LIVE REVIEW: COMBICHRIST + WITCHGRINDER + OUR LAST ENEMY @ CROWBAR 18/09/25

Photo Charlyn Cameron

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi. Photos Charlyn Cameron

Welcome to the church of CombiChrist. But instead of taking a pew, Andy LaPlegua instructed his congregation to “dance with me” instead. And it was a visceral, high-energy night of full body musical experiences underpinned by great melodies and fantastic songwriting. The performances by the three bands at church Crowbar in Brisbane: Our Last Enemy, Witchgrinder and CombiChrist were characterised by variations of approach on delivering hard core industrial metal and Electronic Body Music (EBM) with relentless pulsating rhythms.

The evening at the Crowbar started with the long climb up the stairs and the stop to be stamped-inked in and then it was a short walk to the merch table where there were lots of wonderful band related things to see and buy. There was a vinyl record with my name on it and it came home with me. The Crowbar was also starting to buzz as fans had really gone all out to dress and apply amazing make-up in style. It was a good-looking crowd.

Photo Charlyn Cameron

I headed down the front to get into a spot to see the opening band, Our Last Enemy who were performing at the Crowbar for the first time. The Sydney based band are Oliver Fogwell (vocals), Matt Heywood (bass/vocals), Wade Norris (guitars/samples), and Frankie Macri (drums). The band opened with big, dark and heavy intro that brought in the basslines and huge drums with an electronic beat underpinning the sonic soundscape. The songs ‘Devour’ and ‘Headless’ kicked off the set in style. Oliver Fogwell's vocal style, which combined high-end screams with throaty low registers was perfect for channelling the songs and the band’s signature sound. The band’s music draws inspiration from the eclectic genre-bending sounds from progressive metal, groove-metal, electronica and even tinges of symphonic orchestral sounds.

The best sound came with the “gothic cowboy” country of ‘Hex Design’. It was country but “industrial metal country”. The song was impressive as the EBM basslines, guitar riffs and synths pushed into the sub-woofers as the infrasound flooded out into the venue and the walls, floor and bodies started to shake. It demonstrated a band not afraid to experiment with mixtures of sonic styles.

The next few tracks ‘Never Coming Back’, ‘Industry’ and ‘Villains’ confirmed Our Last Enemy's powerful and dynamic wall of sound performance through their heavy guitar riffs, guttural vocals, and aggressive rhythmic attacks. The drummer Frankie Macri requires a special mention as he kept the band tight and was so good with the different drumming styles, with percussion and synths wrapped in. If you get a chance to see Our Last Enemy get along as the band deliver a great live musical experience.

After a short break, instruments were moved and the stage crew swept water bottles, Canadian Dry cans and leads away. The crowd got in their drinks and recharged for round two.

Photo Charlyn Cameron

Round two started with Melbourne based band Witchgrinder. They ignited the speakers with an intro that got the crowd moving to the front as the big guitar riff lit up the venue and the rumbling drums signalled a sonic assault was on the way. That’s exactly what they delivered with the opening track ‘When Devils Speak’.

The songs ‘Rigor Mortis’ and ‘Inject The Venom’ delivered a crash of chords as the crowd got into full headbanging and dancing mode. Witchgrinder are clearly one of those bands that set the bar high as they alternated their sound from death metal with deep vocal fry growls to melodic heavy metal. Their performance was nuanced and full.

Photo Charlyn Cameron

The quartet of Travis Everett (vocals/guitars), Jake Parr (bass), James Shelverton (drums), and Scottie Anning (guitar) make up Witchgrinder were amazingly tight, practiced and fast paced. Even when there was a technical issue with some equipment the drummer and the guitarist just kept going - if you didn’t see it, you wouldn’t have known it happened - as the band handled it so professionally.

The tracks ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’, ‘The Demon Calling’ and ‘They Walk Among Us’ were loved by the crowd as the headbanging had started and the girls behind me had started to go off with their pogo dancing. Front man Travis Everett showed off his Labubu that was connected to him and the crowd were impressed by the very expensive “it” toy. Then, the vocalist from Our Last Enemy turned up to the side of the stage and punched balloons into the crowd. The crowd were lovin’ it!

Photo Charlyn Cameron

The entire band gave their all to go out with a bang. The crowd loved their more traditional heavy metal approach and rockin’ energy and attitude. Witchgrinder closed out their set with 2024’s new releases ‘Left For The Rats’ and ‘Dead By Dawn’. The set ended in a squall of feedback and huge guitar riffs. It was an impressive performance with a real hypnotic intensity to it. Catch Witchgrinder live – you won’t be disappointed.

Then, the stage was stripped back again. The stage had two drum kits in place all night, one of which was removed and replaced with a smaller drum kit, synths and a bass. Space was made. And the crowd built up as more people moved into the front and the venue was full. The anticipation built for CombiChrist.

Then, the venue went dark, and the sonic intro narrative played and then Combichrist came onto stage with a force - you knew things were going to get hot and heavy pretty quickly, as they brought their exciting mix of genres and dynamic performance style to the crowd.

Photo Charlyn Cameron

CombiChrist featured Andy LaPlegua (vocals), the astounding Jamie Cronander, (guitar), the wild Elliott Berlin (keyboards, bass and percussion drums), and a fabulous guy on drums whose name I missed. He was the engine house of the night just driving the rhythm, kept the sound tight and the band focused as they delivered a huge 16 song setlist. (Editor’s note: the fabulous guy was Todd Hansen, drummer for F.U.C. and former King Parrot.)

From the moment CombiChrist started playing, they delivered exactly what everyone had come to see, a high energy blend of industrial and metal music. The quartet were terrific together, musically and physically, as they opened with ‘All The Pain Is Gone’ with jumps, spins and action. They quickly launched into ‘Throat Full Of Glass’ and the terrific hook laden ‘Body Beat’ that celebrates EBM before engaging with the beyond excited crowd.

Andy LaPlegua stalked the stage like a tiger when delivering ‘Just Like Me’. Jamie Cronander was skilled and flamboyant as he delivered huge funky guitar riffs while he moved around the stage like a dancer. The jumps performed by Elliott Berlin were astonishing as he drummed in sync with the drummer, played bass, and was a madman of the keys. The set really heated up with the songs ‘Compliance’, ‘Follow The Trail Of Blood’, the moshing highlight of ‘Children Of Violence’ and ‘Can’t Control’. The crowd around me lost their collective shit as the rave went off! During all this controlled chaos, the drummer tucked into his kit and just kept pumping out the beat rhythmically and it vibrated through the crowd like an electrical current. He was so impressive.

Photo Charlyn Cameron

CombiChrist delivered an amazing mix of songs with ‘Electrohead’, ‘Sonic Witch’ and ‘Modern Demon’ following. They played a great mix of songs from their back catalogue for the crowd that made hardcore fans and newbies happy. It was great to hear ‘Violence Solves Everything: Parts 1 and 2’ delivered from their 2024 album ‘CMBCRST’. This set showed a band at the top of their game, and they know exactly what they are doing. The songs demonstrated their fantastic lyric writing abilities while wrapping them into different sonic styles that are melodic, hard but accessible and inspired.

CombiChrist’s live performance was nothing short of electrifying, with Andy LaPlegua taking the crowd through the performance which was both commanding and cathartic. His personal performance was magnetic and his interaction with the crowd kept the energy high throughout the night. The encore of ‘Desolation’, ‘Denial’ and ‘Never Surrender’ sounded incredible, as the band completely command the room and everyone felt connected to the performance. CombiChrits’s sound was incredible: It was fun, raw and in your face. 

Worshipping at the altar of Combichrist is a pretty good idea if you like songs with depth, style and musicality. Even if you are only a slight fan, get to one of CombiChrist’s live shows and you’ll be turned into a proper fan! So, rise from those ashes, shake off those demons and embrace the faith of CombiChrist: and don’t lose your EBM religion. Such an awesome night!

Photo Charlyn Cameron