Disco de Killing Joke: “Killing Joke [2003]”

Wow! For 7 years, Killing Joke fans have been wondering if the band would ever return. And now they have...triumphantly. Let me first of all say that I am a die-hard Killing Joke fan- but an objective one. I was unsure at first if they could still pull it all off. Don't believe any of the negative reviews- this album is amazing. It is absolutely mind-boggling that these guys in their mid-40's can rock so ferociously and passionately. And how the heck can Jaz Coleman sing like that at his age??? Unbelievable. The original members are all in top form here, and as if that wasn't enough, Dave Grohl dropped by and played drums on all the songs. Here's a blow-by-blow rundown w/ ratings out of 10 (top score):

1. Death & Resurrection Show - 10/10. Awesome first track. Jaz uses a couple different vocal styles while Grohl pounds away and Geordie uses an almost ethnic-sounding chord progression. Raw and heavy, yet focused and clear.

2. Total Invasion - 11+/10. Yes I score this 11 out of a possible 10. This is the most wicked sounding Killing Joke song I have ever heard, and I believe I have heard all of them! The guitars are so crunchy and tight and Jaz introduces a brand new vocal style- you have to hear it to believe it, I don't know how a human voice would produce the sounds he makes during the first few lines of each verse. The chorus is melodic and classic Killing Joke. I can't stop listening to it!

3. Asteroid- 9/10. Very heavy fast song. Has the same punky drive of very early Killing Joke songs. Jaz howls about an Asteroid destroying mankind while the band maniacally pounds away. Somewhat repetitive, but very intense.

4. Implant- 9.9/10. Awesome song, about the fear of governments eventually implanting ID chips into humans. During the verses, Grohl perfectly plays a very intricate beat w/ some subtle keyboards and somewhat reserved vocals. Then all hell breaks loose- Great chorus(?) where Jaz shouts -"Tear up your ID cards, stick your Implant up your *ss, you just want to F---'ing control!!!"

5. Blood on Your Hands - 9/10. Another rocker, with a cool steady beat by Grohl. About corporations and stuff- "5 corporations earn more than 46 nations!" Jaz shouts during the chorus. A little repetitive and maybe 30 seconds too long, but a very solid song.

6. Loose Cannon- 9/10. The first single. This one is more electro-industrial with more sequencing and sounds. The verses have an awesome groove to them. The chorus is ok as Jaz repeats "I'm a loose Cannon". Personally I think Total Invasion would have been a better choice for the 1st single, but this song grows on you.

7. You'll Never Get to Me- 8.5/10. The most mellow song on the disc, slower but still with the crunchy guitars. Sort of a sing-along anthem. Good, but I think it could have been better. They could have backed off even a little more to contrast it with the other heavier tracks.

8. Seeing Red - 8.5/10. This song starts out and it really reminds you of older Killing Joke, with a perfect baseline and just flat-out cool. The only problem is, it never really varies at all. The chorus has the same progression as the verse but just heavier. Don't get me wrong, this song sounds super cool, but it's just that they should have had more changes.

9. Dark Forces - 8.5/10. Cool because it's different than the other songs. Almost gothic sounding, with eerie keys and vocals. Again some very unique Jaz vocals and a deceptively catchy chorus. Grows on you.

10. The House that Pain Built - 9.9/10. Very awesome song. Great riff and great beat. At first the riff sounds simple, but Geordie actually throws in some odd-sounding chords at times. Pretty heavy song, with the verse, build-up, and chorus all being great. My only tiny complaint is that the song basically cycles through verse-build-up-chorus 3 times through without any suprises. But it's really great as it is too.

11. Wardance (bonus track) 6/10. Very disappointing. This is one of Killing Joke's first songs, re-recorded with Grohl on drums. First off, Grohl screws with the original beat, which he should have left along. The bass and guitars are not as tight as the original, and Jaz delays on some of the verse lines like he's trying to change it up a little, but he didn't need to. Still, it's cool to hear a new version of a great song!

Overall, if you like intelligent heavy music for the mind, soul, heart, and any other part of your being- buy this CD and let's pray they follow through with that US tour!!!

Given the hit-and-miss-ness of the last couple of albums, this is a huge relief. Just when we need them most, they come back harder than ever. This album sums up my feelings about 2003 EXACTLY.

Despite their age, musically speaking they are tight as hell and as strong as a nuclear blast. Excellent production, great mix. Adding Dave Grohl is a nice bonus, but in all honesty, he is outshined by Killing Joke themselves, which is really saying something. I can't believe Jaz can still sing like this and still be able to speak afterward. Geordie sounds more focused and biting than usual and the bass playing is classic KJ.

I'd say this and "Extremities" are the two best albums they've done in the last 20 years.

At last a political album from an otherwise stagnant if not comatose rock scene.

Before i go on with my humble opinion about KIlling Joke's new album i'd like to set a few things straight:

-first of all, Killing Joke, even when they were starting out way back, could not be classified as "punk" unless you were desperate to label them something, anything. This became more apparent as the years went by, when, not only they took on a more metal approach but they eventually reached the domains of industrial with "Democracy". With that in mind, this new release of theirs is perfectly consistent with their course over time. Not that it HAD to be but it amazes me how some people keep referring to Killing Joke as "punk" and how some others are "dissapointed" that this is not a punk album.

On to the album itself then: This is easily Killing Joke's most political album, and not only that, it's one of the most caustic political albums to hit the market since the advent of Rage against The Machine (I'm not comparing the music here, but the lyrics).

But what matters the most, is that this LP comes to rock the still waters of the current rock scene. It's as fresh in its feeling and soul as you could demand. It's as genuine and authentic as you would expect from a group with the history of Killing Joke. And it's loud, loud in a spherical sense: it's message is loud and the delivery is loud.

I will start out by saying I'm not even a Killing Joke fan. I own Pandemonium, and the CD single for Democracy, and I'm only mildly enamored with both purcharses.

When I heard that the Joke were back in 2003 with a new album, I had about as much anticipation for this album as I did for the new Biohazard album (nearly none at all).

This album simply floored me, however. It is by far their heaviest, and best album.

Every song is a winner. Killer distored vocals, outstanding riffs, and it sounds like Dave Grohl is smashing the skins with a pair of 2X4s. Every song is a winner, with Dark Forces and The House That Pain Built being some of the best and most emotionally engrossing songs I've heard from any band.

There are so few albums I can stick in the CD player, and thoroughly enjoy every track on the disc. This is one of the few.

There is also a bonus track on certain releases of this album called "Inferno", that is just so incredible, I can't believe it didn't make the final track list! It just shows how great of a CD this is.

After their releases in mid-nineties, I thought these guys had given up. Honestly, I thought much of their late work sucked. I stopped listening once 1992 rolled around, and only kept tabs on them through another band with mutual members--PIGFACE. Paul Raven joined up with Martin Atkins (Ministry, PIL) to start one off-the-wall, drum-driven industrail band who put on a crazy show. Anyway, all paths led back to KILLING JOKE, as Paul Raven convince Martin Atkins to do some drumwork for an upcoming KJ album. KJ's sound had changed drastically, and I was curious to see how Martin Atkins would put his stamp on their music. He did two albums with them--"Pandemonium" and either "Extremities" or "Democracy" (I can't remeber which...as you know, KJ doesn't always give you a "line-up card" in the CD). Anyone who has heard these CD's knows that they are NOT very strong. Extremities starts off fantastic, with "Money is not our God," then fades into mediocrity. "Pandemonium" has a few loud, fierce offerings, but too many overdubs, keyboards and digital machinery for me. "Democracy"...don't even get me started. I sold that to a KJ-head friend of mine for some fried chicken and an opened beer. I only bought this CD becasue a buddy of mine put it on at a party a few weeks ago. i immediately recognized Jaz's voice. "I don't know who they are, really," he tells me, "I bought it cuz Dave Grohl plays the drums on it. Killing Bones, or something like that."

I've got to say, this might be their best CD yet. i know that's hard to swallow, and their first 4 albums (Killing Joke, what's THIS for...!, Revelations, Fire Dances) are ALL incredible, but I just can't say enough about it. You'll know it's Killing Joke right away when you hear it. What makes it so good is that there are NO weak tracks on it. Maybe they won't all stand the test of time, but right now, I can't skip a track no matter what. It's definitely their hardest, most abrasive output yet. Too bad Steve Albini wasn't in England to produce this one.

Don't get too excited about Dave Grohl--it was definitely a "guest" appearance. In fact, he wasn't even present during the recording of the CD. The bulk of the album was recorded in England. Months later, by request, Dave G laid down the drum tracks in a studio in LA without the band members or producer present. It's amazing how cohesive all of it sounds, given the circumstances. If there's a tour, plan on seeing some unidentifiable, unknown drummer--kind of like how Dave G did the last Queens of the Stone Age album...he turned down the chance to tour with them. Everyone was trying to figure out who the drummer was the entire show when I saw QOTSA in W. Palm Beach, FL last year.