COMBICHRIST - The Venom In The Mouth Of God

Andy LaPlegua has been one of the key figures within the alternative electronic scene, first with the project Icon Of Coil (one of the flagship names of the futurepop movement) and later with his Combichrist project, marking his definitive transformation into something more violent and muscular, what used to be called club industrial (albums like "Everybody Hates You" and "What The F**k Is Wrong With You People?" got an entire generation of cybergoths dancing).
Later on, the Norwegian musician (who had long since relocated to Atlanta) chose to Americanize this sound, blending it with both metalcore and industrial metal: from being practically a leader, Andy thus found himself chasing trends, drifting toward sounds that were already far too oversaturated, at least on the other side of the ocean (with results that, moreover, weren't always up to par).

"The Venom In The Mouth Of God" marks a comeback that exceeds expectations, thanks to a more balanced approach capable of bringing out the project's different facets: guitars are still very much present, but so is a considerable dose of synthetic textures halfway between techno body music and aggrotech brutality. If "Odr", "Desolation" (partly devoted to the distant past of Icon Of Coil themselves) and "The Future Is A Memory" form a genuinely encouraging opening triptych, with "Born Deströyer" LaPlegua drops the kind of bomb that's been missing from his discography for far too long, alternating clean vocals with the more aggressive timbre we've often admired throughout his career.
Even the more metal-leaning tracks, such as "Rise" or the driving "Venom", do their dirty work well, but overall Combichrist's music has started working again because it chose to balance past and present, recovering its melodic shape and many of the old nuances that had unfortunately been abandoned along the way (there's even room here for a dark, electro-industrial-flavored detour, "The Way We Want To Be Seen").

Thirteen tracks are indeed too many, because with about ten songs this "The Venom In The Mouth Of God" would certainly have worked better, but regardless, we finally have the chance to welcome back with open arms a project that over the years has promised so much but only half delivered. Maybe it's too late to dance again (cybergoths in Italy have practically gone extinct), but the feelings it stirs are pleasant and full of healthy nostalgia, one more reason to reconnect with a name that will now try to win back its European fan-base.

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26/07/2026