Words: Brendan O’Mahony
Live Photos: Olga Kuzmenko
DME Promotions have again brought something a bit different to the table for another gig in Dublin’s Voodoo Lounge. The realm of Industrial/ Techno/ Electro Metal is not one I have delved very far into if I am honest, with Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails about the sum parts of what I would know, so tonight will be an education. Upon walking through the door, it feels as if I have been transported to the set from Brandon Lee’s The Crow as the Goth Rock playlist booms from the speakers. However, with the stage times for tonight’s acts having been whittled down to 30 and 70 minutes respectively, there is little time to wait.
The Alacrity is the support act tonight consisting of music video producer/ recording artist Jason Alacrity and his touring drummer. They are currently showcasing their latest album Legion, released a year ago, and the majority of the songs tonight focus on it with tracks such as ‘Consequence’, ‘Paper Money’ and ‘Desire’. It is a set that suffers from sound difficulties as the drummer drowns out the techno track player in the background and Alacrity’s vocals struggle to overcome the noise generated. It probably wasn’t a fair representation of what they can do but it didn’t leave me with a desire to go out of my way to check out more material.
With the arrival of Combichrist however, it’s a different beast altogether. On the go since 2003, starting with singer Andy LaPlegua on his own before morphing into the touring quartet that they are today, it is clear that this is a well-oiled machine and having been on the road for 2 months already for the world tour of their new album One Fire the set works seamlessly. They kick things off with ‘This Shit Will Fuck You Up’ playing as the band enter the stage, before immediately breaking into the first single from their new album Hate Like Me. The high-energy, techno beats are further accentuated by Will Spodnick and Dana White on drums and percussion while Eric 13 provides the guitar work behind the imposing LaPlegua. Careening through their set like the boulder chasing Indiana Jones, we bear witness to tracks such as ‘Throat Full of Glass’, ‘Can’t Control‘ and ‘Today I Woke to the Rain of Blood‘ which make the crowd dance and head bang in equal measure. Unusually for an album tour, this is as close to a career retrospective as you could get with each album bar The Joy of Gunz and Today We Are All Demons mined for material and only 3 tracks total from the new release. The closing trio of ‘What the Fuck Is Wrong With You?’, ‘Maggots at the Party’ and ‘One Fire’, which had a bit of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ slotted in, leave the crowd wanting more but they will have to wait till the next time around. An all-round solid set that has whetted the appetite for the arrival of Rammstein to our shores next year, Combichrist are definitely a show to check out if you get the chance.
https://www.facebook.com/combichrist
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