Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Killing Joke - Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions (1990)
With several of Killing Joke's non-metal albums appearing on this site (requested by Rex), I decided to check out one of them and see if it has enough metal to offer. That album being Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions, the one non-metal album before Pandemonium appearing in the site. Is Extremities really metal, and more importantly, one of the earliest notable industrial metal albums besides Godflesh and Ministry? Let's find out...
The band's post-punk 80s era ended with their failed attempt at the synthpop of Ministry's With Sympathy in Outside the Gate. The band decided to make up for it big, bringing in drummer Martin Atkins and returning bassist Paul Raven (RIP) for something heavier that than their first few albums. Not just heavy, metallic!
Jax Coleman unleashes his vocals through the ravaging "Money is Not Our God", starting off with smooth singing in the verses while shouting the title lyric with his later gruff tone. Geordie Walker (also RIP) performs his guitar with riff-tastic firepower, going chaotic without too much technicality. His heroic skills really made a memorable hit out of that tune. Next track "The Age of Greed" starts with a barely audible ad to add to the industrial atmosphere. There's strong writing in the lyrics that fit well for the complexity of the music. "The Beautiful Dead" is an ominous mid-tempo march with strong metallic riffing. An early prime example of their more metal direction! "Extremities" also has some great metal, though it can't beat the previous track.
"Intravenous" has Egyptian sounding riffing, hinting at the direction the band would take in Pandemonium. "Inside the Termite Mound" is slower and darker, but their previous albums' accessibility hasn't been lost. The more atmospheric "Solitude" has some melodic keyboards not too far off from the band Enigma that started out in the same year. "North of the Border" also has Killing Joke's earlier calmness. Though it also follows Ministry's footsteps when it comes to evolving their sound from industrial/synth-pop to industrial metal. That may seem great on paper, but not the way it should be utilized.
"Slipstream" has a more progressive spirit that makes up for the bumpiness of earlier tracks. "Kaliyuga" is an odd pointless interlude. That sh*tty downer doesn't really add anything, and it's best to just ignore it. We actually have some speedy thrash in "Struggle" similar to what Ministry would do in Psalm 69 two years later. Unfortunately, it sounds a bit generic and isn't as strong the other metallic tracks here.
I wouldn't say this is the worst industrial rock/metal release I've heard, but some songs might need some improvement to actually show the band's heavier direction. Still the strong songs seal the deal for the more metallic path that Jaz, Geordie, and co. would take on in that decade and the next....
Favorites: "Money is Not Our God", "The Age of Greed", "The Beautiful Dead", "Intravenous", "Slipstream"