[kj] AMG Review

James Osborne rush_me_away at yahoo.com
Mon Apr 17 11:33:53 EDT 2006


"The snarling animal in Killing Joke that was reborn on their self-titled 2003 release is alive and well on the thunderous Hosannas from the Basement of Hell,  an insider album that's pointed directly at the fans. Coming off a  triumphant tour celebrating the band's 25th anniversary -- captured  brilliantly on the XXV Gathering!  DVD -- the Joke sound absolutely free and grand here, allowing songs to  stretch well past the five-minute mark and just begging the detractors  to have at it by sitting firm on their classic delivery. Like their  great early albums, Hosannas is a sonic sledgehammer, nowhere  near as clean as their 2003 release thanks to the band's insistence  that old equipment and primitive speakers be used for the recording and  mixing. At first, it's a dense and jarring experience as strings and  synths get lost in the surging mix, and while the album sorts itself  out after repeat listens, the provided lyric sheet is the only way to  catch all the twists in
 Jaz Coleman's  inspired words. He's given the album a narrative arc by beginning with  two numbers referencing the band/fan relationship. "This Tribal  Antidote" portrays Killing Joke concerts as "A Ritual/A festival of  dissent" where "Kindred spirits exchange and listen/Share in common a  different value system." The title track goes even further, putting the  listener in the die-hard fan's day to day experience with the  protagonist looking to set friends on fire until he remembers "Killing  Joke waits for me/Then we play/Go Psycho." From here on out, it's Coleman  and company dragging the hardcore along as villages are pillaged and  the sacred is destroyed, right up to the closing "Gratitude," which  gradually trudges things back to reality. Supporting this grand journey  is Geordie Walker's  stately guitar, as forceful as ever and dominating on the otherworldly  "Majestic." Newcomers may find this all too much to take in, while old  fans can cherish the band's most
 personal album as another victory."
  
  4 out of 5 Stars
  

---------------------------
James "Bruce" Osborne
rush_me_away at yahoo.com
www.circlewithadot.net -> information on obscure japanese artists
			
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