March 2022 Feature Release – The Sphere Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Sphere has been nominated by yours truly. It's the classic 2006 twelfth album "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell" from Notting Hill's much beloved industrial metal superstars Killing Joke. It's been a full year since we last saw Killing Joke gracing our feature release list & I was absolutely blown away by how amazing their 2003 self-titled record was at the time. I've been biding my time since then, waiting patiently for the opportunity to once again indulge in the abrasive goodness that has seen Killing Joke rise from their post-punk, new wave & synth-pop roots to take up a leadership role in the very scene they originally inspired. Why do I get the feeling that I'm gonna enjoy this one?

https://metal.academy/releases/1634

I absolutely adored Killing Joke's self-titled 2003 album when we featured it in early 2021 so I was really looking forward to seeing what its follow-up had to offer (especially given that its arguably Killing Joke's most popular metal record) & it hasn't disappointed although it hasn't quite made the same impact as its predecessor. The production job is noticeably rougher &, even though this is apparently intentional given that the band felt their previous record was a little too clean, I do find the guitar tone to be a bit disappointing & the drums to sound a little flabby & thin at times. It took me a couple of listens to become accustomed to this but once I got my teeth into the song-writing it was pretty easy to overlook that flaw.

The first three tracks seem to be the clear fan favourites but interestingly (although hardly surprising) I find the less popular inclusions to be the real gems. If you only listened to those first three tracks though you'd likely be given the impression that "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell" isn't actually a metal record because opener "This Tribal Antidote" (the only track I struggle with here) sounds more like the band's early post-punk works than anything else while the title track & the heavily symphonic "Invocation" are much closer to industrial rock than they are to metal. But never fear because the album gets significantly heavier from that point on with an abrasive industrial metal sound taking over for the remainder of the tracklisting. If you're not a patient metalhead & you aren't into a more cerebral style of music then turn around & walk away now because Killing Joke's approach is very repetitive with these long tracks featuring relatively few changes. The aim is to get the listener into a consistent groove that builds in tension gradually over time. It either works for you or it doesn't & luckily for me I'm right onboard with music like this (perhaps helped by my techno days in this regard).

You can detect the post-punk component of Killing Joke's sound in the guitar arpeggios & tribal rhythms employed throughout while front man Jaz Coleman's grindy vocals & beautifully timed & placed keyboard lines are always very effective. You'll have to wait till right to the end of the album to hear the true potential in this material though with the last two songs ("Judas Goat" & "Gratititude") being utterly mind-blowing & the clear album highlights for me. I also love the lengthy "Walking With Gods" which sits in the middle of the tracklisting. It's hard to argue with the pure class that Killing Joke exude here & my hopes for another vitally important record have been richly rewarded, even if I do favour "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell"s wonderful elder sibling by a clear margin.

4/5

Whilst I agree with Daniel that the first three tracks aren't metal at all, and in fact I was beginning to wonder how the album got onto Metal Academy at all, I enjoyed them at least as much as the rest of the album and especially the brooding Invocation which comes on like a post-punk Kashmir. I was a massive fan of the band's eighties albums like Fire Dances and Night Time so that's not really a big surprise to me. Still, when Implosion bursts onto the scene with it's whirling dervish of a rhythm then it becomes clear we are headed in a more metal-oriented direction as this head-spinner digs it's hooks in. Metal is still only a component of Killing Joke's music though and is never the be all and end all, their tribal rhythms, gothic rock guitar work and Jaz Coleman's gritty, gruff vocals still give them a significant post-punk/gothic feel. It is interesting to compare Coleman's vocals to Burton C. Bell's singing with Fear Factory as they indicate a possible big influence on Bell.

Hosannas from the Basement of Hell features some of Killing Joke's longer tracks and shows that they were confident enough in their ability to allow the tracks free rein and though they don't feature huge tempo changes, key shifts or progressive flourishes, the rhythms are complex and interesting enough to sustain interest throughout the eight or ten minute lengths of Walking With Gods and The Lightbringer and for me these tracks, along with the eight minutes of Invocation, are the pick of those on offer. I have never listened to Hosannas.. before, but penultimate track Judas Goat sounds exceedingly familiar. Does anyone know if it has been used in a film soundtrack or something because I've definitely heard it before and it's bugging the shit out of me as to where. Well it's still a damn fine song anyway.

Really enjoyed this one as Killing Joke maintain their relevance and prove their longevity is no fluke with terrific songwriting and an original and distinctive style of their own that no one could really get away with imitating successfully.
4/5

Anyone who is a regular here at the Metal Academy will know that I am not always very positive about most of the content featured in The Sphere clan. Indeed, the very mention of Ministry makes me apoplectic, for example. All too often I find that the music of The Sphere is jumbled and done so just for the hell of it. My main problem with Ministry is that they seem to feel that the expression of their social, political, and cultural dissolution is fine to be exhibited with little care for structure beyond juvenile angst and reckless direction.

Thankfully not all music that dwells here in this industrial wasteland is terrible. Although arguably more than simple industrial in their content here, Killing Joke’s 2006 offering is an example of the rarefied atmosphere of genuinely captivating music within The Sphere. I recognise almost instantly this jumbled arrangement to all the tracks but here it feels more layered in approach as opposed to senseless piling of things on top of each other. The ability to combine many elements within a track (hell, even just a couple of different elements if they are disparate by way of comparison to each other) is not easy. Listening through to Invocation as I type this review just shows me what masters of this skill KJ are. The mechanical machinations of the track are balanced sublimely with those stabs of symphonia to create an imperious air to the proceedings here. That repetition is still there grinding away at the core of the track yet there is just enough variance in those symphonic elements and those tribal beats that roll through parts of the track to make this a real tour de force.

Switch to Walking with Gods just a few tracks later and we have a structure built on more industrial dance foundations that continually chops away at the listener. The invitation to “push yourself beyond the limits of human endurance” is made by a band who clearly practice what they preach with the relentless energy of this track. This does not always make for an easy listen with Hosanna from the Basements of Hell. The tracks are all varied enough in length, but it is the longer ones that really stand out for me, leaving the four- or five-minute ones a bit in their shade. That is not to say that the shorter tracks are bad, I just find I give them less attention overall.

The repetition is prevalent throughout and it serves as a constant tide almost to bring the music and me closer as the album goes along yet at the same time there are off-kilter rhythms (albeit very subtle), jangly alt-rock riffs and Jaz Coleman’s barking vocals that sound like a more accessible Lemmy to me in their style to keep me guessing where we are going next. Add to this odd sound effects that can sound like the squeaking wheels on a pram or deep and monstrous intakes of breath as well as the occasional maniacal laugh and this all adds up for one dizzying yet brilliant experience.

Whilst I get the sense that KJ do not really care if we like this eclectic “tension music” as I have heard the band describe their sound, they have put such clear effort into Hosanna from the Basements of Hell that it is hard for me not to be completely enamoured with it. It is an album that transposes the message of the artist with an ease that borders on being organic. It did not take many spins for me to feel in tune with this album and the ethos of Coleman and co soon bled through. As such it is one of a few records that I feel speaks to me and puts me at ease with its bonkers yet consistent methods of entertainment. In so many ways it is hard to describe yet in others it is so honest in its style it can appear quite basic at the same time. Extraordinary find for me.

4.5/5