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Killing Joke “Killing Joke” (1980)

Killing Joke’s debut album was a revelation – and, for me, a massive gamble. Strange, you may think, for someone immersed in the likes of hard and punk rock but, even in these areas, I’d always steered well clear of extremes. I always went for a tune rather than noise so, whilst the band received concerted rave reviews, I became circumspect when their music attracted descriptions like “industrial strength” and “barrage of sound.” The term being “blown away” is commonly attributed to music which leaves the listener in awe; in relation to this album it can be applied quite literally. There can be little difference between listening to this and working in heavy engineering. The drums crash like thunderclaps, the bass is a tripping jackhammer, the guitars are wailing banshees and the vocals are a sinister nightmare and if you think all that adds up to criticism, forget it, because the result is a fabulous blitz of discordant sound which, incredibly, never lets go of the underlying melody. Deliberately provocative – a Christ-like figure throws a two-fingered salute on the inside cover – Killing Joke are a band who demand to be taken seriously. Ignore at your peril. —Ian

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