The decision for Static-X‘s ‘classic’ lineup of bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay, to reunite for a tour and new album under the band’s name this year has generated its fair share of controversy. The main sticking point has been the obvious absence of frontman/guitarist Wayne Static, who died in November of 2014. As Campos and Static had a personal rift at the time of Static‘s death, there has been a vocal portion of the band’s fanbase who have criticized the venture.

While Campos has previously explained his decision to reunite the band, a new post shared by the outfit via their social media explains why they chose to adorn their new touring vocalist in a mask that adapts Wayne‘s trademark look. That touring vocalist has thus far been rumored to be Dope frontman Edsel Dope—though nothing official has been released on the matter as of yet.

The band’s current plans include touring behind the 20th anniversary of their platinum selling debut album “Wisconsin Death Trip” as well as releasing a new album featuring Static‘s final studio recordings along with some guest appearances from the band’s peers. In this below newly shared post, they state that the decision to utilize a mask with some of Wayne‘s features was a suggested by the touring vocalist and that Static‘s family approved of the idea:

“A message directly from the band…

Thank you again for the overwhelming response to our new album and the WDT 20th Anniversary World Tour.

The shows have been selling like crazy!

Chicago and Pittsburg have already sold out…

Las Vegas NV, Los Angeles CA, London England, and Melbourne Australia are right behind them and will sell out soon.

After releasing our latest teaser, we noticed that some of you are curious about how we came to our decision regarding the mask and the visual presentation of our touring vocalist..

In the end, the answer is pretty simple..

As many of you know, Tony came across some unfinished studio sessions, featuring Waynes final works last year. He eventually enlisted the original WDT band, along with our original producer Ulrich Wild to help finish the recordings and complete what will be a brand new Static-X album titled (Project Regeneration)..

The album is turning out to be something very special and we look forward to sharing more with you all very soon.

The response to the album announcement was incredible and the 20th Anniversary Wisconsin Death Trip Tour / Memorial to Wayne Static was announced a few short months later…

Let us begin by restating the obvious.

This is the Wisconsin Death Trip 20th Anniversary Tour, therefore, these events are 100% about nostalgia for everyone involved..

This was not about setting the tone for the future or about putting a new face to the band or establishing a new identity for Static-X..

This is about experiencing the vibes of an old school Static-X show “LIVE & LOUD” 20 years later, while we honor our dear friend Wayne Static.

The search for a touring vocalist for Static-X was not an easy one.

First, we wanted to keep the continuity that Static-X has always had on stage.

It has always been 4 guys.

Drummer, Guitarist, Bassist, and a Singer who also plays guitar.

In addition,

We wanted to select someone that we had familiarity with.

Someone who knew us and someone who knew Wayne and someone who had a connection to our community.

Someone who would take this personally, because this is very personal to all of us.

Once we found our guy, we began to discuss the stage show and the visual presentation for the tour..

In the end, it was actually our touring vocalist, who suggested that he wear a mask on stage..

Out of respect for Wayne and for the band, he didn’t feel that it would be right for his own image or identity to be placed in the center of something that he had nothing to do with creating…

This struck the 3 of us as an incredibly selfless and humble gesture!

The truth is, he could have been very self serving and looked at this as an opportunity for him to raise his own profile and to put his name and face out there for all of you to see.

Instead, he expressed the exact opposite intentions..

He also explained that the idea of wearing a mask would allow him the freedom to get lost in the vibe of Static-X and to completely disconnect from his own identity and ultimately serve Static-X better..

Further, he expressed that the mask itself, along with his performance each night could act as a unique part of the memorial to Wayne..

A tribute, for lack of better words.

Before we moved forward with any of our creative decisions, we first shared our ideas and designs with Waynes family.

They have given us their full support every step of the way.

Let us also acknowledge that Wayne was much more to Static-X than our talented vocalist and guitarist..

His trademark Static Electrified hair proved to be just as unique and identifiable to Static-X as his incredible voice..

In time, the Static-X hair would become a signature part of the bands identity as well as its identifiability.

The mask was already something that was decided on, so the hair just naturally followed….

All of this has allowed us to channel the vibe and the spirit of Static-X through another vocalist, without taking any of the focus away from the 4 people who originally created Static-X and brought you Wisconsin Death Trip 20 years ago..

The motivation is simple and the result is undeniable…..

The mask, the hair, and the overall presentation we have chosen immediatly makes you think of Wayne Static and Static-X.

In the end, that is ALL that this is about.

This is about Static-X

This is about the 20th Anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip, and the nightly / global memorial to our brother Wayne Static..

Anyone who doesn’t “get it”, is just not looking closely enough.

We OBVIOUSLY wish that Wayne was here doing this with us, unfortunately, that is not an option.

Rather than putting someone else’s face in his place for our 20th Anniversary Tour, we have chosen to memorialize him and to ultimately to immortalize him..

In our hearts, there is no greater display of respect than what we are doing.

We were never interested in performing with a hologram and using pre recorded vocals..

We didn’t feel that Static-X performing with a “special guest” singer that everyone recognized would accomplish the Wisconsin Death Trip vibe or experience.

For us, this is all materializing better than we could have hoped and we have no doubts that we are gong to to bring the fans an amazing Wisconsin Death Trip experience.

The stage production is insane and the band is sounding legit as fuck!

In closing, we know that Wayne would be honored by all of the love and effort that has gone into this.

We know that Wayne will be with us each night, in spirit, as we celebrate WDT around the world.

We are very excited to get out there and celebrate with you all very soon!

Much love!

Ken, Koichi, & Tony.

WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR DATES:

NORTH AMERICA Part 1

STATIC-X / DEVIL DRIVER with support from Dope:

June 18 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater

June 19 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater

June 21 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live “LOW TICKET WARNING”

June 22 – Houston, TX @ The Warehouse

June 23 – San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theater

June 25 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade

June 26 – Greenville, SC @ The Firmament

June 28 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage

June 29 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

June 30 – Scranton, PA @ Levels

July 2 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House “LOW TICKET WARNING”

July 3 – London, ON @ London Music Hall

July 4 – Ottawa, ON @ Brass Monkey

July 5 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally’s

July 6 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

July 7 – Reading, PA @ Reverb

July 9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Jergel’s “SOLD OUT”

July 10 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater “LOW TICKET WARNING”

July 11 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Citadel

July 12 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Clyde Theatre – new venue

July 13 – Detroit, MI @ Harpo’s

July 14 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall

July 16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection

July 18 – Cadott, WI @ Cadott Rockfest

July 19 – Sioux City, IA @ Anthem @ Hard Rock Casino

July 20 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge “SOLD OUT”

July 21 – Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theater

July 23 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater

July 25 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory

July 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Catch One “LOW TICKET WARNING”

July 27 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues “LOW TICKET WARNING”

AUSTRALIA

STATIC-X with support from Wednesday 13 and Dope

Aug 22 – Brisbane, Australia @ Eaton Hill

Aug 23 – Melbourne, Australia @ Croxton “LOW TICKET WARNING”

Aug 24 – Sydney, Australia @ Metro

Aug 26 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Gov

Aug 27 – Perth, Australia @ Rock Rover

RUSSIA

STATIC-X Only

Sept 20 – St Petersburg, Russia @ Cosmonavt Club

Sept 21 – Moscow, Russia @ Giavclub

UNITED KINGDOM

STATIC-X with Soil, Wednesday 13 and Dope

Sept 24 – Bristol, England @ SWX

Sept 25 – Cardiff, Wales @ Tramshed

Sept 26 – London, England @ Electric Ballroom “LOW TICKET WARNING”

Sept 27 – Nottingham, England @ Rock City

Sept 28 – Leeds, England @ Stylus

Sept 29 – Southampton, England @ Engine Room

Oct 01 – Newcastle, England @ Northumbria Institute

Oct 02 – Glasgow, Scotland @ The Garage

Oct 03 – Manchester, England @ The Ritz

Oct 04 – Birmingham, England @ 02 Institute

EUROPE

STATIC-X with Wednesday 13, Soil and Dope

Oct 05 – Paris, France @ File 7

Oct 06 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix Club

Oct 07 – Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle

Oct 09 – Cologne, Germany @ Essigfabrik

Oct 10 – Mannheim, Germany @ MS Connex

Oct 11 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Dynamo

Oct 12 – Pinarella di Cervia, Italy @ Rock Planet

Oct 13 – Munich, Germany @ Backstage

Oct 14 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Meet Factory

NORTH AMERICA Part 2

Dec 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Royal Bar

Dec 11 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory

Dec 12 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory

Dec 13 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater

Dec 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Dec 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater

More dates to come…”