Shadow Zone by Static-X

Shadow Zone, Static-X's third album, came out on Warner Bros. on October 7, 2003, after a lineup shake-up that changed the band's sound. Drummer Ken Jay left just before the sessions, so Josh Freese sat in behind the kit, and Tripp Eisen arrived on guitar alongside Wayne Static and bassist Tony Campos. Josh Abraham produced.

It's still industrial metal, all machine-gun riffs and mechanical pulse, but it's the most melodic record they ever made, with Static's bark giving way to actual tunes and choruses that stick. "The Only" and "So" carried it to radio. Four years on from Wisconsin Death Trip, the Los Angeles band was trying to grow without losing its edge, and this is the sound of that tightrope walk.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.