It is amazing that “Start A War” starts off without any introduction; to use the metaphor, this is as if the U.S. just started bombing a country without any provocation (hrmmm….). “I’m The One” steps back from that precipice to have a more brutal (instead of breakneck-fast) sound; the spastic drums that are present during the track are perhaps the high point of what is a fairly chaotic track. Each track on “Start A War” is a perfect piece of pop-metal, with accurately measured amounts of screaming and silence to placate the listening populace.
However, Static-X really hits the wall during “Pieces”, which even with a short run-time (it barely breaks 2:45), manages to have Wayne Static repeat the same phrase too many times to count. Even the Jonathan Davis-influenced track, “Dirthouse”, maintains the spirit of the disc better than “Pieces”. What is truly interesting about “Start A War” is the fact that the majority of the tracks are short, ensuring that for the most part Static-X can quickly leave a song if it is proving unfruitful for them. However, what really becomes a problem for Static-X on this disc (and it was already noticed during “Pieces”) is the tremendous amount of repetition that occurs at times on the disc. Thus, a track like “Just In Case” may have a compelling chorus but the repetition just does nothing for the track. However cliché the idea behind the track is, “I Want To Fucking Break It” is a solid track.
The differing sound effects plus the progression on the vocals really makes this a track that could be a hit (after being censored to hell, much like System of a Down’s “B.Y.O.B.”) Continuing their wild ride, “Night Terrors” is a track that really shows what Static-X needs to do during the track, which is primarily to continue along with the vocals of the track – progression is the bands friend, as both of the best tracks have not dwelled on the same few phrases that the weakest tracks on the disc were apt to do. Static-X has came through at the end of “Start A War” with a number of strong, single-friendly tracks. What keeps them back from fully succeeding with “Start A War” is the amount of forgettable tracks that were able to make it to print – if the disc was trimmed to nine or ten of the strongest tracks, chances are that this would be much more affecting.
Top Tracks: Otsego Amigo, I Want To Fucking Break It
Rating: 4.8/10
Static-X – Start A War / Warner Bros / 13 Tracks / http://www.static-x.com / http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com /