Killing Joke - Killing Joke

Year: 1980

Label: EG

Killing Joke existing on that slippery slope of post punk that leads down into the ditch of industrial, which ultimately empties into the sea of dance music. Generally speaking, the further along you go, the worse off you'll be, and that certainly has seemed the case with these guys. 

This is their first album, and it represents something new and exciting at the end of the first wave of punk, a combination of proto-industrial, primitive rock, and a smattering of metal. This was the template that late 80's industrial music was built upon, but at this point Killing Joke was one of the few bands trafficking this formula. If you like the Pigface stuff that's been posted here, or maybe some Godflesh/Jesu than this one will be up your alley. I mean, shit, Metallica liked this record enough to cover "The Wait" on their Garage Days ep, so that's gotta be good for something right? 

Not long after releasing their second record, the members of the band decamped from London to Iceland to "survive the apocalypse" under the influence of Aleister Crowley, and then inexplicably started watering down their music with ridiculous dance beats and synth tracks almost ruining the legacy of their back catalog. Then, in 2002, the band reformed after a hiatus, and released another record called "Killing Joke", which was a return to form, and the inclusion of Dave Grohl on drums (who was whoring himself out to just about anyone at that time) raised the interest of younger fans. 

If you like this record and want the new version of this record, let me know.

DL