Nu-metal may be experiencing a major renaissance right now, but that doesn't mean that every band usually classified under that genre descriptor wants to be there. As both fans and haters know, many of the style's leading artists have disputed the tag over the years — the latest being bassist Tony Campos of the group Static-X, whose 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, is considered a milestone of the genre's industrial-leaning branch.
Campos recently sat down with with Australia's Sense Music Media and was asked if he and his bandmates were comfortable with being labeled "nu-metal" during the heyday of the movement.
"Yeah, we did emerge in that scene," Campos said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "But to me, that 'nu metal' label, for better or for worse, for me, it was always associated with that rap-rock kind of thing, with the hip-hop influence. And none of us were big hip-hop fans, and that didn't really make it into the Static-X sound. So for us, it was kind of, like, we got lumped into that category but I don't know that we were necessarily in that category.
"We were trying to rip off Ministry and Prong. We just wanted to be more industrial era. The other thing that really influenced us was that whole electronica movement that was happening at that time — Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, those kind of acts were big influences on us, too, particularly the Spawn soundtrack that had those collaborations with electronica artists and metal acts and rock acts. That was a big influence on us, too."
Static-X's upcoming album, Project Regeneration: Vol. 2, is due out November 3rd. It features the final vocal performances and musical compositions of the band's late founding frontman Wayne Static.
