[kj] EP REVIEW: Killing Joke – Lord of Chaos (Ghost Cult Mag)

[Paul]

https://www.ghostcultmag.com/ep-review-killing-joke-lord-of-chaos-spinefarm-records/


*EP REVIEW: Killing Joke – Lord of Chaos*

[image: KJ - LoC.jpg]

It’s been roughly forty-three years since *Killing Joke* released their
first single, *Almost Red. *Their latest release, the four track single *Lord
of Chaos* (*Spinefarm*) is the first hint at what the band’s follow up to
2015’s *Pylon* will sound like. With the existential dread of the world
falling apart around us, things may get worse before they get better, but
as the horizon gets darker it seems the fire of *Killing Joke *burns ever
brighter.

Despite the constants of vocalist *Jaz Coleman* and guitarist *Geordie
Walker*, and a certain unmistakable *Killing Joke-ness, *the band went
through thirty years barely putting out even two records without veering
off into a new direction. These stylistic shifts often seemed to be driven
by personnel changes and conflict. All that came to an end (at least for
now) with the death of frequent bassist *Paul Raven*, which led to the
original rhythm section of *Youth* and *Big Paul* being brought back into
the fold. That was 14 years ago. Since then, each successive *Killing
Joke *record
has felt like an organic evolution rather than a rebuild after some psychic
detonation. As anyone who’s listened to the subsequent albums, *Absolute
Dissent, MMXII* and *Pylon *can attest to, the sound of this new (old) *Killing
Joke *line up is up there, in terms of heaviness, with the band’s most
sonically murderous material of the past like *Pandemonium *and *Hosannas
>From the Basements of Hell*.
[image: KJ video.jpg]
Killing Joke - Lord Of Chaos (Lyric Video) <https://youtu.be/SSVjEc5rIMc>

The excitement I felt at the news of a new *Killing Joke *release coming
over the horizon was quickly tempered by a look at the track list. Two new
songs and a couple of remixes. 50% padding, at best, I’d thought. How wrong
I was. *Lord of Chaos *is much more than a lead track with some secondary
material tacked on. In fact, the lead track may even be the least
compelling of the lot. While the past three *Killing Joke *albums have
showcased plenty of variety, *‘*Lord of Chaos’ opens very much sounding
like ‘I Am The Virus’, from the band’s last album. Propulsive drumming,
with neat tom rolls, a chugging, metallic guitar rhythm and Jaz intoning
doom over the top. There’s no suggestion the band are going through the
motions though, venom drips from Jaz’s tones and the band plays like a
horse being whipped to a charging frenzy. *Lord of Chaos *could be taken as
a marker of *Killing Joke *having entered some *Motorhead *or *AC/DC *phase,
totally unmistakable, often not very surprising, but deeply, viscerally
satisfying.

But then came the “other” three tracks. B-side ‘Total’ has the band
delivering more dynamics. Jaz goes back to the vocal well and pulls out
some of his more crooning style on the verse, carried by a floating, spacey
synth line. A crashing, hard-hitting chorus has Geordie’s guitars descend
in full crunch mode and Big Paul hammering those drums like they must be
destroyed. If anything though, it’s the final two tracks *‘Big Buzz
(Motorcade Mix)’ *and ‘Delete In Dub (Youth’s Disco 45 Dystopian Dub)’ that
may be the most compelling listening experience of the whole release. *Justin
Broderick* of *Godflesh *and *Jesu *once said that when Killing Joke started
putting out trance remixes he felt physically sick, so perhaps this isn’t a
side of the band he’ll approve of. However, this is the point at which
bassist Youth needs to receive particular praise. Just as Jaz Coleman
brilliantly re-imagined some of the band’s songs in orchestral form with
the *Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra* on *Magna invocatio: A
Gnostic Mass for Choir and Orchestra Inspired by the Sublime Music of
Killing Joke*, Youth’s dub re-imaging of the band’s material is absolutely
not to be overlooked.

[image: interview.jpg]

DIGGING UP GRAVES: Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke on Politics, and Hating
Arena Shows <https://youtu.be/11hNhmbRm1g>

After more than four decades in action *Killing Joke *continue to evolve.
On *Lord of Chaos *they deliver the familiar chugging riffing and pounding
rhythms, while still maintaining the freedom to branch off into whatever
direction they choose. So, in the end it seems the band is as eclectic as
ever. Maybe now the difference is they’re mixing things up out of curiosity
rather than necessity.

*Buy the EP here: https://killingjoke.lnk.to/LordOfChaosID*
<https://killingjoke.lnk.to/LordOfChaosID>

*8 / 10*

*TOM OSMAN*
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