2CD, Out Of Line, 2007
www.combichrist.com
Fans of the dark electro and EBM genres would have to have been living under a rock over the last few years to not know who Combichrist and its ubiquitous creator, Andy LaPlegua, are. LaPlegua began releasing material under the Combichrist moniker in 2003 and is involved in a number of side projects and, just on the tail of the success of “Everybody Hates You” (2005), Combichrist opened for KMFDM in a series of 2006 North American tour dates. LaPlegua’s infectious stage presence, coupled with the pounding and defiant beats of instant club anthems such as “This Shit Will Fuck You Up” were a recipe for instant notoriety. Prior to the release of the follow-up album, Combichrist seemed poised to take over the more ‘mainstream’ industrial music realm.
Flash forward to the release of “WTFIWWYP”. While compelling lyrics were never a strong suit of any previous Combichrist offering, the uninspired verses about death and blowjobs seems to have hit a new low. The entire theme of the album seems to center upon gratuity, from the sampled voicemail message from KMFDM’s Lucia Cifarelli to the ridiculously long album title and the unnecessary bonus disc featured in the limited European version. The reality is that this album is strikingly devoid of substance and tracks such as “Electrohead” and “Get Your Body Beat” are regurgitated re-releases that were done better the first time around. The title track is a snore and feels more like a mashup of LaPlegua’s output as Icon of Coil and Panzer AG than pure Combichrist, while songs such as “Brain Bypass” and “Adult Content” feel like Scandy (another LaPlegua side-project) leftovers. Tracks with pure Combichrist potential such as “In the Pit”, “Shut Up And Swallow” are all but murdered by way of some of the most atrocious lyrics to be penned in recent history.
Fortunately, there are a few entertaining moments (and obvious references to internet memes instantly recognizable by the average nerd), including “All Your Base Belongs to Us,” a play on the Japanese video game “Zero Wing,” as well as a clever sample taken from an episode of American reality-show “Wife Swap” in disc two’s “God Warrior.” Overall, however, “WTFIWWYP”‘s best tracks are comparable to some of the worst material on previous offerings. This is a release which was intended to capitalize on the act’s meteoric rise to fame, but instead feels rushed and lazy.
[3/10]
— Shannon Malik