Reviews list for Killing Joke - Killing Joke (2003)

After a lengthy period of quiet, Killing Joke return with their second self-titled album (so Killswitch Engage isn’t the only band who did this?) and what lies within is one of their heaviest and most aggressive records to date.

The political state of the world was a strong motivator for such an album. The war on terror had turned the Middle East into an apocalyptic zone, and the world was shaken after the events of 9/11. Killing Joke were not American, nor from the Middle East, but they still had a lot to say. There is a lot of anger and passion directed at those in power and the state of the world. Surprisingly, there’s not actually much about war specifically here, or even the events of the times; rather, the lyrics are pointedly timeless, aggression towards the same follies of corruption and power that have plagued humanity since Adam and Eve.

Musically… well, your mileage will vary, and obviously this is a very popular album, but musically the album really isn’t that special. The tracks are very repetitive, usually with one or two drumbeats that repeat the whole song, a simple, shallow riff that doesn’t really evoke much, and there’s probably bass too. The actual instrumental work on this album is lackluster. What improves the tracks are the effects, samples and layering thrown underneath the simple instrumentation that adds as a strong soundscape of industrial dystopia. 

What IS special are Jaz Coleman’s powerful, passionate, melodically shouted vocals. He’s got the perfect voice to deliver such venomous lyrics, and you believe every word. The way he can shout in such a gruff manner while also hitting notes and creating melodies is excellent. I WISH he had better music to shout over, cause the album would be so much stronger.

There is one song in particular I have to shout out – “You’ll Never Get to Me.” This is by far the best and most special song on the album, and maybe in the band’s entire career. This song is not political – it’s introspective, emotional, crushingly depressive but also impossibly uplifting and powerful. Instead of a boring riff, it relies on a melancholic chord progression evocative of Shoegaze material. The music, lyrics and vocal delivery all come together perfectly on this track.

Also, the scorching bonus track “Inferno” is better than every song that actually made the album except the aforementioned “You’ll Never Get to Me.” Don’t miss out on that one.

It has only been during the past couple years when I started hearing of Killing Joke. I'm not too surprised since I've only been into industrial metal for a few years now and only a few of their albums are metal. But once I began my dive into some of their albums, I encountered some songs I wish I wasn't missing out on, and Killing Joke's self-titled 2003 comeback album (their second self-titled album after their 1980 debut) has a lot of them.

You can expect the usual industrial rock/metal action from the lineup of vocalist Jaz Coleman, guitarist Kevin "Geordie" Walker, and bassists Martin "Youth" Glover and Paul Raven (RIP Geordie and Raven). But who's the drummer for this album? Dave Grohl from Nirvana and Foo Fighters! I'm guessing the incident of Nirvana copying the riff from Killing Joke's song "Eighties" for their own "Come as You Are" has gone past both bands. Grohl thunders through with his drumming intensity, enhanced by producer Andy Gill (also RIP). Coleman and Walker have their typical vocal/guitar alternation.

"The Death & Resurrection Show" is the perfect album opener. Coleman encourages you to "put on your masks, and animal skins" before the powerful instrumentation rolls in. I heard this song is featured in the soundtrack for Need For Speed Underground 2. People following this band since their late 70s formation would have their minds blown. Then "Total Invasion" has some more lyrics poured out from the voice of Coleman, alongside Walker's guitar mayhem. This also occurs in the destructive highlight "Asteroid".

"Implant" is where the vocals seem to be more voice-threatening than metalcore screamers, especially with Coleman continues to scream even at times when the music has come to a halt. "Blood on Your Hands" is one of two groovy back-to-back highlights. The next one being "Loose Cannon", sounding both inspired and inspiring.

Up next, "You'll Never Get to Me" tackles different angles in newfound melody. We begin "Seeing Red" with some politically themed lyrics leftover from Democracy, "They're dropping bombs again, and they’re doing it in your name." Then "Dark Forces" has darker symphonics, though everything else sounds a bit forced. The finale "The House That Pain Built" is a cathartic standout within the mid-90s Metallica-like riffing and the chorus, "And when you need catharsis, because that’s how you’re made, you know."

After two pretty good industrial rock/metal albums and a long hiatus, Killing Joke strike back with a slight improvement in their furious self-titled comeback. Maybe one day I can check out their 2006 follow-up Hosannas from the Basements of Hell, but for now, let's savor the beauty and chaos of their return....

Favorites: "The Death & Resurrection Show", "Asteroid", "Blood on Your Hands", "Loose Cannon", "The House That Pain Built"