[kj] In Defense of Hosannas

[B. Oliver Sheppard]

Actually, I love Hosannas but feel like I come from more a punk 
background, not a metal background -- hardcore punk, instead of just 
neon-glow colored UK Subs-y '77 melodic punk, though.

(You can be punk without being hardcore punk, but you cannot be hardcore 
without being punk -- anyone who says otherwise doesn't know history).

Hosannas is a great slogging, sludgy album that coincidentally sounds 
like a lot of underground hardcore punk being made these days (minus the 
orchestral parts in some of Hosannas). KJ BOASTE it was being made on 
'79-era analog equipment, in a dark cold dungeon in Eastern European. It 
is not some ProTools, slick, affair.

When I say Hosannas coincidentally reminds me of contemporary hardcore 
DIY underground punk, even some crust, what I'm talking about is the 
trajectory of punk that is along the lines of Amebix, Nausea, and more 
recently Born Dead Icons and their side-project The Complications (who 
are named after a Killing Joke song and whom I interviewed: 
http://www.cultpunk.com/?m=20061117 ), Tragedy, World Burns to Death, 
Zygote, and some Japanese dark hardcore.

I know that Jaz, Geordie, et. al., are probably totally unaware of these 
bands and don't listen to them at all. But that they made an LP that in 
many respects ends up sounding like some of these bands anyway -- that's 
what really brought my full attention back onto KJ, who of course like 
anyone into punk I'd heard of off and on over the months and years. A 
tendency in a lot of underground hardcore now is to incorporate a heavy 
Motorhead influence. Born Dead Icons do this; Inepsy do this; The 
Complications do it; Black Panda does it. (Look these bands' MySpace 
profiles up - esp. Inepsy).


Track 1 - "The Tribal Antidote" is a great, churning slogfest of a song. 
It reminds me of Amebix, but also has shades of "Absent Friends" off 
Democracy -- very similar riff.

Track 2 - "Hosannas" -- a d-beat song! Sounds like it'll be a 
by-the-numbers thrash vehicle, but Jaz adds in melodic vocals that 
remind of the dark British post-punk band The Mob. It's nice to hear KJ 
belt out something folks can really circle pit to. Also, it bears a 
resemblance to the very early Venom song "Sons of satan," which had an 
impact on late 80s crossover punk-metal thrash.

"Implosion" -- total Motorhead worship all the way on this song! What's 
not to love? Seriously? If you like Motorhead-style NWOBHM stuff, why 
isn't this good?

I have no problem with Jaz exploring the more Lemmy-esque side of hs 
vocals. He cand o it great. I wish I had his vocals. He can go fromt hat 
to sounding like the same New Romantic British guy crooning out "New 
Day." How manyf olks have that vocal capability?


And that this is all coming from a band that played with Joy Division in 
the dog days -- it's just kind of incredible.

There is another band I've recently gotten into -- Bone Awl -- who come 
from the black metal scene. Coincidentally, they sound like a lot of 
Japanese and Scandinavian hardcore, though they probably have no idea 
they sound like this, so coincidentally they've begun to attract a punk 
following, which they must be scratching their heads about. That's how I 
feel about Hosannas. It sounds like a lot of the very good underground 
hardcore being put out by some cool bands now (seriously, look up 
Inepsy, for example), but KJ are probably oblivious to this fact (I 
can't imagine Jaz sitting down with Tragedy's _Nerve Damage_ LP, or 
World Burns to Death's _Totalitarian Sodomy_ though I think he would 
actually like them), which sort of makes it even cooler.


-Oliver


Brendan wrote:
No, come on! Invocation is epic, Gratitude is epic and a half, upsized
with extra cheese and sparkles, Death and Ressurection show is cool...um,
and some of the lyrics in the other songs are pretty cool...

I think the main difference is that it appeals more to people with Metal
sensibilities vs you filthy punks...? =)

PS: Alex did you get around to descecrating Appetite for Destruction,
after your Patti Smith rant I'd love to read it, even though I am a big
fan of Appetite. I can take it...I think. =)

  With the utmost respect to Oliver and the contingency he represents,
let me just say this:

HOSANNAS is far and away the WORST THING Killing Joke have ever done.
YES --> worse than OTG.

Heh.

Alex in NYC