[kj] Kerrang!/Hosannas/KJ2003

[Robert Mallett]

BATS was a bit of a departure from early Joke, that's for sure. but i 
remember buying the 12" of Adorations before the album came out and loved it 
immediately, especially the extended mix. when the album came out i was 
surprised at how much the Joke had grown, even from Nighttime which is, in 
my view, a great album. the music sounded truly orchestral, magnificent, 
grandiose even (chessboards, twilight of the idol, love of the masses). the 
power was still there, but it just sounded amazingly Wagnerian. for me that 
was the high point as far as their albums go. OTG has my love of this land 
and that's about it. extremities was a good return to form but i hated the 
drumming. pandemonium is good in parts (exorcism, black moon and a few 
others) and KJ2003 was, well, the start of a new Joke. i haven't heard 
Hosanna's yet, only bits. but from those and what you guys have said, my 
expectations are high. doubly so after seeing them at the brum academy in 
October where they were simply the best i have ever seen them,and way way 
better than any 'mere mortal' band could ever hope to be.

Bob