REVIEWS > SONGS FROM THE HYDROGEN BAR

Smother (USA)

Chemlab was one of those industrial groups that I swapped bootlegs of with other friends on the Skinny Puppy mailing list back in the early days of the Internet. It’s fitting for me to now be the proud owner of this lush tribute to one of the best and most influential bands in the industrial scene. Single-handedly forging the coldwave genre, Chemlab influenced a generation of EBM and industrial artists. Aptly getting the title for this tribute album from the classic Chemlab, “Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar” this is a perfect nod to the special group. On this tribute, we find established artists as 16 Volt, K-Nitrate, Flesh Field, Cyanotic, and Insight 23 as well as several up and comers. Cross Contamination’s cover of “Codeine, Glue & You” is absolutely amazing.

J-Sin (Editor's Pick)

Gothtronic (Holland)

There is no doubt about it; Chemlab was one of the greatest Industrial rock acts hailing from the USA . With a combination of alluring beats and samples, guitar and distorted vocals they managed to be quite popular. Although they weren’t as successful as acts like NIN and Ministry they have proven to be a great inspiration for new and upcoming bands. In order to do a proper homage to Chemlab there’s now the tribute called Songs from the Hydrogen Bar (named after the Chemlab website and the band’s first album). The end result is a collection of covers from well known acts and new/lesser known acts. I think Chemlab gets the tribute they deserve because Songs from the Hydrogen Bar has become an excellent tribute cd. My favourites are Chemical Halo from the acclaimed act FleshField and Exile On Mainline from Hindu Pez. Because there’s enough quality offered on this tribute I think Chemlab fans should try this one out as well as people who are a general of the genre.

7.4 (Erik) 

Chaink DLK (Italy) 

Formed at the end of the '80s and active for almost the whole '90s Chemlab toured with NIN and recorded for Metalblade, Invisible and Underground Inc. The original band disbanded in 1997 and in 2004 the band re-born with the release of "Oxidizer" with Jared Louche helped by different guests. This tribute compilation sees sixteen bands of the alternative electronic industrial scene giving their version of Chemlab songs. FleshField, Cyanotic, UCNX, 16 Volt, Hindu Pez, Infocollapse, Fetish Project, K-Nitrate, Insight 23, Typozorg, Cross Contamination, Upon Eventual Collapse, Amorphite, Idiot State and D.Grey give their best creating a mixture of electro industrialism always in balance between pure electronic (see 16 Volt with their dreamy version of "Neurozone", Fetish Project with "Derailer", K-Nitrate with their "White line fever mix" of "Codeine, glue & you", The Vinegar Works with their acid industrial version of "Pink" and D.Gray with a minimal experimental "Suture"), industrial electro guitarism (Fetish Field with "Chemical Halo - Brusied Regeneration Suture", Cyanotic with "Suicidal jag", Ucnx with 21st Century - Head Like A Whore Mix or Hindu Pez with "Exile on mainline" to name a few) and goth electronics with Amorphite (their version of "Pyromance" isn't perfect and sometimes it seems out of sync but it is a particular one). The various tracks work and also Jared Louche wrote to MoMT to express his satisfaction...

(4/5) Maurizio  

Virus (USA)

I’m not a big fan of tribute albums, but this one, celebrating the work of Chemlab, is one of the best you’ll find.Chemlab is one of those bands that you either like or dislike with little or no uncertainty. Admittedly, I’ve always been a fan, especially of their earlier work: their "10 Ton Pressure" EP and their first full-length release "Burn Out At The Hydrogen Bar".  If you take a look at the track listing, you’ll notice that most of the tracks, nine to be exact, are from "Burn Out", probably because that was the band’s best album. What I liked about this release is that some of the bands picked the same songs, but their own interpretation of the original resulted in some very different sounding songs. Another plus was that no band on this album tried to sound like Chemlab, but all managed to capture the spirit of Chemlab’s menacing cyber wave attack. But perhaps the best part is that this is a 77-minute collection of music complete with stellar production and is louder than hell (I‘m talking about the CD version obviously). Hats off to MoMT for an excellent job with this one.

(9/10) Michael Casano

Backlash (USA)

Tribute albums are usually a bust.Usually. This particular tribute began as a humble yet ambitious idea on Chemlab's official forum, a project spearheaded by fans, and kept alive by the fans. You'd expect to find some level of idolatry and hero worship saturating this disc, and to hear very traditional renditions of Chemlab's material. However, Songs from the Hydrogen Bar: A Tribute to Chemlab, is very much it's own unique beast, and in addition to the exceptional fan versions, the record features a most diverse collection of trax from a number of off the radar and under appreciated artists. The various interpretations of Chemlab's music seldom give us anything too recognizable to the source material, yet each track retains the fluidity and spirit of Chemlab and coldwave music as a whole.

As someone who's more than a little familiar with Chemlab's catalogue, I can say with honesty that this is a really original and captivating look at Chemlab's legacy, as well as a great example of the solidarity and collaboration that's long been a hallmark of electronic rock music. Also being familiar as I am, I have a deeper level of appreciation for the covered tracks than people outside the fray could. However, I certainly don't believe for one second that you have to be a fan of Chemlab or even know a single song by that band to get into and appreciate this DIY collaboration. Even more recognizable bands like Flesh Field and 16 Volt create versions that present a real challenge to their audiences, as well as pushing the envelopes for both bands' styles. Some excellent newcomers arrive in the form of UCNX, Upon Eventual Collapse and Hindu Pez, who do the material a substantial level of justice, and really show their worth as musical entities in their own right.

Available thru MOMT, or any online digital music service, Songs from the Hydrogen Bar is a fantastic tribute to Chemlab, a fantastic introduction to Chemlab for the uninitiated, and a fantastic introduction for some up and coming artists. If we had more collaboration on this level, music in general would be a lot more compelling. 

Dark Entries (Belgium)

The name Chemlab probably does not mean anything to most of you. For that reason and because you also don't know any of the tribute bands you will most probably not buy this album. In that case you're a double stupid c*nt and you better skip this review because this release is not suitable for sensitive listeners. The experts know Chemlab (otherwise they wouldn't be experts) and know that these `industrial crossover rockers' can hold their own next to NIN and Ministry but unfortunately they were never able to break through. However, their influence on the crossover industrial scene is not be underestimated which is perfectly illustrated by this tribute cd. Most artists manage to create their own and solid version of the respective Chemlab songs without raping them. The contributions of Fleshfield, UCNX, 16 Volt and Idiot Stare are especially impressive. Avoid if you're a softie and a must for freaks. You know who you are!