Combichrist

Combichrist
Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist performing in 2010
Background information
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Aggrotech, EBM, Industrial metal (later)
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Metropolis (North America) Out of Line (Europe)
Website	Combichrist.com
Members	Andy LaPlegua Joe Letz Eric13 Brent Ashley Nick Rossi
Past members	Trevor Friedrich Tiffany Lowe Wes Borland Jon Horton Shaun F Kourtney Klein Mr. Bjoern Petersen Syn M Abbey Nex Z_Marr

Combichrist is an American aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The band consist of only LaPlegua in the studio with Joe Letz, Nick Rossi, Eric13, and Brent Ashley for live performances. Releases by the band have been very successful in terms of sales and charted in top positions for dance and alternative charts worldwide.

The first material that LaPlegua wrote for the project was a powernoise/techno crossover track Thanx to my Buddies under the moniker D.r.i.v.E for the Advanced Electronics Vol. 2 compilation. The song was later remade into Like to Thank My Buddies on Combichrist's album Everybody Hates You. The project's name was later changed to Hudlager and then finally to Combichrist before the debut album The Joy of Gunz was released on the German record label Out of Line. The band name came from a fanzine of LaPlegua's in the 1990s, with Combichrist being a character in it that was a "punk-rock messiah." The character would go on drug and alcohol fueled rampages, later healing those whom he had beaten. A few years after the band's conception, LaPlegua departed Norway for the United States, which is now the current home-base for Combichrist and his other projects Scandy, Panzer AG, and Scandinavian Cock.

Combichrist's first LP The Joy of Gunz was released in 2003. Sporting a fresh, original and aggressive new sound that felt like the sonic equivalent to an energy surge, the brainchild of Andy LaPlegua naturally took the crowds by storm. On Halloween of the same year, the limited edition EP Kiss The Blade was released with 667 pressings which sold out in less than a week. In 2004, the second EP, Sex, Drogen Und Industrial, spent several weeks at number one in the DAC charts. At the same time that Sex, Drogen Und Industrial was released, a limited edition of 666 white-vinyl 12" pressings for Blut Royale were produced, and sold out quickly.