Edsel Dope, Interview – ‘Blood Money Part Zer0’ + the Future of Dope
Edsel Dope – Story by Anne Erickson, courtesy photo
Edsel Dope joins Anne Erickson to discuss the band’s “Blood Money Part Zer0” album and more
New York City industrial metal icons Dope are, track by track, releasing their seventh studio album, “Blood Money Part Zer0.” The full album will drop on Feb. 23, 2023, but fans who sign up for the record on DopeTheBand.com will receive a new track every few weeks, for free, via digital download.
Speaking with Audio Ink Radio in a new interview, Edsel revealed that “Blood Money Part Zer0” will likely mark Dope’s final album. The set is a prequel to the band’s 2016 release, “Blood Money Part 1.”
“For the most part, it felt right to title the album ‘Part Zer0’ to make it a prequel, because the majority of material was written either in the same timeframe as ‘Blood Money Part 1’ or before it. Again, I have so much more music. I don’t know if I ever want to put out another album, because I feel like the pressure of it is part of what makes it take so long. I think that after this album comes out, I’ll just go to a single format, and I’ll just release songs when they’re done. Again, because I’m not looking to profit from it, I’ll just put them out when I feel like it and let that sort of become the model.”
In addition to spearheading Dope, Edsel also has his own production company, record label and tech company. He’s also heavily involved with fellow industrial metal band Static-X.
So, what does he remember most about Static-X’s late singer, Wayne Static? He remembers him as being a “sincere, sweet dude,” but that guy was gone as soon as drugs took over. “Before Wayne became a drug addict, he was a totally different person,” Edsel said, “and before he married his wife who was also a drug addict and a very…controlling person, a very manipulative person. Once the two of them became this entity of addiction and intoxication, it really was isolating and it really became…there was no more Wayne. It became this entity of the two of them together, and it was six feet of addiction and stupidity between him and reality. If you want to go back to what do I miss about Wayne, you have to go way back, to before all that.”
Of course, the question of whether Edsel is the mystery singer touring with Static-X came up. He has a solid answer to that question.
“This is a fun question, and I can answer it for you like this,” Edsel said. “I would say that I’m certainly involved with Static-X. I produced the record, and I’m in the process of producing another one right now. I kind of like to consider myself to be the creative director for Static-X, because there was a big void left by Wayne, and somebody needed to step in that had that sort of capability. But as far as who’s singing for Static-X under the mask, I think it’s important for me or for us to say that the goal was for there only to ever be only one living, breathing singer of Static-X, and that’s Wayne Static. As long as we don’t put another face to Static-X, then Wayne will always be the face of Static-X, and I think that is ultimately the goal. So, the idea was to create an entity, for lack of better words- a masked entity that could allow Static-X to live on and go out and perform while keeping the focus on the three guys that helped start the band with Wayne and somebody there to represent Wayne as opposed to replace Wayne. So, I’m definitely involved with Static-X. They’re friends, and I’m here for them. But, the last thing that I’m ever interested in is seeing is Edsel Dope being the focus of Static-X. That’s not something I’d be interested in being. So, Edsel Dope is not the singer of Static-X.”
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