Influenced by
Throbbing Gristle and '80s industrial bands, Jared Hendriksen (vocals, programming) and
Dylan Thomas More (programming) met up in Washington, D.C. in the late '80s. The duo began recording as
Chemlab with the Ten Ton Pressure EP in 1990, and a tour with
Nine Inch Nails the following year gained them a larger audience. After signing with Metal Blade, Hendriksen and More assembled a band (guitarist
Steve Watson, bassist Ned Wahl and drummer Mark Kermanj) to record
Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar, which was released in 1994. The following year,
Chemlab re-released their debut EP on the mini-LP Magnetic Field Remixes, along with one new track and several remixes. Their second album, Lower East Side Militia, appeared in the fall of 1996;
Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar followed three years later. ~ John Bush