Combichrist
One Fire
Out of Line Music
American industrial/aggrotech metal band Combichrist are back at it again with their ninth studio album, One Fire. Like their previous albums, One Fire features an arsenal of bass-heavy aggressive tracks best suited to stomp out a dance floor with.
This album features a number of standout tracks that are intensely powerful to listen and dance to and yet also offer a bit of humour along with it. “Lobotomy” proves to be a pretty incessant earworm but in the best way. This song that is destined for the clubs has grandiose vocalist Andy LaPlegua pledging his need to drink the night away. “I’m sure it’ll hurt tomorrow, just don’t want to hurt tonight.”
“Bottle of Pain” is an unexpected addition to this album. This song is a highly dramatic, even overblown, pirate sea shanty that features an orchestral backing – a departure from the aggrotech force through the rest of the album. This song about fighting through the dark side at the end of a bender would fit in very well to a seafaring, loot and blunder soundtrack.
“California Uber Alles” is a song that immediately stands out for its political forcefulness. Taking a cue from the controversial line in the German national anthem “Deutschland uber allen” meaning Germany over all, LaPlegua likens this to living in California under the rule of governor Jerry Brown even going so far as to compare him to Hitler. “Soon I will be president/Carter power will soon go away/I will be Führer one day”
One Fire is a solid album from Combichrist, a great addition to their discography and something that will surely be a hit with DJs. I look forward to stomping out a dance floor to this album soon.
Artist Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COMBICHRIST – ONE FIRE
Samantha Wu