Dismantled in distorted action.
The gig begins with a rumble as Dismantled take to the stage. The Brooklyn three piece starts with more aggressive take on fan favorite “The Swarm”. While this track already has aggressive elements the vocals initially feel forced before front man Gary Zon gets into a groove with the songs main hook. This is also apparent in the brilliant performance of the more melodic “Get It Through”. “Purity” upped the ante, adding substantially more bite to Dismantled’s sound. This was closely followed up with “Breed To Death”. Breed To Death is an epic ‘fuck off and die’ anthem that wins the crowd over. These new fans are treated to a projection of the lyrics and the ensuing scream along makes this the crowning moment of the opening set. Unfortunately this also sets up Dismantled’s final song to fall flat by comparison. Dismantled did win me over with this set, and are bound to make an themselves known in the near future If this was anything to go by.
Rabia Sorda were utterly impressive. Brutal, Loud and unlike any anything I’ve seen live before.
Rabia Sorda mid performance.
After meeting singer Erk Aicrag, more famous for his work in Mexican Aggro-tech band Hocico, it is hard to believe the almost bestial fury being unleashed on stage is coming from the same cheerful and softly spoken man we saw just hours before the gig. With a few seconds lapse in music Erk pounds the microphone against his head before wailing on with the rest of the set. Again, The band made quite an impression, with a performance that rivals that of headliners Combichrist. Rabia Sorda were consistently good, and blasted through their set with constant energy and speed. My only problem with their set is that it all seemed to be over too soon. A personal highlight was Radio Paranoia with its bouncy and aggressive performance and memorable hooks.
So far the gig has been more than satisfying with Rabia Sorda and Dismantled providing brilliantly performed supporting sets. Rounding off a the evening is the band everyone came to see; Combichrist. Beginning their set with “All Pain Is Gone”, Combichrist’s performance is consistently manic from the outset.
Andy Laplegua expertly manipulates the crowd, drawing out tracks like “Without Emotions” teasing with snippets of the lyrics while he paces the stage, visibly enjoying the experience with a maniacal grin. Combichrist played a set full of fan favourites, with every track gaining a greater response than the last.
The energy maintained a steady flow even through their mid set staple song “Get Out Of My Head” which Combichrist performed their new single “Never Surrender”. This was the live debut of the track, and in all honesty, it definitely sounds better live. Never Surrender is one of the most complex and busy sounding tracks Combichrist has ever recorded, meaning that it is slightly at odds with their normally stripped down but vicious sound. Live this instead becomes a wall of sound seeing Combichrist’s double drummer touring line up of Joe Letz and Trevor Friedrich at their finest pounding their equipment with thunderous force. What was also more apparent live is a well used guitar sample in Never surrender adding a touch of rock to their musical maelstrom.
Combichrist paint the town red.
Make no mistake, this was an explosive finish to their set but the crowd were still unsatisfied. When the band came back on stage there was a brief moment where the someone in the crowd called out for a song to which Andy replied “No. You shut up and swallow!”. A short encore including “This Shit Will Fuck You Up” rounded up Combichrist’s set perfectly and anyone left wanting more need only wait until the new album is released at the end of August. The reaction of the crowd at this gig shows that Combichrist are definitely still a band on the rise, and they keep some pretty awesome company.
