Start a War is the fourth Static-X album; it was released in June 2005 on the Warner Bros label. A special version was shipped with an additional DVD titled X-Rated.
This is the first studio album with drumming provided by Nick Oshiro, and the second and last album that guitarist Tripp Eisen wrote and performed on. The album marks the return of former guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who helped with the programming, and according to Static-X's online forums, Fukuda completed additional guitar parts in three songs left unfinished by Eisen. The album continues the change in sound found on Shadow Zone but many of the songs featured on Start a War are heavier and feature a lot more screaming and aggressive lyrics. Songs that best show this are "I Want to Fucking Break It", "The Enemy", and "Start a War".
The whole tone of the album is more aggressive than Shadow Zone. The song "Pieces" features a guitar solo, a feature not found in earlier albums, but playing a larger role in the following album, Cannibal. Start a War is also the last album to feature one the band's unique Otsego songs. When asked about the album, Wayne Static said "We wanted to try to recreate the fun spirit of Wisconsin Death Trip; having Koichi back, with his flavor, helped."
The Song "Start a War" was featured on the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 video game soundtrack, and "Skinnyman" was featured on Need For Speed: Most Wanted.