Goth- and industrial-influenced rockers Static-X [ tickets ] have a knack for landing some of the most prominent tours in their genre.

The band played Ozzfest's second stage in 1999, and landed on the main stage the following year. In lieu of this year's Ozzfest, Static-X joined Pantera and Slayer for a summer jaunt. And this fall, Static-X has headed out with Staind, Linkin Park, Stone Temple Pilots and others for the Family Values tour.

Static-X has the ability to seamlessly blend electronic and acoustic rock sounds--frontman Wayne Static calls that the very base of his group's sound. The band shows off those skills on its two albums: 1999�s "Wisconsin Death Trip" and the 2001 effort "Machine," both released on Warner Bros.

Static talked with liveDaily about touring, "Machine" and new guitarist Tripp Rex Eisen, formerly of Dope.

You toured this summer with Pantera and Slayer. How did that differ from your years with Ozzfest?

[The Pantera tour] was geared toward the truer metal audience. Ozzfest has the metal bands, but they have this thing that people are calling nu-metal. A lot of the old-school metal heads just don�t appreciate it, don�t get it, don�t care about it. But yet, at the same time, the kids that are into that nu-metal stuff still like Pantera as well.

Would you say that Ozzfest was a big tool in promoting your band?

I think so. Both years. The last year when we did that [2000], I think it was really great [for the public's perception of the band] for us to have gone from the second stage to the main stage at a really good time slot. I know it was a really good tour for us.

You're out on the road pushing your second album, "Machine," just as "Wisconsin Death Trip" went platinum. Was the recording process for your new album different than for your previous effort?

The debut was done old-school. We went into a studio and laid stuff down on analog tape. The new record, we brought some big computers into our rehearsal studio and did everything digital, which was very cool. We got to experiment a little more with layering things. You're not limited by the width of the tape. It always allows you to experiment with different arrangements.

So, in layman's terms, you're able to able to do that more with digital because you're not wasting tape?

Yes, there's no tape involved. You don't have to erase anything. You can make changes. You can go back to the old version if you don't like the new version. It's awesome, it's really great for us. All the songs were written [when we went into the studio] but they still needed endings, some of the arrangements weren�t finished. It was really helpful for us.

Several critics and fans have compared "Machine" to industrial rockers Ministry. Would you agree with that?

We get that. I have to say they're one of the main influences on this band. But I wouldn''t say we sound like Ministry. I think you can hear some of it in there.

Did you become a fan of Ministry while you were living in Chicago for eight years?

Yeah, definitely. I lived in Chicago during a time when Ministry was really big and Chicago was at the forefront of this whole industrial thing.

The techno and goth influences are what really makes Static-X stand out from the metal or nu-metal bands that are out today. Would you say those touches are important to Static-X?

It�s really the foundation of what we do. A lot of metal bands that are also experimenting with electronics, they write the songs as a band, and when they're all done, they go, "Let's put some electronics on top of it. Let's put some keyboards in there." With us, everything starts with the loops and the programs. We build the song on top of that.

Do you still listen to a lot of electronic acts?

I was really into that more so a couple years ago than I am now. I'm not excited about anything new these days. Still waiting for the next Prodigy record, you know? [Laughs]

What are you currently listening to?

I don't know. I haven't really been listening to a lot of new stuff. I've been in a phase where I've been listening to some stuff I grew up with: Rush and KISS, and even some goth stuff, Ministry, and even some death metal like Obituary's record "End Complete." Haven't been listening to anything new lately.

While you were recording "Machine," your original guitarist Koichi Fukuda left the group and was replaced by former Dope axeman Tripp Rex Eisen. What does he bring to Static-X?

He didn't play on the record before. Koichi left as we started recording, and we just thought, "It doesn�t make any sense to sit around and wait for somebody else. We can make the record with just the three of us." We made the record and found Tripp along the way. I think he really brings a lot to our live show. He's just an awesome entertainer, guitarist. He makes us all work harder.

How does the songwriting process work with Static-X?

I kind of come up with the basic song--the programming, loops, guitar riffs, vocal ideas, drum beats, stuff like that. I have 80 percent of the song put together, then I present that to the band, and we all finish it out from there. Everybody has their own parts. Everybody works on the arrangements.

I spent a year putting "Machine" together. On tour, every day off, I was in the hotel room writing. A lot of show days I was on the bus, working. It's really important for a band that has a successful first album to get right back out there and put out a second record that's as good as the first one. It is a daunting task, and not a lot of bands can do it. I wanted to make sure we did our best.