MACHINES VS MONSTERS TOUR 2025

I had the opportunity to check out a fun tour that dips heavily into 90’s era metal. Dubbed Machines vs Monsters, and featuring Static-X, GWAR, Dope, and A Killer’s Confession, this tour kicked off on May 23^rd in Tucson, Arizona. After just thirteen dates in, the tour is generating some good buzz, and tonight is the first Canadian stop right here in Toronto.

A KILLER’S CONFESSION

I arrived a bit late, so I only caught the last few songs from A Killer’s Confession. The band is fronted by former Mushroomhead singer Waylon Reavis, and from what I heard, the music was tight and mainly alternative metal-sounding. I didn’t connect with what I heard, but the crowd was digging the music, and that’s the important thing. The set was about thirty minutes, but I caught the last three songs before Waylon and crew departed the stage.

Setlist
‘Purpose’, ‘Sun’, ‘Greed’, ‘Hollow’, ‘Filth’, ‘Facts’, ‘Qwerty’, ‘Kill Or Be Killed’

DOPE

The next act was Dope, who wasted no time getting to the stage and tearing into an eight-song set of mostly industrial metal and alternative metal tracks. Formed in 1997, the band is led by the mercurial Edsel Dope, who is the primary songwriter and singer. The songs were a mix of Ministry and Skinny Puppy, but laced with nu-metal vibes. The set began with ‘Blood Money’ from their 2016 release and moved into numbers like ‘Bring It On’, ‘Bitch’, and ‘Die MF Die’, which at this point really got fans hopping like mad down in front of the stage. The next few tracks, like ‘Sick’ and ‘Burn’, sounded like jet-fuel-induced bangers that kept this very young crowd engaged and wanting more. I thought it was cool when they did a cover of Dead Or Alive‘s ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’. It went over well with the crowd, although I highly doubt the majority of these people even knew it was a cover to begin with. Regardless, Dope killed it live, and at this juncture, I was quite impressed.

Setlist
‘Blood Money’, ‘Bring It On’, ‘Bitch’, ‘Debonaire’, ‘Die, Boom, Bang, Burn’, ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’

GWAR

Of course, the band I came there to see were up next, but for some reason, they took a long time getting onto the stage. I was annoyed at the start, but when Gwar finally invaded the stage, I knew all hell was going to break loose. Gwar are without a doubt one of the most entertaining acts live, and they didn’t disappoint tonight. The opening song ‘Fuck This Place’ blew everyone out of the water quickly, and the gore started spewing soon after once Balsac used a chainsaw to decapitate a helpless victim. Even Jizmak started spewing copious amounts of gooey fluids into the crowd!

The show was off to a good start with numbers like ‘Metal Metal Land’, ‘El Presidente’ (which poked tons of fun at Trump), and ‘Womb With A View’, as a baby was birthed on stage. You have to hand it to Gwar for going all out with the gore and hijinks while performing all their classic songs. Much of the setlist dipped heavily into the classics like ‘The Salaminizer’ (from Scumdogs), ‘Slap U Around’, and ‘Immortal Corrupter’ (from Violence Has Arrived). They also gave us ‘Lot Lizard’ and my personal favourite, ‘Gor-Gor’, who made an appearance on stage.

Gwar also did a nice tribute to the fallen Oderus before finishing the set with the rousing ‘Sick Of You’ (from Scumdogs Of The Universe). I have to say, their setlist dug deep into the nostalgia of the band, and it’s great when you get to hear songs from two of my favourite albums like Scumdogs and Violence Has Arrived.

Setlist
‘Fuck This Place’, ‘Metal Metal Land’, ‘El Presidente’, ‘Womb With A View’, ‘The Salaminizer’, ‘Slap U Around’, ‘Immortal Corrupter’, ‘Lot Lizard’, ‘Gor-Gor’, ‘Sick Of You’

STATIC-X

The headliners, Static-X, came out slugging hard with a sixteen-song set that honored the legacy of the band. Current vocalist Xer0 is actually Dope vocalist Edsel Dope, performing under the assumed moniker. Xer0 appears in a heavily padded leather cyber suit, complete with glowing red goggles and a Mohawk helmet. This is wild stuff when the stage lights up in a trippy, spacey fashion, allowing the band to deliver some classic ’90s industrial metal.

The show opened with ‘I Want To Fucking Break It’, then the ever-popular ‘Cannibal’ got the whole crowd going into a frenzy. They performed songs like ‘Terminator Oscillator’, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, ‘Fix’, and ‘Bleed For Days’. Xer0 paid tribute to his fallen comrade Wayne Static and also offered some kind words to bassist Tony Campos. I liked how the band honored their past and recognized the genius of founding members like Wayne and Tony. Even guitarist Koichi Fukada was given his due on stage at one point.

The latter half of the show gave us songs like ‘Get To The Gone’, ‘I Am’, and the ever-popular ‘Zombie’. Fans loved hearing ‘Destroy All’ (from Shadow Zone), ‘Cold’, and ‘I’m With Stupid’ (from Wisconsin Death Trip), before they closed out the set with another crowd-pleaser, ‘Push It’, also from Wisconsin Death Trip. I think the song chosen to end the set was a wise choice, given its sing-along appeal from the crowd and its status as a hit song off the debut release from the band.

Overall, Static-X did a fantastic job with the setlist and proved the spirit of Wayne Static was alive and well in the venue. Xer0 fits in well as the new vocalist, along with playing rhythm guitar and handling programming. I thought it was touching when he called out to the crowd and said he was proud to call Wayne his friend. I know everyone left the venue feeling pretty happy about the whole show, and all the bands involved pulled this off without a hitch.

Setlist
‘Cannibal’, ‘Cold’, ‘Destroy All’, ‘Fix’, ‘Get To The Gone’, ‘I Am’, ‘I Want To Fucking Break It’, ‘I’m With Stupid’, ‘Love Dump’, ‘Push It’, ‘Sweat Of The Bud’, ‘Terminator Oscillator’, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, ‘Z0mbie’, ‘Black And White’, ‘Bled For Days’