Sounds like Killing Joke to me… There’s some choruses that are VERY catchy. Listening to “Here Comes the Singularity” - very catchy. Some songs are kinda whatever, but just like the EP, there were more catchy hooks than things I had to nitpick about.
If I had to pick favorites, i’d say:
Fresh Fever From The Skies
In Excelsis
Endgame
The Raven King
Here Comes The Singularity
Gave it a listen, sounds decent to me. Haters gonna hate.
It seems like with Hosannas and the new clips they have good ideas and good songs but ruin them with poor production. I’ll tire of all these songs after 3 weeks.
This is a good example of a band liberally recognizing great parts of their past while moving forward with more vigor than I’d expect at this point.
I don’t think the complaints about poor production quality are unfounded, however given Youth’s history with big name artists and how every song on Hosannas sounded less like the basement it was recorded and more like the band was sweating their old asses off in a boiler room, I’m going to take a guess and say whatever sounds low fi and unpolished might have been intentional.
Listened to the whole album twice so far and am enjoying it as much as their past two efforts. There are nods to almost every era of their history. The vocals, especially on the verses, have a melodic sense to them not heard since Democracy and while the choruses explode into the expected anthem territory that might have been tiresome to some on the last few albums, it doesn’t really distract from what I feel are powerful songs that stand on their own better than most of Hosannas.
I understand the disappointment that the original lineup didn’t = a set of songs as incendiary as the first two albums. The guitars and vocals take front and center. Jaz’s lyrics can be distracting if you’re really making that the focal point of your listening. Still, I don’t really hear what the detractors are getting at. It sounds like they put in a really great effort in the songwriting and while it’s not the very best they’ve done I’d say that at least five of these songs could go down as highlights of their huge catalog (in my opinion “In Excelsis”, “The Raven King”, “The Great Cull”, “Fresh Fever From the Skies”, “Depthcharge”)
Yeah, but I would still say Wire is running laps around them in post-punk revivals.
Wire still have three iconic albums that are almost unanimously agreed as their best. Seems like KJ have lots of fans who favor different periods of their history.
I liked it, it was better after a couple of listen, but when i first heard the EP i was very disappointed. I don’t really like any of the EP tracks except Kali Yuga, which was pure old-style Joke, and of course is the only one they don’t put on the album. For me, i expected more from the reunited original line-up to be honest; where are the tribal drum patterns they’re always boasting about? They just aren’t on this album at all. Big Paul is totally wasted here.
Some of the tracks are just not what KJ should sound like for me. I think a lot of it just sounds too…normal, if you know what i mean.
Jaz said in an interview i read that KJ do not take influence from other types of music, but on this album it seems that some tracks are more geared towards being catchy/poppy and they’ve moved away from what i consider to be the typical KJ style. A lot of this is just formulaic and underwhelmimg. For a different band it would be an exceptional album, but for Killing Joke, especially after the greatness of the 2 previous albums, it’s just a bit safe, and even slightly boring. I don’t mean to sound like i hated it (like my brother and our mate, who fucking despised it), i just feel that, after such a long wait, the death of Raven, and the reunion shows i saw, they should have come up with something a lot more memorable and interesting. I will be buying it, but i’m hoping the next album is much better.
Also, i fucking hate Youth. I know he’s one of the originators, but Raven brought much more power to the Joke, for me anyway. Youth is too interested in shitty dance and dub trash, which is not my scene at all. I know some people consider that to be an essential part of their sound, but as has been said, KJ fans seem to really be divided as to what is the best period for the band.
Anyway, get rid of Youth, and give the next album more fuckin’ balls!! [mad]
A mate of mine - who is a big Joke fan - emailed me on Friday with the news that he had bought an mp3 version of the album online and was really underwhelmed by the album as a whole and wouldn’t be purchasing a hard copy.
Don’t know what to think.
Maybe Wayne Static should produce the next KJ album. Dopey nu-industrial but it’s punchy and clear. Not the underwater Youth-type mix -
The only thing Wayne Static should be allowed to produce is a letter of apology to anyone subjected to his music, before his public execution. [sly]
So far the album sounds similar to the 2003 release. The Raven King (definitely the best Raven tribute track out there) and European Super State are definitely my tracks.
The Raven King (definitely the best Raven tribute track out there)
Better than Ministry’s Christmas tune?
Receive U.S. Release In November - With a reputation forged in fire, brimstone and magic, KILLING JOKE has long been one of rock’s most iconic and influential outfits. Now, 30 years since first bonding in blood, the original lineup of Jaz Coleman (vocals), Geordie (guitar), Youth (bass) and Paul Ferguson (drums) is set to release its 13th studio album — the first fruits of a new worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records.
Due on November 16, “Absolute Dissent” found the aforementioned musicians sharing studio space for the first time in 27 years. The 12-track offering was engineered and mixed by Clive Goddard, and produced by the band. It will be released on various formats including CD, two-colored vinyl and a two-CD deluxe edition entitled “Absolute Respect” featuring a bonus disc with KILLING JOKE songs covered by METALLICA, AMEN, HELMET, ECONOLINE CRUSH, DEAD BY APRIL, THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, NOUVELLE VAGUE, FEAR FACTORY, FOO FIGHTERS and KOTITEOLLISUUS.
“Absolute Dissent” track listing:
CD 2 (“Absolute Respect” - deluxe edition only)
Formed in London, England, in October 1978, KILLING JOKE was the brainchild of classically trained musician and vocalist Jeremy “Jaz” Coleman and drummer “Big” Paul Ferguson, who eagerly recruited two like-minded comrades in the form of guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker and bassist Martin “Youth” Glover and set about establishing a brand new and highly idiosyncratic manifesto for reinventing the rock ‘n’ roll wheel. Coming to life during what would become known as the “post-punk” era, KILLING JOKE was never willing to conform to the artistic restrictions of any particular scene or genre. Instead, they took a vast and bewildering array of influences and experience, and combined them to create something entirely unique and utterly timely that still stands up today.
Over the years, the band members have chosen to develop their talents in a variety of ways: Triple Grammy winner Jaz Coleman, for instance, has established an international reputation working with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, while Martin “Youth” Glover has become one of the U.K.'s most celebrated producers, supervising albums from THE VERVE and PRIMAL SCREAM, among many others, as well as achieving major success as one half of highly-regarded duo THE ORB.
Covered by METALLICA, FOO FIGHTERS and so many others, KILLING JOKE’s apocalyptic post-punk/industrial vision continues to draw praise from such high-profile supporters as Jimmy Page and Billy Corgan, and the band’s considerable musical legacy can be heard in the works of NIRVANA, MINISTRY, NINE INCH NAILS and the like — artists whose rise to fame never saw them cutting ties with the underground/alternative scene.
Once described by Paul Ferguson as “the sound of the earth vomiting,” KILLING JOKE is now poised to take their music of resistance to a whole new level, both in the studio and on the road.
Think they’ll find a way to push it back to December next?
Pandemonium - KOTITEOLLISUUS
WHAT.
[shocked]
[:)]