Tony Campos, Edsel Dope Discuss 'Machine Killer' Tour + New Music

On Thursday night (Feb. 1), Static-X bassist Tony Campos and Dope frontman Edsel Dope joined Chuck Armstrong for Loudwire Nights as they celebrated the kick-off of the second leg of the Machine Killer tour.

"It's really leg three because we did all this together back in 1999," Dope explained about touring with Static-X and Sevendust 25 years ago. "That's what made this work...these three bands have such a rich history together."

Dope — who also works with Static-X behind-the-scenes on the creative side of things — said it's something he and Campos have been talking about for awhile; not just touring together, but also rebuilding Static-X to the point where bands like Sevendust would be happy and proud to stand beside them again.

"No matter how farfetched it seemed at the time, we just kept working," Campos added. "To be here now after all that work, it feels pretty good."

There's No Precedent For What Static-X Have Done

As Campos and Dope discussed the work they've put into rebuilding Static-X, there is no way to fully cover it without also acknowledging the addition of the mysterious frontman Xer0 who stands in the place of the late Wayne Static.

And as strange as seeing Xer0 in that place may seem to fans — and even to Campos sometimes — the reality is that the band today seems to be stronger than ever.

"Wayne is clearly more on the minds and in the hearts of the fans than he has ever been," Dope said. "It just feels like it's bigger than all of us."

When Chuck wondered if there had ever been a band that rebuilt itself in such a way that they were bigger than they were before tragedy struck, Dope was fairly quick to answer.

"I'm a big Alice In Chains fan and when Layne [Staley] passed away, how do you continue," he asked. "They picked a very different path [than we did with Static-X]. They picked the path that was like, 'We're going to find a great singer. We're going to continue on. We're always going to remember Layne but this isn't a legacy band.'"

Dope admitted that while he greatly respects the band and the path they chose, seeing them live today isn't the same as seeing them when Staley was alive.

"When we all sat down and talked about how Static-X could exist without Wayne," Dope explained, "the one thing that we all said that we didn't want to change was the energy. We wanted to keep the energy as intact as possible so that when you went and saw Static-X, even though Wayne's not there, it felt like, in some weird way, they were representing him as opposed to replacing him."

As Dope said that, he told Chuck he doesn't really know of a precedent for rebuilding a band quite like that.

"Unless you wanted to take KISS. But then I think I'd be shortchanging that Xer0 guy, because I don't think Tommy Thayer does a very good Ace Frehley."

Will Static-X Make New Music Together?

With the recent release of Project Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 — the final record featuring the last-known work of Wayne Static — Campos admitted it feels pretty good to be done with the album.

"It's kind of a relief, like the weight is off," he said. "Here it is, man. We did the best we could with it. Now that we're getting responses from people, it feels good. Yeah, okay, we did the right thing."

When Chuck asked Campos if this marks the end of studio music for Static-X, he didn't close the door on the possibility of moving forward with brand-new material.

"[We're] dicking around with the idea of one day just getting into a studio and jamming some stuff out," Campos said. "I don't like looking too far in the future. I like just enjoying the moment."

Ultimately, Campos said it's up to the fans.

"If it's' something the fans want, I want to give the fans what they want."

What Else Did Tony Campos and Edsel Dope Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

Campos describes what it's like playing Static-X music while seeing Xer0 stand in place of Wayne Static: "It's a head trip for sure."
Dope discusses what he hopes this year might bring for his band: "I am overdue for a headline tour...the fans have always been there for me and I'm really grateful for that."
Whey Campos and Dope love Sevendust and Lajon Witherspoon: "I love that guy. That guy could call me at four in the morning and tell me we got to bury a body and I'd be like, 'Dude, this is not what I need to get myself into, but where do I gotta be?'"