Nu metal is so back.
Static-X are back on the road again, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Machine. The California group, formed in 1994, is accompanied by a stacked lineup composed of Dope, Mushroomhead, Fear Factory and Cultus Black. It’s just a big old happy nu metal family reunion!
On the night of March 23, MTELUS was packed with nu-metallers, a sea of Korn hoodies and Static-X t-shirts pouring out the doors and onto the street. It’s been a while since a show like this happened, a show akin to the notorious Family Values Tours of the ’90s. I wasn’t surprised at the turnout, especially considering the show had to switch venues because of popular demand and capacity. Oh man, there are a lot of nu-metallers in Montreal. For once I’m not the only one!
Cultus Black opened the night, proclaiming to be “new around here.” For a new act, their set was really impressive, and I wished I’d been in the crowd to conjure up some more hype for them. Sometimes a crowd just won’t move during an opening band’s set and it absolutely sucks to watch. The band, however, did not disappoint. Their cover of “Negative Creep” by Nirvana was such a pleasant surprise.
Dope, boasting their new album Blood Money Part Zer0, jumped right into their set without wasting much time. I was just as excited to see them as I was for Static-X, thrilled to finally get to hear the song “Die MF Die” live. I think their set was my favourite besides the headliner.
Now, I’d never really gotten into Mushroomhead despite their steez in nu-metal circles, but they were great to see live. No need to rehash old Slipknot vs. Mushroomhead fan wars. Their stage presence is incredible, I really wish MTELUS’ stage was big enough for a band of that size and magnitude. They had quite the handful of set decorations and it just looked so cramped together.
Fear Factory marked their return to the stage on this tour since their vocalist change in 2020. I was pretty pumped to see them back in action, and even more pumped to see them play “Zero Signal” off the Mortal Kombat soundtrack.
Finally, Static-X dominated the stage with classics like “Push It”, “Cannibal”, “Wisconsin Death Trip”, and my personal favourite, “I’m With Stupid”. Towards the end of their set, they took a minute to dedicate “Cold” to Wayne Static, the original Static-X frontman who passed away in 2014.
Overall the show was a blast, and I think the crowd was probably the only downside for the most part (not really the moving and shaking type, eh?). Yet another piece of nu-metal history in the making, this show couldn’t have come at a better time because… face it, nu-metal is so back.