Combichrist: Making Monsters

The brainchild of Andy LaPlegua (formerly of Norwegian electro-pop band Icon of Coil), Combichrist has established itself as one of the most dynamic acts in the industrial underground with its combination of aggressive digital hardcore and electronic effects. Now based in Atlanta, Combichrist’s fifth album retains all the band’s signature elements (growling vocals, pounding beats, themes of sex and violence) while also delving into territory more sophisticated and cathartic. Destructive dance numbers like “Follow the Trail of Blood,” “Never Surrender” and “Slave to Machine” give longtime listeners their fascist fix while “Fuckmachine” offers the testosterone-driven smut often smattered throughout the band’s albums. But tracks like the ethereal and downtempo “Through These Eyes of Pain” and album closer “Reclamation” (which, alongside cinematic opener “Declamation,” is an appropriate bookend to the rest of the album) reveal the Jekyll that lies underneath LaPlegua’s otherwise monstrous Hyde. (4 out of 5 stars)