2 Killing Joke – Killing Joke

It is actually difficult to listen to this album now in today’s musical world. The band have been so copied and replicated, that they almost seem like a tribute act to another band. Bands have done cover versions that fans might perceive to be originals of theirs. And when asked as to the self-titled Killing Joke album, some might point to the 2003 version, famous for containing David Grohl. So important was their influence.

It doesn’t sound like any other band that you would know on first listening. The band members were living in a squat at the time and doing a heroic amount of narcotics. It certainly sounds like a collecting jamming away in some dingy squat at times. There is no fat on this album though. Some of the tracks might be slightly weaker than others but there is nothing unnecessary on them. It addressed the concerns that the young band were dealing with at the time. Politics, death, pollution and exile were all taken into the mix. The art-work took in protesters at Bloody Sunday after all.

So what does it sound like? It combines a cold, grinding metallic feel with that of a background of a tribal beat. It has been variously described as being one of the first industrial albums, along with the nascent crust movement. Geordie’s guitar is choppy and straight to the point, Youth’s bass sums up their dub inspirations, Paul Ferguson’s drumming is primitive in the best sense and Jez Coleman spits apocalyptical vocals over it all. Its melding of metal and punk may have been an accident but it certainly inspired an entire generation after that. It is a group with much to say for themselves. ‘Requiem’, ‘Wardance’ and ‘Complications’ remain to be songs that are of beyond compare.

For some it was too much. Bassist, Youth, was sacked after ingesting too much acid and having somewhat of a breakdown to be replaced by Paul Raven. The band continued on with its erratic path for the next two decades. The death of Raven saw the reunion with Youth, who had gotten his live back on track and become an accomplished producer in the meantime. Since their second self-titled album, the band have been on an incredible run of form and are as strong as ever. Still a band that should be on most people’s bucket list.