I recently pulled this album out for a listen and have forgotten how amazing it is. I have to say, it might be their best work. From top to bottom the album is strong.
As a bonus, all of the singles and remixes that came out with the album are just as good.
What are your opinions on this album?
I remember a KJ thread we had a little while back that morphed in to mostly talking about Pandemonium and how great it is…I’m with you in that I think its one of the best things they ever did and I play it every few months…strong stuff…
I agree that it’s their best, and it’s crazy that it’s out of print.
There were a ton of b-sides and remixes for it, too. If ever there was a candidate from this band’s catalog for a deluxe boxed set, it’s Pandemonium.
Lol funny I’ve been spinning this album on and off for the last few weeks. Glad to see others giving it a nod because this is not an album that’s talked about nearly as much as some of their earlier work.
To say its better than their debut album or Whats This For… or Nightime is blasphemy but its a lesser known gem. This is sort of like their DSOTS - Unconventional, lesser known, yet brilliant.
I’ve been listening to KJ heavily lately - I like all their work, even the self titled KJ album which Grohl was on (2003) to their most recent works. Whatever they do…it works and their lyrics very relevant and intelligent. I feel Night Time is often overlooked too…
I like the 2003 album also and always thought it got unreasonably shit on…maybe it was because Grohl was on it,I don’t know…I have that dvd from that era also which is lots of fun
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I like the 2003 album also and always thought it got unreasonably shit on…maybe it was because Grohl was on it,I don’t know…I have that dvd from that era also which is lots of fun
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I’ve never heard this panned…in fact a lot of people consider it a return to form (early days). Blood on Your Hands is one of the most vicious tracks they’ve ever penned. It is a staple on any workout mix I ever make.
Maybe it was on prongs where I heard it get panned the most…thought I remember reading a few bad reviews at the time too…maybe I am remembering incorrectly…
I agree that it’s their best, and it’s crazy that it’s out of print.
There were a ton of b-sides and remixes for it, too. If ever there was a candidate from this band’s catalog for a deluxe boxed set, it’s Pandemonium.
I still have most of the CD Singles that came out on this album cycle. With all of the remixers, there would be a lot of Royalty $ to sort out. I’m sure this is part of the hangup with any re-release.
Also, this was on the same label (ZOO/BMG) that Tool has been in litigation with for all of these years. I would think the parent company has since filed bankruptcy and the masters are tied up in the proceedings. With Tool finally winning the lawsuit, hopefully a reissue for this album isn’t far off.
I have a few of the singles and the dub disc…
I really also like In Cythera and the whole album it was on (MMXII)…
KJ 2003 was an excellent record that course corrected from the mediocre Democracy and they haven’t looked back since then (Pylon wasn’t their strongest, but it was still pretty good).
Hosannas was such a dense,monolithic slab of greatness…
1990 Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions is my favorite by Killing Joke.
They’re all good for different reasons…I like them all, a real underrated gem is their Ha! live EP…seek it out, it is one of my favorites. Dry, but raw, frenetic energy!
1990 Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions is my favorite by Killing Joke.
Atkins!
Pandemonium is definitely one of their best, though where exactly I rank it depends on my mood. 'sa shame that most of their albums past the debut and maybe Night Time may as well not exist to most people, because this one always felt like it nailed ‘good-ass dense songs with an esoteric contemporary mainstream appeal’ better than any of their other ‘later’ albums and should have caught on.
Yeah, I don’t think there is a Killing Joke album that I don’t like.
The XXV Gathering live album is really good (orange vinyl too, for what that’ worth). I spin that one fairly often.
The only time I saw KJ live was on the 1994 tour, and it was nothing short of amazing. “Communion” was the opening song. I have always loved this album. To me, it’s a one of a kind record for them, so hard to compare it to any other releases (maybe a few moments on Democracy).
Brighter has always been my personal favorite, followed by Night Time, but I like all KJ old and new, and my own best-of would contain songs from every album.
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