, backing vocals), Milo Silvestro (lead vocals), and current 2023 touring member Pete Webber (drums).
Fear Factory Setlist: Shock / Edgecrusher / Disruptor / Dielectric / Powershifter / What Will Become? / Archetype / Demanufacture / Replica
Static-X
Arguably the biggest superstar in industrial metal, Static-X, finally took the stage to close out the night. After two reschedules of this tour due to the pandemic they had finally made it to Charlotte, NC and the fans were roaring. The crowd grew louder throughout the night as Static-X played fan favorites like “Push it” and “Im With Stupid”.
Immediately everyone loved experiencing Static-X’s new frontman, Xer0, whose costume is designed in honor of Wayne Static. The outfit was designed by Hollywood costume legend, Eddie Yang, who’s worked on movies like Avatar and Iron Man. I loved the intricate details like the engraving on the mask and the cables for hair. It was a very theatrical performance from Static-X. If you have a tour date near you go buy some tickets because you don’t want to miss this show. You can find the band on Instagram here. You can find their music here.
Static-X consists of Tony Campos (bass, backing vocals), Koichi Fukuda (lead guitar, keyboards, programming), Ken Jay (drums), and Xer0 (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
Static-X Setlist: Permeance / This Is Not / Structural Defeat / Black And White / Love Dump / Wisconsin Death Trip / Fix / Bled For Days / Sweat of the Bud / Terminator Oscillator / Just in Case / Destroy All / Dirthouse / Bien Venidos / Get to the Gone / Cannibal / Terrible Lie / Cold / I’m With Stupid / Push It
