A brief snippet of a previously unheard Wayne Static solo song titled “Infiltrator” has made its way online, courtesy of Society 1 frontman and filmmaker Matt Zane. The release is tied to Zane‘s ongoing, unauthorized documentary detailing the final years of the late Static-X vocalist and his wife, Tera Wray.
Wayne Static tragically passed away in November 2014 from a fatal mixture of prescription dr*gs and alcohol, and Tera Wray took her own life shortly after in January 2016.
The documentary project has been heavily criticized and opposed by the estates of both Static and Wray, as well as the surviving members of Static-X. An initial crowdfunding campaign for the film only pulled in $400 from four backers, prompting Zane to finance the project entirely out of his own pocket. Despite the widespread pushback, Zane maintains that he was a close friend to the couple and is honoring their true wishes by documenting their turbulent final years.
A major point of contention surrounding the film is a collection of six unreleased tracks that Static allegedly worked on alongside Zane. Because the Static estate has strictly prohibited the use of Wayne‘s actual vocal recordings in the documentary, Zane has decided to completely re-track the vocals using a soundalike singer.
Taking to Instagram on March 5th, Zane shared his side of the story in a detailed statement, explaining the legal roadblocks and his ultimate plan for the music. Speaking in the third person, he introduced the situation:
“An unfinished, previously unheard track recorded by late Static-X frontman Wayne Static has surfaced as part of filmmaker Matt Zane’s ongoing unauthorized documentary project.”
He then elaborated on his attempts to compromise with the families, emphasizing that the material was never intended for Static-X:
“I want to make it clear, I’d love to finish and give Wayne’s fans his final recording but the families and Static-X aren’t allowing it,” said Zane. “I’d give 100% of the profits of the music to Wayne’s and Tera’s family as long as the recordings were kept in their original form. They were recorded as Wayne Static solo music, not Static-X.”
According to the filmmaker, the unreleased music stems from a 2008 collaboration when he was directing Tera Wray in a music-based series called “Radium.” During that time, Static reportedly offered up some of his own solo compositions to serve as the soundtrack.
“Warner Brothers stopped us but not before Wayne gave me a bunch of stuff,” Zane explained. “I cover the entire ordeal in the documentary. I have a video of Wayne publicly admitting he wrote music for the series.”
While he plans to utilize certain riffs and ideas from those 2008 sessions, he noted that he will leave some of the fully completed tracks alone out of respect for the late musician’s solo writing.
“There are songs that I won’t touch that Wayne wrote 100% of,” Zane stated. “But all the misc. riffs and other ideas are what I’ll use. Wayne liked what I was doing with them so I figure I’m on the right track.”
With Wayne‘s original vocal stems legally off-limits, Zane has issued an open casting call to find a singer who can mimic the iconic frontman’s distinct, aggressive style. To justify the decision, he drew a direct comparison to Jonathan Davis‘ famous soundtrack work.
“It’s just like what Jonathan Davis did for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack,” Zane said. “He wasn’t allowed to sing on that soundtrack so he brought in other singers, including Wayne!”
Vocalists who believe they have what it takes to replicate the late singer’s signature sound are currently being encouraged to submit a recording of themselves performing their favorite Wayne Static song to [email protected].
His full statement is as follows:
“An unfinished, previously unheard track recorded by late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static has surfaced as part of filmmaker Matt Zane’s ongoing unauthorized documentary project.
According to Zane, the song was intended to appear in his forthcoming film about Wayne and his late wife Tera Wray. However, the estates of Wayne and Tera, along with Static-X, have declined to grant permission for the unreleased music to be used.
I want to make it clear, I’d love to finish and give Wayne’s fans his final recording but the families and Static-X aren’t allowing it. I’d give 100% of the profits of the music to Wayne’s and Tera’s family as long as the recordings were kept in their original form. They were recorded as Wayne Static solo music, not Static-X.
The Backstory
Zane says the material dates back to 2008 while he was directing Tera Wray in her music series Radium. At the time, Wayne offered music to support the project.Warner Brothers stopped us but not before Wayne gave me a bunch of stuff. I cover the entire ordeal in the documentary. I have a video of Wayne publicly admitting he wrote music for the series.
Now, years later, Zane has chosen to move forward with completing select portions of the material for inclusion in the documentary and its potential soundtrack.
There are songs that I won’t touch that Wayne wrote 100% of. But all the misc. riffs and other ideas are what I’ll use. Wayne liked what I was doing with them so I figure I’m on the right track.
Singer Search Begins
Due to legal restrictions preventing the use of Wayne Static’s original vocal tracks, Zane is now launching an open call for vocalists who believe they can step in and honor Wayne’s style and legacy.It’s just like what Jonathan Davis did for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. He wasn’t allowed to sing on that soundtrack so he brought in other singers, including Wayne!
Fans and vocalists interested in participating are invited to submit a recording of themselves performing their favorite Wayne Static song to:
