COMBICHRIST: Cmbcrst (INDUSTRIAL METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Since 2019, and despite the release of a few singles in quick succession, Combichrist seemed to have gone dormant. Yet the flamboyant American-Norwegian industrial metal band is back with a double album which, due to vowel compression, is entitled “Cmbcrst”.

Presented in its early days as a disciple of Rammstein, whom it accompanied on stage, Combichrist nevertheless distances itself from the German model and leans more towards Ministry and Front 242. While theatricality is an element both bands have in common, Andy LaPlegua doesn't try to ape Til Lindemann's vocals, as a plethora of bands do, with results that aren't always convincing. His interpretations are divided between clear and screamed vocals, a vocal schizophrenia that sometimes works within the same track ('Violence Solves Everything Part II'). The color of Combichrist's musical world is obviously black, with saturated electric guitars and keyboards serving as a lantern to keep you on your toes, as on 'Compliance', over which hovers the sneering spectre of Al Jourgensen, or 'Wolves Eating Wolves', with its amazong chorus.

As the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the rhythms become hectic and even danceable, as on 'Children Of Violence', which combines metal fury with electro/industrial disturbances, and on the effective 'Not My Ennemy'. At times, the band plays the surprise card: 'D For Demonic', reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby, is a ride with the devil that ends on sunny acoustic guitar arpeggios, while the vocals on 'Northern Path' are more detached in a twilight western mood. However, some tracks could easily have been cut, for while the band is evolving its formula, its list of ingredients is sometimes too legible ('Heads Off', 'Violence Solves Everything Part I' appear somewhat caricatured). The album would have deserved a better balance between stylistic madness and darkness.

The second disc, entitled “The House In The Trees”, is far from anecdotal, offering us a plunge into full-blown horror. It features atmospheric instrumental tracks with industrial and electro overtones. The extreme bass on 'Fear The Dark' delivers its own dose of tension. 'Fear The Light' achieves the feat of letting us hear a saturation of darkness. 'To Cast A Shadow' slowly fills with anguish, aided by a strange melody. The band proves that it is capable of producing the soundtrack for a horror film, or even a video game soundtrack ('Devil May Cry').

Combichrist's tenth album, with its wild charm, is a calling card for the band's spirit. The second disc opens a door to an indus hell from which few will return. Let's hope that the next release will also be of the highest quality, but that we don't have to wait another five years to enjoy this devilishly confusing music. - Official website

COMBICHRIST

CMBCRST

AUTRE LABEL

INDUSTRIAL METAL