My concert experience: Combichrist

Combichrist is among the most prominent names in the aggrotech/EBM scene and on 29th March they showed the Bulgarian audience that their crown is coveted with real diamonds. It took me a whole day to come back to this world after the explosive gig that Andy LaPlegua and company had for everyone who attended the Electro Mini Fest at BluBox in Sofia. It's been a while since I've been to a concert, but I have never felt that exhausted and this is the very first time I didn't take even a single photo: sorry, friends, I was busy dancing to the hell beats!

Anyways, I should start from the very beginning. As I've already mentioned this was not just a Combichrist concert, but more of a little fest with predominantly EBM music, although I am not sure what kind of a fest has only four bands, but let's not fall into details. Probably 98% of the people at the fest were there for Combichrist, and I leave 2% for some loyal fans of the others. Despite the whole fest thingy every took the rest of the participants as nothing more than a support, which is quite a pity, but they should have seen it coming. The bands as in order of appearance were: Shemale Zero, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Aesthetic Perfection and Combichrist.

Shemale Zero
I have only two words for this Bulgarian act: Please, quit! It is obvious they are trying to be original, to be provocative and etc., but they just cannot impress the audience. No wonder Mr. Zero said that we hated him...I don't hate him, but either they need to improve their stage performances or really find a new hobby.

Virgins O.R Pigeons
Obviously Greece has never been good at providing much of quality electronic music and Virgins O.R Pigeons are another fine example. The guys (despite their appearance) seem to be inspired from the Japanese visual kei movement and from the contemporary German industrial scene and they would have done it well if it wasn't for the uncertain sound they provided and the rather too growl vocalist they have. Nothing impressive as a whole and still they managed to sound quite rhythmic.

Aesthetic Perfection
I've found about this music project just a few weeks ago and I was quite pleased with their music and I was looking forward to seeing them live. Well, let's say that they were not as good as expected, but probably they were the only ones who actually managed to cheer up the crowd. Daniel Graves, the sole actual member of Aesthetic Perfection, was jumping around the scene and preparing us for Combichrist with some heavy upbeats, going from harsh growling to melodic singing back and forth. I had done my homework and musically knew what to expect, which actually made the whole experience even more satisfying.

Combichrist
The cherry of the harsh electro cream and the headliners of the evening. They came, they played and they made a mash out of us. Honestly I have never been that wasted after a concert and I can assure you that I have had only one beer. Music is my drug and Combichrist were my dealers for the night! Their drug caused heavy breathing, non stop dancing, harsh upbeats, everyone in sweet ecstasy and the last but not least Andy LaPlegua himself. Actually this is the very first concert that I spent entirely at the back, but I really wasn't up for being squeezed out by the dancing mob, plus I had plenty of space of my own just for my wacky dances (lol). Just a month ago Combichrist released their newest album "Today We Are All Demons" and most of us expected this concert to be mostly in support of their new stuff. Well, not really. LaPlegua sang just two songs (if I am not mistaking) from "TWAAD" and the rest was a compilation of their best known tracks, among which:
This Shit Will Fuck You Up
Electrohead
Sent to Destroy
This Is My Rifle
Shut Up and Swallow
Blut Royale
Today I Woke Up to the Rain of Blood
Get Your Body Beat
What The Fuck Is Wrong With You?

My personal favourite is "Get Your Body Beat", which was so mind-blowing and body-grooving and after it I was feeling like a slug! Their whole performance took my last breath, but I was ready for more and after just an hour and ten minutes they were done, this includes the encore as well! Is it because of the fest or had they really such a short setlist? We were all there and ready for more, but obviously Combichrist were not and the show was over to our dismay. However, most of us were so wasted that we should have been grateful that it wasn't a 2-hour expedition in the realms of EBM as many would have left the club in ambulances...if they were not already taken by the members of the band. Apart from Andy LaPlegua the rest of Combichrist seemed either drugged or drunk...or both. The fest ended with Combichrist breaking their instruments and with a tipsy pace leaving the scene. Oh, well, they are forgiven only on condition: if they comeback! SOON!

Burn down the disco! Volume 1 - alternative dance

I like dance music! Indeed, and I have nothing against it. I am just annoyed by all the crap that is played in discos, especially those relying on mindless house and distasteful techno and I am so eager for a place where you can listen to alternative dance music without the whole Rihanna - Ciara bullshit on the list. That is why I decided to create my own dance compilations, containing different aspects of the enormous dance genre.

My first choice is alternative dance, which includes mainly EBM, industrial, dark electro and futurepop. Of course, it is impossible to include everything I want, plus this is supposed to be a compilation, not a party set, which has to satisfy the whole evening. I tend to avoid remixes as I have never been a big fan, but from time to time they turn out to be much better than the original version itself.
Click to listen or Click here

1. Laibach - Achtung!
2. KMFDM -Megalomaniac
3. Apoptygma Berzerk - Soultaker
4. Blutengel - Bloody Pleasures
5. Panzer AG - Battlefield
6. Grendel - Harsh Generation
7. Combichrist - Happy Fcuking Birthday
8. Das Ich - Destilat (Club Version)
9. Funker Vogt - City of Darkness (Downtown Mix)
10. Icon of Coil - Remove / Replace
11. Helalyn Flowers - E-race Generation
12. Jesus on Extasy - Assassinate Me
13. Machinae Supremacy - Gimme More
14. Marilyn Manson - Posthuman
15. Rammstein - Moskau
16. Skinny Puppy - Ugli
17. Deine Lakaien - Lass Mich
18. Clan of Xymox - It's Not Enough
19. The Crüxshadows - Birthday
20. The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love
21. Diary of Dreams - The Curse (Freak Edit)

Do not forget to hear the compilation and delete the tracks afterwards! Support your favourite music by going to concerts or buying their releases!

Review: Blutengel - Schwarzes Eis

Chris Pohl and company released just a month ago their sixth studio album "Schwarzes Eis" and they have been on a long vacation and decided to record some stuff in the very last moment and to fill the wholes with some older material. At least that is how I wish it had happened, when they started working on their newest project. "Schwarzes Eis" is one of those albums that you can listen for days and still not be able to point out anything favourite out of it. When "Labyrinth" (their previous album) was released many defined it as too accessible and poppy, probably because of its more radio-friendly and club-orientated sound, but in no time it managed to establish itself as one of their most elaborate works. It will take time before the new album prove as worthy material.

"Schwarzes Eis" may be considered as a return to Blutengel's older material in a rather dissatisfying way. Don't expect to be struck by unique originality or to find any conceptual relations between the songs. There are too few dance tracks and the so called ballads are more emotionless than the album title. For some part of the record Chris Pohl is pretty annoying and if you catch yourself changing the track, don't worry...I am pretty sure even he'd do it. Luckily Blutengel keep on singing in German, which actually makes "Schwarzes Eis" bearable. If there was a scale between boring and satisfying, "Schwarzes Eis" would be somewhere in the middle. Mediocre is too harsh to say, nevertheless not too far from the truth. The filling has the biggest portion in the track-list, which extends to the impressive 15 songs.

The album is available in an exclusive limited addition, which actually is a must have! The bonus tracks happen to be a lot better than most of the content in the standard edition. "Schwarzes Eis" fails to be memorable enough in order to make it to the top of Blutengel's releases and there is nothing really impressive or distasteful to be noticed throughout the tracklist. Honestly Chris Pohl has to decide which project is of greatest importance to him as he obviously cannot concentrate long enough in order to bring out a real smash! Fingers crossed for a better Blutengel album next time...otherwise, just don't release it. Bitte!

Songs to hear: "Dancing In the Light", "Kind der Nacht", Dreh dich nicht um", "Pure Life"

Personal rating: 5 out of 10