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KILLING JOKE
self-titled (Zuma/Epic)
Reviewed by Alan Wright
I had pretty much given up on Killing Joke post-Night Time, the album that spawned both the good in "Eighties" and the not-so-good in "Love Like Blood." Everything I heard after that seemed to be a sad attempt at artfag dance-floor nonsense, or generic "alternarock" with all the edge and anger sucked out of the band. In short, they became a rather faceless outfit. Well, their new self-titled album is a return to form for them. They haven't sounded this savage and unhinged since their first two albums - the self-titled debut and its even noisier follow-up, What's This For? On some songs they sound even angrier and rawer than they have ever been. Original bassist Youth is back, and Paul Raven, his replacement, is also here. It doesn't say who plays what, so I'm unsure if they both play bass on different tracks, or what. Andy Gill of Gang Of Four fame is credited as Producer, as well as adding "additional guitar feedback" and Dave Grohl is manning the skins.
The interesting thing about Grohl being involved is that Killing Joke sued Nirvana for supposedly ripping off the riff from their song "Eighties" for "Come As You Are." Funnily enough, I always thought "Eighties" - and indeed "Come As You Are" - was ripped off of the Damned's "Life Goes On," but I digress.
On this new CD, Jaz Coleman's vocals run the gamut from soft and ethereal to screaming rage. Thick guitars and bass work, anchored by extremely heavy drum work back up his articulate rants on current state of affairs. "Blood On Your Hands" addresses corporations raping the earth, while "Total Invasion" seems to be about the IRAQ war. One of my fave tunes though is actually the slow dirge of "You'll Never Get To Me," which has a hauntingly effective melody and chorus part, not to mention some really great lyrics like "I'll never let you get to me/survival is my victory." "The House That Pain Built" shifts from mid-tempo to a full-on thrash-hardcore tempo on the chorus. As if to come full circle, they even wrap the album up with a new, even more aggressive sounding version of "Wardance."
© 2004 - Alan Wright