East Side Militia

East Side Militia is the second studio album by Chemlab, released on October 8, 1996 by Fifth Colvmn and Metal Blade Records.[3][4] Its original title was supposed to be "Jesus Christ Porno Star" (which instead became the name of the second track of the album).[5][6] It was re-released on November 30, 1999 by Martin Atkins' label Invisible Records with two additional tracks, "Vera Blue" remixed by PIG and "Exile" on Mainline remixed by haloblack.

East Side Militia
Studio album by
Chemlab
ReleasedOctober 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)[1][2]
StudioChicago Trax Recording Studio
(Chicago, IL)
GenreIndustrial rock
Length45:13
LabelFifth Colvmn/Metal Blade
Producer
Chemlab chronology
Magnetic Field Remixes
(1994)		 East Side Militia
(1996)		 Suture
(2001)
Singles from East Side Militia
  1. "Exile on Mainline"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Electric Molecular"
    Released: 1996

Composition

East Side Militia showcases the bands further progression past the widespread use of metal guitars from the last release. The release also leans more towards an electronica and Industrial style, with more distortion instrumentally and vocally, including softer melodic parts in the compositions. The song "Jesus Christ Pornostar", a riff on Andrew Lloyd Webber's play of the approximate same name, is an innuendic poke at the Christian religion.[7][8]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]

Aiding & Abetting called East Side Militia laden with "raging beats, accessible tunes and the attitude that is almost unmatched anywhere" and credited it along with the band's debut as "awesome industrial dance albums."[10] Rick Anderson of allmusic praised the band for being forerunners of their genre, saying "the band's 1996 swan song shows them to have been sonically prescient but a bit too nihilistic and vulgar for prime time."[9] Sonic Boom criticized the album's length but commended the personal touches that vocalist Jared Louche brought to the lyrics and said "the music is what one would expect with the band taking so much time between releases, a diverse collection of thickly layered synthcore tracks coupled with a few slower swing style love songs."[11] A critic at Option called the guitar performances by Geno Lenardo of Filter and William Tucker of Ministry brilliant.[12][13] On the other hand, Scott Hefflon of Lollipop Magazine was largely negative towards the album, criticizing the writing for being dull and describing the music as "new blah-rock with misfiring artsy yearnings."[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jared Louche, Dylan Thomas More and William Tucker, except "Latex" co-written with John DeSalvo and "Pyromance" by Geno Lenardo.

No.TitleLength
1."Exile on Mainline"4:34
2."Jesus Christ Porno Star"6:24
3."Vera Blue (96/69)"6:38
4."Pyromance"4:04
5."Lo-Grade Fever"5:22
6."Electric Molecular"2:43
7."Latex"4:01
8."Pink"5:16
13."Exiled" ("Suck on This" Mix)5:55
1999 Reissue
No.TitleLength
14."Vera Blue" (Remix)10:07
15."Exile on Mainline" (Remix)4:46

Notes

  • Tracks 9–12 consist of four seconds of silence each

Personnel

Adapted from the East Side Militia liner notes.[15]

Chemlab

Additional performers

Production and design

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog
1996 United States Fifth Colvmn/Metal Blade CD, LP 3984-14115
1997 Poland Metal Mind CS INDU 015
1999 United States Invisible CD INV 157

References
  1. R.E.D. MusicMaster ... Deletions. Retail Entertainment Data Publishing. 2001. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. "Schwann Spectrum". Schwann Spectrum. Stereophile, Incorporated. 9 (1): 44. 1999. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. Reece, Doug (October 19, 1996). "Popular Uprisings". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 108 (42): 24. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  4. Blush, Steven (October 4, 2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of The Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 348. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  5. Christian, Chris (April 21, 1994). "Interview with Jared of Chemlab, Reptile House, Grand Rapids, Michigan". Sonic Boom. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  6. Christian, Chris (November 4, 1995). "Interview with Jared Hendrickson of Chemlab at Chicago Trax". Sonic Boom. 3 (8). Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. Christian, Chris (October 1996). "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Sonic Boom. 4 (9). Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  8. Christian, Chris (April 1997). "Chemlab: Electric Molecular". Sonic Boom. 5 (3). Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  9. Anderson, Rick. "Chemlab: East Side Militia > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. Worley, Jon (October 21, 1996). "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Aiding & Abetting (121). Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  11. Christian, Chris (November 1996). "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Sonic Boom. 4 (10). Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  12. "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Option. Sonic Options Network. 72–76: 87. 1997. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  13. "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Keyboard. GPI Publications. 20 (1–6): 27. 1994. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  14. Hefflon, Scott (November 1, 1996). "Chemlab: East Side Militia". Lollipop Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  15. East Side Militia (booklet). Chemlab. Washington, DC/Los Angeles, California: Fifth Colvmn/Metal Blade. 1996.CS1 maint: others (link)
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