Combichrist

Combichrist is a Norwegian aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The band consist of only LaPlegua in the studio with Joe Letz, Z_Marr, and Abbey Nex for live performances. Releases by the band have been very successful in terms of sales and charted in top positions for dance and alternative charts worldwide, a few releases have even sold out completely.

Formation and Early years[edit]
The first material that LaPlegua wrote for the project was a powernoise/techno crossover track Thanx to my Buddies under the moniker D.r.i.v.E for the Advanced Electronics Vol. 2 compilation.[2] The song was later remade into Like to Thank My Buddies on Combichrist's album Everybody Hates You. The project's name was later changed to Hudlager and then finally to Combichrist before the debut album The Joy of Gunz was released on the German record label Out of Line.[3] The band name came from a fanzine of LaPlegua's in the 1990s, with Combichrist being a character in it that was a "punk-rock messiah." The character would go on drug and alcohol fueled rampages, later healing those whom he had beaten.[4] A few years after the band's conception, LaPlegua departed Norway for the United States, which is now the current home-base for Combichrist and his other projects Scandy, Panzer AG, and Scandinavian Cock.[5]

The Joy of Gunz (2003-2005)[edit]

Combichrist performing in 2008
Combichrist's first LP The Joy of Gunz was released in 2003. Sporting a fresh, original and aggressive new sound that felt like the sonic equivalent to an energy surge, the brainchild of Andy LaPlegua naturally took the crowds by storm.[6] On Halloween of the same year, the limited edition EP Kiss The Blade was released with 667 pressings which sold out in less than a week.[7] In 2004, the second EP, Sex, Drogen Und Industrial, spent several weeks at number one in the DAC charts. At the same time that Sex, Drogen Und Industrial was released, a limited edition of 666 white-vinyl 12" pressings for Blut Royale were produced, and sold out quickly.[7]

Everybody Hates You (2005-2006)[edit]
The year 2005 saw the release of Everybody Hates You and it was at this time that LaPlegua began labeling the music as "Techno Body Music" or TBM.[8] The band released a song called "This is TBM" on the Out-of-Line compilation Techno Body Music volume 1.[9] They played this song live during their 2005 shows, adding vocals to it. No vocal version of the instrumental track was ever released, and the lyrics were instead later reworked for the track "Electrohead." After this release, LaPlegua stopped referring to their music as TBM. Shortly after the release of the album, Army On The Dance Floor producer Kourtney Klein was added as alternating keyboardist and drummer to the band.[10] The full-length album featured two tracks that became club classics “This Shit Will Fuck You Up” and “This Is My Rifle”and it was also the project’s U.S. debut on Metropolis Records. Further benchmarks were set with the release of the 2006 EP "Get Your Body Beat" the title track of which landed Combichrist its first appearance on Billboard’s Top 10 Dance Singles chart.[11] The music video for the single was included on the DVD release of the biopunk film The Gene Generation with the song also being used in the movie.[12] The band embarked on a North American tour with KMFDM soon after the release of the single.[7]

What the Fuck is Wrong With You People? (2007-2009)[edit]
On March 6, 2007, What the Fuck is Wrong With You People? was released to some critical praise and popularity.[13][14] The album featured 2006’s break out single, “Get Your Body Beat,” it had an explosive barrage of corrosive beats, leering vocals, and acidic melodies. WTFIWWYP? was a high energy, adrenaline charged piece of sonic battery.[15]

Today We Are All Demons (2009-2010)[edit]
Pull Out Kings producer and songwriter Z Marr joined the band as keyboardist in January 2008 to begin work on the album Today We Are All Demons.[16] According to an exchange with a fan, Trevor Friedrich of Imperative Reaction and formerly of Eighteen Visions, he was asked to join the band as a drummer with Joe Letz (of Wednesday 13) in October 2008.[17] He replaced keyboardist Kourtney Klein, who began full-time work with Nitzer Ebb.[18]

Combichrist released Today We Are All Demons on Jan 20, 2009. Combichrist immediately went on a highly successfully North American tour with Black Light Burns (featuring Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit) and an extensive European tour with Rammstein.[15] For part the European tour that year, Trevor was temporarily replaced by Mark Jackson of VNV Nation.[19] Combichrist's song "Shut Up and Bleed" featuring W.A.S.T.E was put on the soundtrack for the horror movie The Collector.[20] Their song "Today We Are All Demons" (Beneath the World Mix) was put on the soundtrack for the movie Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.[21]

Making Monsters (2010-2014)[edit]
Combichrist's latest album, Making Monsters, was released digitally on 31 August 2010 and on CD on 28 September 2010.[22] Combichrist began a tour in support of the new album in late 2010, with Aesthetic Perfection and iVardensphere as the support bands.[23][24] In 2011, after opening for Rammstein at Madison Square Garden in December 2010, both bands announced Combichrist would be supporting Rammstein on their North American tour and Andy announced the "Monsters on Tour Part II" taking place around the scheduled Rammstein shows. The "Monsters on Tour Part II" had the same support as the 2010 tour but with the additions of Angel Spit and God Module performing with them on select dates.[25]

Combichrist's song Never Surrender was featured in a gameplay demo for the hack-n-slash style video game DmC Devil May Cry with Andy LaPlegua working on the soundtrack for the whole game No Redemption (Official DmC: Devil May Cry Soundtrack). The song Throat Full of Glass is featured in the same game, played during the opening sequence.[26] A new song called Bottle of Pain was released in January 2012 for the Underworld: Awakening movie soundtrack.[27]

We Love You (2014-present)[edit]
In October 2013, LaPlegua announced on Facebook that there would be a new album on the way in 2014. On December 10, 2013, Combichrist announced the title of their 7th studio album, We Love You (Combichrist album) , with a March 2014 release date. The We Love You promo tour, included acts from William Control and New Years Day. Two singles were released from this album, "From My Cold Dead Hands" and "Maggots at the Party". The video for Maggots at the Party has been nominated by Berlin Music Video Awards for 2015 Most Trashy Video

Videos