FLESH AND STEEL: COMBICHRIST DECIMATES MAX WATTS Combichrist + Witchgrinder + Our Last Enemy Max Watts, Melbourne-Saturday Night Massacre Words and Photos By Mark Jenkins
FLESH AND STEEL: COMBICHRIST DECIMATES MAX WATTS
Combichrist + Witchgrinder + Our Last Enemy
Max Watts, Melbourne-Saturday Night Massacre
Words and Photos By Mark Jenkins
Some lineups are just fucking perfect on paper. Saturday night at Max Watts proved that theory in the most visceral way possible, delivering a triple-threat assault that left the venue's concrete walls practically bleeding sweat and the crowd questioning whether they'd just witnessed a gig or survived a beautiful apocalypse.
OUR LAST ENEMY - SYDNEY'S SONIC ASSASSINS
Sydney's Our Last Enemy kicked things off like a sucker punch to the solar plexus. These cats have clearly been sharpening their blades in the underground, and it shows in every calculated groove and industrial pulse.
Their sound is a seductive hybrid – industrial metal backbone with that thick groove metal DNA, all wrapped in gothic dancefloor sensibilities that recall the glory days of Ministry's club bangers meets the rhythmic swagger of Pantera's heaviest moments.
The band was hyper-focused, locked in tight as a steel trap, and absolutely at the top of their game. (Plus a brilliant cover of Amen's Coma America). The interplay between crushing industrial rhythms and those irresistible groove metal riffs created something genuinely hypnotic – you could feel bodies starting to move in that distinctive way where headbanging meets gothic club dancing. Their gothic dance influence wasn't just window dressing either; it was integral to their sonic architecture, creating space for both crushing heaviness and undeniable groove. By the time their set ended, the room was already a sweatbox and primed for annihilation.
WITCHGRINDER - MELBOURNE'S INDUSTRIAL OVERLORDS
If Our Last Enemy were the surgical strike, Melbourne's Witchgrinder were the full nuclear option. These industrial titans took the stage and immediately transformed Max Watts into some dystopian factory floor where White Zombie's groove-laden menace meets the mechanical precision of NIN.
Their sound is pure industrial weight – massive, grinding, and absolutely fucking hypnotic.
The guitar work channels that mid-90s industrial metal sweet spot, characterised by all-down-tuned brutality and syncopated rhythms that make your ribcage rattle. But this isn't nostalgic worship; Witchgrinder understand that true industrial metal is about the marriage of human aggression and mechanical precision, and they've mastered that alchemy.
The crowd response was immediate and primal. Bodies moving in that distinctive industrial way – part headbang, part robotic convulsion.
These guys proved that Melbourne's underground scene is still producing bands that understand the dark arts of heavy music. And the grim beachball/balloon in the crowd was epic, especially when it had a Bongcleaner (local doom/sludge/stoner metal legends) sticker placed on it.
COMBICHRIST - AGGROTECH METAL GODS DESCEND
Then came the main event, and Christ almighty, what a fucking spectacle. Andy LaPlegua and his aggrotech army descended upon Max Watts like digital demons, and for the next hour and change, reality became negotiable.
From the opening assault of "All Pain Is Gone," it was clear this wasn't going to be your typical metal show. This was something altogether more dangerous – a full sensory assault that blurred every line between metal gig and underground rave. LaPlegua prowled the stage like some cybernetic shaman, his voice switching between harsh industrial barks and melodic hooks that embedded themselves directly into your nervous system.
The setlist was a masterclass in dynamic tension. "Throat Full of Glass" delivered that signature Combichrist brutality, all crushing beats and razor-wire electronics, while "Get Your Body Beat" transformed the venue into a writhing mass of flesh and sweat. By the time "Just Like Me" kicked in, the crowd had achieved some kind of collective transcendence – half headbanging metalheads, half rave casualties, all completely losing their shit.
"Compliance" and "Follow the Trail of Blood" showcased the band's evolution beyond simple industrial metal templates. These tracks pulse with genuine menace, industrial rhythms that feel both ancient and futuristic. "Children of Violence" became a full communal ritual, while "Can't Control" turned the room into controlled chaos – the kind of beautiful pandemonium that only happens when a band and crowd achieve perfect chemical reaction.
The real revelation was watching the crowd navigate this sonic schizophrenia. One moment you'd be windmilling to "Electrohead," the next you'd catch yourself doing that distinctive rave shuffle during "Sonic Witch." "Modern Demon" epitomised this perfectly – a track that's simultaneously crushing metal and addictive electronic music, demanding both headbanging and dancing, often simultaneously.
The climactic one-two punch of "Violence Solves Everything, Pt I" and "Violence Solves Everything Part II (The End of a Dream)" was absolutely transcendent. LaPlegua conducted the chaos like some digital conductor, the crowd responding to every beat drop and breakdown with religious fervour. By this point, the distinction between performer and audience had completely dissolved.
The encore trilogy of "Desolation," "Denial," and "Never Surrender" felt like a proper ritual conclusion – exhausted, cathartic, and utterly triumphant.
VERDICT
This was one of those rare nights when everything aligns perfectly. Three bands operating at peak capacity, each representing their respective corners of the heavy underground with absolute authority. Our Last Enemy proved Sydney's Industrial metal scene is alive and dangerous, Witchgrinder reminded us that Melbourne's industrial legacy runs deep, and Combichrist... well, they reminded us why they're the undisputed kings of aggrotech/industrial/metal rave brutality.
Most energetic gig in years? Absolutely. But more than that, this was a reminder of why the underground exists – to provide spaces where music can be genuinely dangerous, where genres blur and boundaries collapse, where you can headbang and rave simultaneously without anyone questioning your sanity.
Max Watts has hosted some legendary nights, but Saturday's assault will be talked about for years. Essential.
★★★★★
LINKS
OUR LAST ENEMY:
WITCHGRINDER:
COMBICHRIST:
https://combichristchurch.com/
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