Last week, Static-X fans thought they had identified the reformed band’s mysterious vocalist Xer0 as Edsel Dope – but the frontman of Dope has since quashed those claims, comparing the speculation to “an episode of Scooby-Doo”. “When it came time to put it on stage and take it on tour, it was, ‘There should never be another singer of Static-X that’s a person.” It quickly developed into something edsel dope xero even bigger as Drama Club toured with Black Veil Brides, Falling in Reverse and Set It Off in 2014, followed by a Warped Tour run the next year. The timing was quite ideal too as metalcore and other heavy music styles began incorporating more synth/dance/electronics elements in their writing, bridging the gap between what was once perceived as two radically different fanbases.
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BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to “hide” comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to “ban” users that violate the site’s Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user’s Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a “banned” user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the “banned” user’s comments will only be visible to the user and the user’s Facebook friends). “With STATIC-X, we knew very early on that we were not going to have the overwhelming support of the media and the community,” Edsel continued.
Edsel Dope breaks silence on speculation he is Static-X’s new vocalist
Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band’s Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0’s distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person. Dope recently told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0’s identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is “properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X,” he clarified. “There’s one living, breathing singer of STATIC-X, and that’s Wayne Static. And then there’s a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow STATIC-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to STATIC-X and fits the branding of what STATIC-X is, and that’s what the importance is. It’s the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character.”
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He’s avoided confirming this over the years and, during a recent interview as well as a promotional video, he admitted he had been touring anonymously as Zer0 in the electronica duo Drama Club. Edsel then discussed the role he’s taken on to ensure Wayne Static’s legacy is handled properly, including the 2020 “Project Regeneration” album that consisted of Wayne’s last recordings. “For me, when coming onboard to help complete the last bit of music that Wayne left behind, which ended up accidentally stumbling into what became a treasure trove of content, which I’m so excited and so blessed to have been the guy who got to uncover it,” he said. “In many ways, I’m not a big afterlife person, but in this very room, I have felt him tapping me on the shoulder going, ‘Don’t fuck this up, man.’ I have a really great relationship with his family. If there was any pressure, it was self-induced because I try to imagine what it would be like if someone were doing this for me and how much I would want them to care and how much I would want them to make sure it was done right. That was the number one focus. That was where all the energy went.
Lore stories refer to the character, while interviews are always done with Tobias Forge the person. Nobody’s out here changing Xer0’s name to Edsel Dope in stories about tours or any quotes about upcoming bands. But Edsel Dope is certainly talking about Static-X as Edsel Dope, and is referred to as such. In a new interview with Audio Ink Radio, Edsel Dope said he believes the Xer0 character offers his some privacy and that his moniker in the band should be respected. Dope also mentions that having Xer0 as the frontman for Static-X, and not Edsel Dope or whoever else, allows the band to have a future beyond the iconic Wayne Static. With the blessing of Wayne’s family, Static-X was resurrected in 2018, with the enigmatic Xer0 paying tribute to the late founder as the band’s new frontman, flanked by the classic lineup of Tony Campos (bass), Koichi Fukuda (guitar) and Ken Jay (drums).
Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 + Static-X On Tour
The project began in 2013 with the aim of playing late night parties and to distance himself from the working world and other music he has famously been a part of. “I didn’t want anybody to know who the fuck I was. I just wanted to put on a mask and disappear and go do something creative and fun,” Edsel said on the Ryan Seaman and Friends podcast. “I needed a name,” he continues, explaining he settled on Zer0 “because it’s like starting over — zero followers, zero fans, zero expectations.” “There’s one living, breathing singer of Static-X, and that’s Wayne Static. And then there’s a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow Static-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to Static-X and fits the branding of what Static-X is, and that’s what the importance is. It’s the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character.” The first of two volumes, “Project Regeneration Vol. 1” featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.
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Xer0 is widely believed to be Dope vocalist Edsel Dope, who has spoken at length about his position in the band. STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, drummer Ken Jay, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and Xer0 — will hit the road in 2023, headlining the “Rise Of The Machine” tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, California and wraps up April 15, in Los Angeles, California. Dates have been selling out across the country, with select markets upgrading to larger venues to meet the demand for the tour. STATIC-X also recently revealed plans for a tour of Australia and an appearance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest this year. In advance of their headlining Rise of the Machines tour with special guests Dope, Fear Factory and more, Static-X have just unveiled an all-new mask and outfit for the anonymous frontman known only by the pseudonym Xer0.
“While remembering Static-X, of course, because no one person was bigger than Static-X; it was an amazing recipe that four guys made, but we all recognize that Wayne was the engine of it. But if he was looking down at that, dude, you couldn’t do anything except for be absolutely blown away and honored by the amount of love and admiration and the amount of work that myself and the band and his family put into orchestrating all that. In his statement, Dope also expressed his gratitude at the chance to tour alongside the nu metal band in honour of Wayne Static and Static-X’s album ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. “When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with Dope and Wayne Static. I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I’m a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip, playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing Static-X songs, it’s not the same as Static-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was Static-X. In an interview with Blabbermouth, Dope discussed his choice to go by the name Xer0 and to wear a mask on stage. He also touched on his relationship with the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static and touring with Static when he was going solo in the mid-2010s. “Really and truthfully, it’s not so much about it being private as it is about respecting the brand of Static-X and retaining the respect when writing or discussing it. And a good example I can use for that is Ghost. Everybody knows that there’s a dude called Tobias that’s behind the paint, but when people write about Ghost, they don’t call him Tobias; they respect the entity and they call him Papa whatever the fuck he is. And that’s because they respect the creative, they respect the artistic integrity of it enough to honor that.”
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- Compared with an old photo of Edsel Dope, the tattoo seems to be an exact match.
- Dope recently told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0’s identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is “properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X,” he clarified.
- Nobody’s out here changing Xer0’s name to Edsel Dope in stories about tours or any quotes about upcoming bands.
The first jaunt kicks off on Feb. 1 and you can see all the upcoming tour dates at the Static-X website. After a big year in 2022, which included a summer tour supporting Rob Zombie and Mudvayne and openers Powerman 5000, Static-X are hitting the road again hard with North American dates from Feb. 25 through April 15 on the books. STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, Fukuda, Jay and Xer0 — will hit the road in 2023, headlining the “Rise Of The Machine” tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. Just yesterday (Oct. 7) Static-X revealed a U.S. tour with DevilDriver, Dope, Wednesday 13 and Raven Black.
“I think if myself and Dave Mustaine could have co-existed for four years, it would have been a very different band.” Dope continued, saying that if Static-X had hired just a regular old non-costume-wearing vocalist, there would’ve been a shitstorm. And he’s probably right – Wayne Static was the face of Static-X, and trying to put someone new in his place would’ve been a bad call.
