It’s been nearly three years since the aggro industrial metallers Combichrist released the superb Making Monsters and to pay fans back for the wait, they’ve released not one, but two, albums. No Redemption serves not only as a companion piece/soundtrack for the Devil May Cry video game but also as a 2-CD set featuring one disc of completely new material written for DMC and a second disc of previously released Combichrist tracks which could easily be a “best of” for the band.
While still retaining the electronic elements that make Combichrist so unique, the first disc of No Redemption is decidedly a more aggressive affair as a whole. Ominous synths open up “Age Of Mutation” until vocalist/mastermind Andy LaPlegua’s monstrous voice breaks the quiet and amidst thrash-style guitars, No Redemption is off an running.
The guitars take center stage quite a bit on NR as razor sharp riffs permeate through tracks like “Zombie Fistfight” and “Buried Alive” which features one of the coolest Combichrist breakdowns ever. As always, LaPlegua is the star here and gives an absolutely vicious performance throughout executing the 13 tracks he composed here expertly. Some are Combichrist-by-numbers while others are so much more. For the loyalists, check out Combichrist’s expanded sounds on the Rammsetin-like stomp of “No Redemption”, the incredibly brutal (and brilliant) “Falling Apart”, or the extremely melodic (But still heavy) “How Old Is Your Soul”.
The best thing about No Redemption is that while it may have been written for DMC, it serves as an entity all its’ own, a great follow up to Making Monsters, and a must have for Combichrist fans. Available digitally now. Get yours here and here.
Grade: A