Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar is the debut studio album of industrial rock band Chemlab, released on March 22, 1993, by Fifth Colvmn and Metal Blade Records. It represents the band's only studio release via the label Metal Blade and was reissued by Invisible Records on November 30, 1999. Each "suture" is an instrumental piece splitting the main tracks apart. The track "Suicide Jag" was featured in the game Saints Row: The Third. The album was produced by Jeff "Critter" Newell and has been considered by critics to be a defining moment within the coldwave genre. In 2018 Chemlab embarked on a tour featuring Dead on TV and GoFight members Daniel Evans, Vince McAley, and Mike Love backing Louche to celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of the Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar. On June 18, 2021, a remaster of the album was released.
Reception
Aiding & Abetting gave Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar a mixed to positive review, commending the guitar work and calling the music "user-friendly industrial dance stuff." Rick Anderson of AllMusic awarded the album four out of five stars and said "the band's debut album reveals a group lurching toward tightly controlled sonic pandemonium while still maintaining a firm grip on old-fashioned, blippy, synth riffs and the occasional shred of actual melody." Sonic Boom described Chemlab as "one of the few true industrial rock bands" and "buried deep under the surface of music are influences so diverse and spread out that one would wonder why this particular fusion of decayed guitars and hybrid electronics would be the music of choice of this east coast duo."
Sampling
The opening spoken‑word sample in the track "Neurozone" has been linked to the 1990 documentary Cyberpunk, directed by Marianne Trench, which features psychologist and writer Timothy Leary. The sample appears approximately 10:22 into the documentary with Leary saying "In the bureaucracy, any individual that thinks for herself is considered a hooligan, or a smartass, or a know‑it‑all, or a troublemaker"
Track listing
Personnel Adapted from the Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar liner notes.
Chemlab Jared Louche – lead vocals, arrangements, production, art direction, additional programming (3, 9) Dylan Thomas More – sampler, programming, loops, arrangements, production, art direction, additional programming (3, 9)
Additional performers Martin Atkins – remix (14) Mark Blasquez – remix (15) Mark Kermanj – drums Geno Lenardo – sampler (3) Ned Wahl – bass guitar Steve Watson – guitar
Production and design Duane Buford – assistant engineering Eric Carter – assistant engineering Bill Garcelon – assistant engineering Zalman Fishman – executive-producer Matthias Heilbronn – editing Phil Merkle – cover art, art direction Newton More – photography Jeff "Critter" Newell – production Scott Larson – assistant engineering Geno Lenardo – assistant engineering Dalton Portella – art direction Brett Smith – design
Release history Date Region Label Format Catalog 1993 United States Fifth Colvmn/Metal Blade CD, CS 3984-14013 Devotion/Fifth Colvmn/Metal Blade CD 004 1999 Invisible INV 160
References
External links