This album sees the band going back to a more raw natural sound after the heights of their eighties success. This is one of my favourites by the band as everything is on the money for me. With the surprise addition of Dave Grohl on drums, all the tunes really drive hard – both musically and lyrically. Jazz is his usual threatening self – he is the one guy who really intimidates me. His live performances are so intense that I’m sure he goes into a trance like state.
The album opens up with The Death & Resurrection Show, and jeez, what a tune to open the album up with! The driving beat and groove, coupled with Geordie’s distorted riffs, and Jazz’s menacing vocal – it’s one of the better KJ tunes. Total Invasion reminds me of their old goth like post punk days as the song has that feel. The insanely deranged Asteroid is next with that pounding trance like groove, and Jazz howling, and Geordie with the simplest of riffs. Implant has the unfortunate task of following that onslaught, but Grohl’s pounding of the skins and Jazz’s robot style vocals make this a very intriguing track – until the explosion of the distorted guitar and the screamed vocal. One of the highlights of the band’s existence, Blood On Your Hands, follows and from the very first note of that deranged guitar riff and that pounding driving beat, I am lost in the sheer intensity of this track. It’s about how corporations control every aspect of our lives, and the line “Man made hell and a man made devil” is so true and apt. This is as good as the band get for me!
A more electronic groove licks off Side 3 opener, Loose Cannon, and Jazz is leading the line with a football style chant for the chorus. You’ll Never Get To Me is as close as this album gets to a commercial moment, as it sees Jazz in a more reflective mood. Seeing Red closes out Side 3, and we’re back to the twisted distorted riffs and beats. A very simple heavy sounding riff and pounding drums are what Dark Forces is all about in the intro, before Geordie’s distorted strumming leads into the chorus. The album closes out with The House That Pain Built, and has a relatively simple metal riff that keeps morphing sound wise. Is that Dave Grohl mimicking blast beats?
I really love this record, and it’s up there with one of the best that Killing Joke has done.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
