Static-X – The Fillmore – Minneapolis MN – April 8th 2023

The Fillmore Presents: Static-X, Fear Factory, Dope, Twiztid, and Cultus Black – Rise Of The Machine Tour

Review and Photo by Jake Hageman

The Fillmore in Minneapolis was packed with all kinds of metalheads ready for a wild night of metal. With a lineup including Cultus Black, Twiztid, Dope, Fear Factory, and Static-X, it was clear that this was going to be an epic evening. In fact, it was completely sold out!

Kicking off the night was Cultus Black, a band from North Carolina known for their unique look. The front man who called himself “L”, is painted in white and black body paint while the other band members are in masks and black clothing. These guys surprised me a ton. The crowd seemed to love their aggressive sound, and I think they were a perfect for choice for an opening band on this tour.

Next up was Twiztid, who brought a completely different vibe to the show. The duo, consisting of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, blended hip-hop, rock, and horrorcore into a unique sound that got the crowd jumping and going crazy. They kicked off their set with “Phlegm in the Windpipe”, a track off their 2019 album “Generation Nightmare”. Their energy lasted the entire set, and they made sure to get the crowd all fired up. Usually when Twiztid comes through Minneapolis, they’re always playing at a smaller venue. It was cool to see them perform in front of a crowd of this size.

Dope was up next, and they launched right into their set with “Blood Money”, the title track of their 2016 album. Lead singer and founder Edsel Dope, made statements like “You don’t come to a Dope show to listen to the new shit. You come to a Dope show to listen to the old shit!” It was cool for them to also say things like “we’re gonna take you back to 1999” because they’ve been playing longer than I was alive. Most of the songs they played were on their older albums. I don’t really listen to a lot of  Dope, but after seeing them live, I’m going to have to dig deeper into material. The energy they had on stage was awesome.

After Dope, Fear Factory brought their intense industrial metal sound to the stage. The started off with “Shock” from their 1998 album “Obsolete”. The song’s thundering drums and mechanical guitar riffs were a perfect combo to get the crowd moshing. I thought new frontman, Milo Silvestro, did a fantastic job. It’s not the same as original vocalist Burton C. Bell, but it’s pretty damn close. I’ve been wanting to see these guys for a while now, and I’ve never gotten the chance. It was great to finally see them close and personal!

It was finally time for Static-X to take the stage. Xero’s performance was one of my highlights to the show. In his brand-new robotic look, he had an incredible stage presence and channeled Wayne’s energy and intensity to perfection. Not only does he sound like Wayne, but his mannerisms are also pretty spot on too. Down to every little head nod, walk, jump, etc; it feels like Wayne Static is really on stage. They played all the hits I love like “Bled for Days”, “Cold”, “Push It”, “This is Not”, and “Black and White”, and more. I was super excited to capture Xero’s new look, and I’m really happy with some of the shots I got! I absolutely love when bands have a certain look on stage. What a great night for live music!