[kj] Another bloody review - mine!

[nicholas fitzpatrick]

Patriots,

I got the album yesterday and have only listened to it once (which kind of 
says it all) but here are my immediate, not well thought out thoughts.

Notwithstanding the fact that I love Killing Joke forever, this album is a 
two or three stars out of five effort. It’s ‘Pretty Good’, but that’s all.

I first began to have my doubts about this album when I read that the drums 
were being recorded in California and f-ing emailed to a studio somewhere 
else in the world to be mixed. I thought that sounded utterly sh-t.
Pessimists pictured an internet society where people would forsake 
physically interaction with each other to instead ‘hide’ behind computers - 
well, it seems Killing Joke have just put together an album without actually 
meeting. And this from a lead singer that apparently has no time for such 
means of communication!
Consequently I totally agree with the post here yesterday that said KJ 
should get a full time drummer for the next album and they should all 
preferably eat, drink, think and sh-t together throughout the entire process 
of recording it.
I’ve no idea if the album would have been better if put together by more 
traditional rock n roll processes of course, but it’s not just about the 
music,it’s about the band and how they do what they do.

The other thing I don’t like about the album is that basically, once again, 
it’s heavy metal. Full respect and all, but I’m just not a metaler. I 
thought Extremities was crap and Pandemonium was ok as far as some form of 
curious techno-metal goes.
I knew I wouldn’t really like the new album after the first three bars of 
the opening song (D&RS). Chug-chug-chug-chug…. The good thing about D&RS is 
Jaz bellowing out verses that sound like black magic spells, because I like 
it when he’s like that. But whereas on Fire Dances and BTATS it’s clever, 
here the whole song is just like some poor relation of Iron Maiden.
Blood on Your Hands and Seeing Red are the ones that stood out, but 
generally if I closed my eyes and you told me I was listening to absolutely 
any old West Coast/Seatle/Greenwich Village rock band on MTv, I’d believe 
you. Frankly, Blur's sound has more individuality.

My over-riding thought is that Jaz Coleman is now infinitely more 
interesting as an individual than Killing Joke are.

I’m not going as far as selling my Camden ticket though. Perhaps tomorrow 
I’ll love the album.

_________________________________________________________________
Find a cheaper internet access deal - choose one to suit you. 
http://www.msn.co.uk/internetaccess