Combichrist

On Combichrist‘s fourth and latest album, Today We Are All Demons, mastermind Andy LaPlegua effectively ups the ante on the tried-and-true answering-machine intro. It begins with a message from an unfortunate soul on his way to jail on a concealed-weapons charge. “Call my mom or somethin’,” says the caller. While this bit could easily have veered into shock territory, the calm in the caller’s voice gives it a chilling hint of realism. Unfortunately, any depth, insight or even true drama that Combichrist could have achieved with tasteful restraint goes out the window when the band plays its first note. Fans looking for a decadent combination of throbbing synths and crunching guitars will love Combichrist because LaPlegua is as nasty as he wants to be. Lines like I’m here to fuck shit up, and I’m ready to go/I want to get wasted, and you’re my partner in crime telegraph the band’s intentions in no uncertain terms. And when an Asian-accented woman chants, My grandmother gives good head in an eerie monotone, you know what you’re in for. And that’s Lords of Acid-level smut set to relentless, brain-rattling electronic grooves. Fans will know exactly what to do and how to dress, so bust out the ripped fishnets and pagan dances!