Value for money for fans of dystopian electronic music - A review of Combichrist's One Fire

Combichrist is an American aggrotech band formed by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua of futurepop band Icon of Coil. The idea was to release more aggressive material under the new banner and the project has since become a huge success in the so-called dark culture that combines subcultures such as darkwave, electro. gothic, industrial, medieval, metal and neofolk. The band has released nine full length efforts so far but also numerous other releases such as eleven extended plays. The group's stamina is remarkable and its latest full length effort One Fire is an excellent example for this. The album's stunning limited edition features the record with thirteen songs and a running time of fifty-one minutes, the soundtrack for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice with eight songs and a length of thirty minutes and a remix record entitled Mixfire that compiles eight tracks for thirty-two minutes of entertainment. The colourful and imaginative cover artwork and booklet are the cherries atop the cake. This package truly offers value for money.

How about the music? The first disc doesn't just offer noisy electronic music but actually a vibrant mixture of radio play passages, guest appearances, calm moments, danceable parts and dystopian sections filled with anger, grit and speed. An instant highlight is nightmarish ''Hate Like Me'' that finds the perfect balance between ruthless anger in the verses and a surprisingly catchy chorus somewhere between Laibach, Ministry and Rob Zombie. ''Guns at Last Dawn'' is fast, noisy and relentless piece with a guest performance by former Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell. ''Lobotomy'' has a futuristic sound and is largely instrumental as it comes around as the record's simplest and most danceable tune. Title track ''One Fire'' on the other side is one of the catchiest tunes without neglecting the band's distorted, disturbed and dystopian soundscapes. ''2045'' includes radio play passages evoking a nightmarish future that are underlined by rhythmic and noisy instrumental passages and interrupted by angry shouts of anger, despair and fear. Album closer ''The Other'' is one of the calmest songs with slow pace and melodic lead vocals but nervous whispers in the background and menacing industrial soundscapes keep the record's ominous atmosphere going until the very end. This record is definitely diversified, entertaining and inspired and worth your attention if you like creative electronic music inspired by dark culture.

The soundtrack on the second disc has been made for video game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. This disc only includes the eight tracks Combichrist front man Andy LaPlegua has been involved in. These eight songs are significantly different from the other two discs. These tracks are mostly instrumental and offer cinematic, mysterious and smooth soundscapes. Soft female backing vocals can be heard in some tracks while others come around with epic storytelling passages. The most creative, diverse and intriguing song of the bunch is epic closer ''Sea of Corpses'' that clocks in at nearly six minutes. This disc is highly recommended to fans of adventure game soundtracks who like to discover fantastic worlds.

The third and final disc features eight remixes of different songs from the new album. ''Guns at Last Dawn'', ''Hate Like Me'' and ''Understand'' have been remixed once, title track ''One Fire'' has been remixed twice and ''Last Days Under the Sun'' has even received three different remixes. The remixes are quite interesting as they respect the original tunes but also add a new identity to them. The opening remix of ''Last Days Under the Sun'' for instance is quite fast, noisy and ruthless which suits the original's dystopian soundscapes. ''Guns at Last Dawn'' finds the perfect balance between noisy and speedy passages and more melancholy and melodic parts that make for a wild rollercoaster ride. The second remix of ''One Fire'' is enjoyably short, melodic and mellow and ends with an unusual fade-out. At the end of the day, these eight remixes are very interesting for anyone who has liked the original versions and appreciates sinister electronic music with creative twists.

As you can read, Combichrist's limited special edition of its ninth studio record One Fire is worth your attention, money and time if you like dystopian electronic music. This package offers nearly two hours of entertainment that is worth being discovered over and over again. With this release, Combichrist underlines its status as one of the very best aggrotech bands to be around as it offers much more creativity than similar groups.

Final rating: 80%