Chemlab

"Oxidizer" (Album, 2004)

I first heard Chemlab some twelve years ago on the US machine rock/industrial compilation Rivet Head Culture. Even then they stood out as doing something slightly beyond the obvious. More than a decade having passed, lead singer and founder member Jared Louche has relocated to the UK and Chemlab release Oxidizer onto an unsuspecting world.

Its easy to see why this outfit have such a global following and draw respect from the likes of Marilyn Manson. Ingoring such trivialities as 'fashion', Oxidizer cuts a unique path towards tomorrow. A future that curiously sounds like they've put down the guns in favour of the whisky. Equally influenced by lounge crooners (see Louche's solo material) as it does good old rockin', or well placed bleeping. As such, what this lacks in focus, is counterbalanced by its unpredictability. Something we still just don't get enough of. 6/10

Rob Dyer (June, 2005)

Official Chemlab website: http://www.hydrogenbar.com