tracklist:
1. Bien Venidos
2. Get to the Gone
3. Permanence
4. Black and White
5. This Is Not
6. Otsego Undead
7. Cold
8. Structural Defect
9. ...In a Bag
10. Burn to Burn
11. Machine
12. A Dios Alma Perdida

Label: Warner Brothers
Released: May 22, 2001

On Machine, a mile-a-minute thrashfest, Static X frontman Wayne Static merely howls, growls, crashes, and burns on his band's second album. The differences among "Black and White," "This Is Not," and "Cold" are barely distinguishable, and the overload of electronic gadgetry and kerosene vocals hardly disguises the lack of actual songs here. This is metal machine music for post-modern robots.
~ Michael Gallucci, All Music Guide

The return of Static-X marks the continuation of their trademark techno metal, or "evil disco" as I've heard it called a number of times. The music is remarkably tight and technical, though almost completely lacking in melody (with the exception of a few techno keyboard fills). Wayne Static's vocals are identical to those found on the Static-X's debut, alternating between a top-of-the-lung yell and a piercing scream. Basically, if you liked the first record then you'll like this one too, unless you actually expected the band to change their sound on Machine. The production focuses on the low guitars and pounding drums while bringing Wayne's screams to a resonant lead instrument level. Even though Static-X is often lumped together with nu-metal acts of the day, they manage to separate themselves from the pack simply because of their extreme and violent approach to music.

After a light-hearted intro called "Bien Venidos," the music erupts with a piercing scream and a monstrous downtuned riffing beast of a song titled "Get To The Gone," and in the next song, "Permanence," Static-X grinds and thrashes over a driving industrial-tinged rhythm. "Otsego Undead" is an incessantly repetitive yet humorous bone crusher with some funky keyboards and horror background music, whereas the completely dark song, "Cold," displays an uncompromisingly eerie mood with its ghostly keyboards and stop-and-go music. The offbeat rhythm of "Structural Defect" is very fitting and the vocals are a little lower than usual, for a change. "…In A Bag" offers a powerful grinding bass quality that distracts from the tedium of the vocals and boring guitars. On the title track, the bass once again leads the way and the chorus utilizes some funky spoken lines that spice things up a bit. By and large, Static-X's Machine is a decent record, even though the songs don't develop into much more than a quick first listen reveals.

Summary: Very heavy and very repetitious--lacking in melody, but still not a bad record