If there's one thing Jared and Co. have beat into their loyal audience, it's to never hold Chemlab in a box. The latest offering is Oxidizer, the band's first venture in nearly eight years.

Oxidizer starts with the "Pinksuture", a minute and a half long intro of remembrance to the glory days of coldwave. There is more than a touch of melancholy to this piece as you remember all that was, all that could have been, and what will never be. On guitar for this track is William Tucker, who took his life several years ago, and was a highly esteemed musician in the industrial music community.

After a pause, this ambience is immediately derailed by "Monkey God", the first full length song. The vibe totally shifts into a celebratory punk rockish mood - a song of victory, snagged from the bitter ash of defeat. This vibes remains to pop it's head up a few times thru the rest of the album.

"Atomic Automatic" is more akin to the band's early New York days, utilizing an aggressive stance heard rarely on the rest of the disc. Charles Levi (Sister Machine Gun/Thrill Kill Kult/Pigface) makes multiple appearances as the band's new bass player, and his style adds greatly to the mix. The Acumen Nation crew of Jason Novak and Jamie Duffy fuel the guitars and programming, giving the overall disc a Chem Nation vibe. However, it is certainly to their credit. Band frontman Jared Louche supplies the vox and lyrics, and as per usual, does a fine job. He still has something to talk about, and still knows how to clearly state what's on his mind without needing to stamp it into our faces. Which he does regardless, and with brutal efficiency.

The song "Megahurts" is a very sad track exploring the loss home and belonging. The musical arrangement on this particular track I can only describe as beautifully outstanding. "Queen of Despair", at first listen, comes off as almost silly. In a way, it's an excellent summary of everything Chemlab represents. Good beats. Peculiar lyrics. An odd sense of humour. A disconnection from anything real that is so great you can't help but feel your heart sink in spite of it all. The very last track is a suture including live audio of the old song "Jesus Christ Porno Star", one of Chemlab's finest moments.

I'm not sure why, but it seems like every Chemlab release makes an excellent swan song. Each record has a touching note of finality that you just can't shake when the album stops playing. Some would say that's because the band is expecting to self destruct. Others might think they just never thought they'd make it this long.

I'd prefer to think it's because by the time Chemlab comes back round again, we won't know who or what they'll be.

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