Lemming Project — Hate And Extinction

The rather curiously named Lemming Project were a German Death Metal band from the early 90s. They released two albums on the legendary Noise label, which served up a crusty- yet progressive sound that brought in industrial, discordant, and grimly experimental elements. Here from Cherry Red’s Dissonance Productions is a two-set bringing together the band's two albums on Noise- 1991’s Extinction and 1992’s Hate & Despise.

The two CD’s come presented in a clear jewel case. It features a sixteen-page booklet including a ten-page write-up by Oliver ‘Zoltar’ Badin, band pictures, and a small selection of clippings.

The five-piece band was formed in 1986 in the West German City of Dortmund. The band first appeared on a five-way split entitled There Is Nothing I Like To Say on Germany's Slow Records in 1989, going on to record the 1990 demo Hatecore- which, of course, got them signed to Noise Records.

So first up on disc one we have 1991’s Extinction- which is made up of ten tracks- eight album tracks and two bonus tracks. We begin with the moody “Injection” which is built around distant industrial-like ambient knockings, swimming guitar discord & slowly baying/ hissing growls. There’s “Experiments” with gunning ‘n’ galloping riff craft, smashing machinery-like drums, and grim-at-point stretched-out vocal barks. Or the grimly slugging ‘n’ baying instrumental track “Rejection” with its blend of doomy chug riffing, slowly slamming/ hiss percussion, and later discordant guitar spurts. Extinction is a self-assured debut album, with the band mixing their crusty ‘n’ dark death metal sound with rewardingly malevolent touches from other genres- such as industrial and doom.

Moving onto disc number two, and we have, of course, 1992’s Hate & Despise- which very much lives up to the promise of the debut, and expands on it- deepening the darkly experimental, at-times discordant touches. The nine-track album moves from “Lost- Verloren” with its speeding-up, shoving junk metal opening.- which then shifts between gloomily bounding and speedily battering riffing, roaring/ bellowing bayed vocals, with a slight chugging/ churning industrial underbelly. On “Manipulation” we find churning chugging meeting swirling discordance, with moments of weird tolling/ rattling -topped & sinisterly distant call-repeat vocals that mirror the baying growls. The album is finished off with “Judas Billygoats- Judabocke” where a sinisterly galloping riff meets touches of wailing discord, moments of grim clutter, and weirdly wonky tone shifts. Hate & Despise is such a distinctive take on death metal- as it wonderfully warps ‘n’ darkly wavers the form.

I’ll have to be honest, before this reissue, I’d never heard of Lemming Project before this release- so big thanks to Dissonance Productions for uncovering/ reissuing these two albums. As the band certainly had their own crusty-to-darkly discordant take on the DM form, and it truly is such a pity the band split up.