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Review: Jack Foley
WHY is it that when a 'serious' rock 'n' roll band actually calms
things down, they sound so much better than when they allow their
fury to run amok?
In recent weeks, I have found myself reviewing the 'metallish'
likes of both One Minute
Silence and Metallica,
to similar effect.
Getting through both albums, even once, proved difficult... and
now we have Killing Joke - yet more brooding guitars and angry
lyrics, all of which serve little purpose other than to have me
scrambling for the skip button in search of the end of the album.
And yet, almost without fail, there is at least one track on
each (sometimes two), where the pent-up rage is actually controlled,
and sounds much better as a result.
On the self-titled Killing Joke, it's track seven, You'll
Never Get To Me, which actually allows you to listen to it,
taking time to deliver its melodies and messages, and sounding
like a decent record to boot.
Here is a track that actually sounds melodic, with some decent
guitars, and some more restrained drums - all of which serve to
strengthen lead singer, Jaz Coleman's death-knell sounding vocals.
It's actually a great track about the innocence of childhood
('sweet childhood, never desert me'), and not allowing the bastards
to grind you down ('survival is my victory') and stands out like
a sore thumb amid the mind-numbing heaviness of most of the rest
of the album.
Recorded in London and LA, and produced by Andy Gill (Gang Of
Four, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), the album marks a reunion of the
original line-up of Coleman, Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson,
as well as Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl on drumming duty (returning
a favour dating back to his Nirvana days, when the band sampled
a KJ riff for Come As You Are), and therefore boasts some
fairly impressive credentials.
Fans will no doubt lap it up as a timely return for a band which
made a name for itself by commenting on global events; as there
is plenty for Coleman to sink his teeth into - from GM crops to
oil-pillaging wars.
Seeing Red, for instance, is an apt description for what
to expect, given the nature of lyrics such as 'been dropping bombs
again, and we're doing it in your name', or 'kiss the arse of
Uncle Sam, oh to be an Englishman', which all contain a social
relevance, but which constantly get lost amid the crashing drums,
guitars and wailing vocals.
It becomes a repetitive cycle, and an overbearing one at that.
The fact that Loose Cannon, the first single to emerge
from the long-player, provided the band with its first Top 40
hit in nine years, means that no matter what I have to say about
it, this one's going to make money.
And if the fans are happy, then that's the main thing, I guess.
But with tracks such as The House That Pain Built and The
Death & Resurrection Joke, this won't be finding its way
into my CD player in the future...
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Track listing:
1. The Death & Resurrection Show
2. Total Invasion
3. Asteroid
4. Implant
5. Blood On Your Hands
6. Loose Cannon
7. You'll Never Get To Me
8. Seeing Red
9. Dark Forces
10. The House That Pain Built
11. Inferno (UK Bonus Track)
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