Combichrist’s eleventh release is here.
For this new album titled The Venom In The Mouth Of God released by Out of Line Music, founder Andy LaPlegua (vocals) is joined by Eric13 (guitar), Elliott Berlin (bass/keyboards/percussion), and Jamie Cronander (guitar/keyboards/percussion).
The album kicks off with some unsettling percussion on ODR, the opening track, where the rhythm section quickly hits hard, sweeping us along with its infectious tones, though it also reserves a few more imposing moments, particularly when the backing vocals kick in. I find this fairly accessible track has a bit of an Old School vibe, just like Desolation which follows hot on its heels and offers a danceable, heady approach, sometimes leaving Andy almost alone between two waves of rather ethereal Industrial tones, while the guitar takes a few liberties. The sampled vocals reappear on The Future Is A Memory, a track that’s both heavy and intoxicating, perfectly harnessing its dark and mysterious side, before shifting to a more aggressive mix on Born Deströyer, while still remaining firmly rooted in a very dark tone. Feraline energizes the sound by first injecting a very Metal and aggressive approach, but the danceable roots come back strong to create a track full of contrasts, tailor-made for the stage, before picking up speed again on RISE with its relentless, fierce riffs. The intoxicating, mystical tones return with Venom, the next track, which quickly becomes imposing and easily stands out as one of the band’s best new live assets though the track is relatively long and features some very martial, repetitive sections. We move on to S.T.F.U. and its obvious defiance, which is felt both in the vocals and in the heavy instrumental, while Each Scar A Vision sets out once more to explore the various nuances of industrial music, offering a slightly groovier and more accessible vibe. The band gives us a breather with the intro to Only Here For A Good Time, a track already unveiled that delivers waves of raw energy while remaining catchy, unlike The Way We Want To Be Seen, which first plunges us into an ambient melancholy before blending in the oppressive weight of electronic elements, making the whole thing quite suffocating. The band will welcome King 810 to give the trippy Demons Wanna Be Summoned an almost theatrical touch before moving on to Second Ending (We Have Been Here Before), the final track, which is by far the longest, beginning with an acoustic touch before eventually transforming into a heady Electro track that intensifies with every passing second, letting screams replace the clean vocals while festive tones rage in the background, exploding mid-flight to close out the album.
While Combichrist occasionally allows itself a brief return to its roots, the band never hesitates to let its metal roots take the lead, making The Venom In The Mouth Of God a fairly varied, but above all highly energetic album!
85/100