Killing Joke

Not for me.

The drums!

most certainly very creative, interesting, and well done for its time but not something that i particularly enjoyed, probably because i don't care for any of the genres presented here. 2/5

Interessante muito pelo fato de saber a importância do disco pro cenário da época. Sonoramente falando, me agradou, mas nada muito certeiro para o meu gosto musical. É importante, mas faltou um pouco mais. As vezes me senti ouvido uma trilha sonora de power rangers.

Never heard of this band but I was mostly vibing! They had me at the first song but there were some ups and downs after that. A high 3 for sure.

Simply not my thing ultimately. I respect it and its attendant political movement but I don’t love listening to it, too heavy and thudding and yelly. I did enjoy a lot of the audio effects and mixing though. Second act montage needle drop in my biopic: “Requiem”

I thought I was gonna really like this one but it let me down a little after the first song. I like the weird sounds and the more metal genre vibe but it fell a little short, I think it was a little too overindulgent.

I liked Requiem, then the second song (wardance) I vibed with so little that i put off listening to the rest of the album or any other albums until today (four days later). Listening to the rest of the album today while I did some pleasantly mindless CAD work, I still like Requiem and even Wardance is kinda charming with a fun sound, I think I was just being fussy last week and needed a nap or whatever. I still don't really think that this is something I would choose to listen to again, it feels a bit bare and repetitive to me, but it does have a very specific vibe that I appreciate and maybe someday I'll want to put myself in this mindset again. Requiem is now in my liked songs though so we'll see how that does with repeat listens. Because of this and because I want to start having more of a range of stars I've gotta put this at a 2/5. Likelihood that the members of this band lezzed out IMO: 1/5 i just don't think it was in the cards for them tbh

had never listened to these guys before, it’s very cool to listen for the first time to a band that influenced a bunch of bands that i really like first listen was in the car and i was like meh . gave it another try in the headphones and i like it! i get why so many groups took this sound and ran with it that being said bloodsport annoyed the shit outta me favorites: the wait & wardance hash brown with egg and cottage cheese (made by han)

I actually liked this - the heaviest sounding music on this list so far that I’ve liked! High high three not quite a four

Why did I never hear of this group in the 80s?! I would have loved it then too.

4 in relation to other stuff I’ve heard in the genre.

Sounded very gritty and industrial. Like punk with some metal thrown in. Some songs were decent, most were not.

While I did enjoy the spirited instrumentals on this album, I was not a fan of the repetitive lyrics, echos, and sound effects that were also included. The drums were a driving force on most of the songs and the guitars were a great complement. I can easily see how someone would like this on a regular basis, but the punk-influenced style is not something I enjoy regularly.

Audacious in its reach, especially for 1980, but ultimately not quite getting there for me.

Heavy metal techno music. Everything felt odd and wrong.

Hanging up art today

12. avgust 2026. 13.37h onestliiii dobar album best: requiem, primitive

If I’d have heard this back in the day I’d have been all over it. I’m an older gent now, with different tastes, but I still found it a great album if a bit dated now

This came out in 1980!?!?! So ahead of it's time. I can see it's influence on so many bands I listen to.

This was interesting to say the least. I heard elements of punk, industrial, metal, it's a good mixture. I can hear some influence on some of the early grunge stuff or NIN which is great. I can't say that I would come back to listen to this, but it was a good listen.

Punk war nie meins

Pretty good.

I was really into this--kind of defies genres. Will definitely listen to more and it might get up to 4.5 for me.

I would classify this as pretty run-of-the-mill Post Punk. Nothing too great, nothing too bad Best Song: Requiem Rating: 5.5/10 Stars: 3

Kinda strange. Would have to be in the mood for this

Noise.

Close to one star, but I try to reserve those for WTAF nonsense. This was just not something I enjoyed listening to.

Not half bad

Interesting sounds, some good tunes.

Maybe sort of an inventive punk sound, but mostly just boring and monotonous

Requiem is an absolute banger. 4 stars.

The audacity of this website to even give me the option of rating this anything except for a 5!

Faudrait que j'écoute plus souvent cet album.

Une vraie voix de punk qui écorche, des gross riff à mi-chemin entre le hard rock et le post punk. Un peu répétitif mais j'aime bien.

Tästä ei oikein kyl saanu kiinni eikä toimitellu itelle. Tylsää musaa

Ihan mukavata meininkiä. The Wait oli ainoa tuttu biisi, sekin Metallican cover-versiona.

Tää on melkosta KYLYMÄN SOVAN saundträkkiä. Hyvin on nivottu tunnelmaa piisistä toiseen. Spotifyssa olevassa versiossa on taas hämäämässä tota ylimäärästä tavaraa, joka sitten vetää överiks paukuttelut. Niiden ohi kun kuuntelee alkuperästä julkasua, niin varsin ehyt pakutti.

Ei ollut ihan minulle sopivaa musiikkia. En saanut mistään kiinni ja jopa vähän ärsytti.

6/10

This kept pulling me in, but then throwing me back out. I appreciate their demand to engineer their own sound and how influential they became, but I can't help but think they would have benefited from an engineer that would have questioned some of it.

early alt punk rock music from the 80s; a true debut by musicians who simply banded together one day and didn't feel the need to pay for a big recording studio or equipment. this genre of music at the time got absurdly big in weeks and at least a hundred different bands have came and went, and while these guys aren't the first... got a lot of good to say about this one. this album sounds great. it's surprising to me reading briefly about the recording process on wikipedia, despite the really humble and smaller budget, this is practically arena-level punk rock music. it's exhilarating and it's extremely fun to listen to all the way through... i like the incorporation of synthesizers, it's not one of those albums that focuses on that, it's more scattered accents... but it makes for quite the sound. definitely a good album to pick up if you like british early new wave.

Not great, not terrible.

I was going to say that there are echoes of Adam Ant here, but the joke's on me (see what I did there). Mr. Ant pulled from these folks, rather than the other way around. This is darker and less fun, but might be more interesting than a good bit of the post-punk that I've heard. Definitely did not listen to them at the time. Let's see what my last.fm history says - just as I thought, I have not heard them in my modern era (2007 and beyond). It's possible someone played them for me in the 80s, but there was no lasting impact. Not sure there's one now either.

This reminded me of Public Image Limited. So it was not for me. A little too Johnny Rotten.

no

Ehhh it was fine but nothing really memorable. I listened a few hours ago and I honestly don't remember any of the songs. Certainly no songs were added to my playlist. I'll go 3 because it was fine enough but I'd probably never listen again.

Too repetitive, makes it often boring. Best: Requiem Worst: Bloodsport

Faded into the background real quick. I think these are the guys kurt borreed come as you are from?

🤨 nah

Jilling Koke👍🏻

this is music for ME

Nothing special, nothing bad

No es un disco de escucha fácil. Muy influyente, pero no termina de convencerme.

It's marching music, and I dig it.

Feels like an initial merging of British punk sound with early metal (and also some other elements like the synths, and a little slice of funk on Bloodsport), so it’s interesting, even if I’m not all that enthused by the combination as far as the music goes, seen as it’s clearly an early try at this and not like, the fuller industrial combo we’ll get to later. Also because it’s in that initial British punk phase, yes I find the broad anti-authority lyrics a bit hackneyed and tiring, no surprises there.

topplaat

I liked Complications... that's pretty much it. Still alive though, guess I didn't get it

proto-industrial, post-punk, metal

Je n’aime pas le punk

I didn’t dislike this but it was kind of one note. 2.5/5

A band I was always aware of, but never really delved into. I get what they were going for here, but in the end it was all very same-sounding. Pretty repetitive. Nothing really stood out.

This was just okay. I wanted to like it but some of the songs drag and get a little too artsy and repetitive. There is also a fine line for the heavy British accent of sounding awesome and making a song/album or just sounding whiny and annoying. This started to get into the latter. 2.5 but rounding down bc that’s how I’m feeling today.

Some of this was a little… plodding. But overall that it was pretty good. 2.75/5

It's fine. An album that is probably more influential than it is good overall, it is very repetitive and some songs are definitely weaker than others. There is some interesting fusions of genres here. Otherwise though, it's fine.

Decidedly fine, nothing really shines out. Considered going lower but eh

not as bad as i thought but still dull

Have not heard of this band before but overall reasonable listen. Some songs the beat became boring

I like the direct punky parts. I like the slightly arty kind of indie post-punk type bits a bit less. Definitely has a lot going for it but didn't grab me in a huge way

Pretty heavy, wasn’t really gripped by any of the songs. Maybe if I was mad I would

this felt like a generic old British punk band. one song stood out to me in terms of rhythm but i hadn't saved it at the time, and during my second listen of the album i couldn't even figure out which one it was.

this was a real killjoy

Love this album. Dark and loud.

A totally fine post-punk album. I'm not crazy about this genre, so I'm not crazy about this album. 2.5 stars, rounding down.

I thought this was going to be very obviously from the last gasp of punk, but actually it feels quite ahead of its time. I liked it a lot.

Not for me overall, but a few okay songs.

Aprobable disco de rock. Estuvo normal. Aprueba con un 4 sobre 10 (2 estrellas).

Not sure why I'd never listened to this before as it feels like a precursor to a lot of modern punk-leaning stuff I enjoy. Really dig the raw sound of this. Rhythm section really drives a lot of these songs.

I actually liked this far more than I thought I would going into it.

I love when this list throws me something I’ve never heard of, that is a genre I don’t really listen to, and I end up really enjoying it! My favorite album is U2’s War album. This reminds alot of that- but it turns it this one was released years earlier!! Gotta give credit where it’s due. Spotify says this group has metal fans and disco fans. That about sums it up, denser sounds with good rhythms. More only critique is at times the vocals aren’t my favorite (lyrics are his it’s the growling delivery..), but that’s a nitpick. Great find!

I’m like ugh “is this heavy metal?” 💀 my tolerance is low. Update: Okay. This was actually a pleasant surprise. I avoided for a few days, and listened on a drive into the city and yeah, this was often fun. Sometimes annoying sometimes really fun.

Heavy and uncomplicated post punk from a band who went on to become a major influence on some of the biggest heavy bands from the 90s and 00s. it's simple, no-nonsense approach is its most appealing asset, although it does start to grind a bit...

Slow and heavy as I read somewhere. First track is impressive, instrumental 4th track is too. The rest is not bad but not as noticeable. They would go on to make the blueprint for Nirvana's Come As You Are (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. From the name and cover art, I was expecting punk, but this is more straightforward rock. While there are some catchy parts here, this overall is just ok. I wouldn't mind hearing it again but I would not go out of my way for it.

Requiem, Primitive, Bloodsport are all bangers. Not sure what's going on with the rest of this album, nothing else matches that standard.

This album feels like walking through a bleak, smoke-filled, Cold War-era industrial wasteland. It combines the jagged, angular energy of post-punk with a heavy, hypnotic, tribal rhythm section. Geordie Walker’s guitar work here is legendary—metallic, droning, and textured, rather than traditional blues-based metal riffs. Jaz Coleman delivers his lyrics like an apocalyptic prophet shouting into the void.

I was familiar with the name Killing Joke, but I’m not entirely sure if I’d ever heard them before. In any case, their debut album is exactly what you’d expect based on the description: innovative sounds with plenty of energy, but immature arrangements and very mediocre production. Some might say, “It’s just post-punk,” and they wouldn’t be wrong. As for my rating, I’m as indifferent as this text sounds. Three stars, and on to the next one.

Nothing special here

Very cool, will listen to again. Favorite Track: The Wait

Now I know a little bit more about Killing Joke. I sense their later stuff might be better. Kinda sounded like a not very good band to me which is never inspiring.

I've never known where to start with Killing Joke, so I appreciate finally being pointed in the right direction. The seeds of the industrial boom of the mid- and late-'80s are apparent on this, particularly an influence on what Al Jourgensen would do once Ministry stopped playing gothy dance-pop. While this didn't blow my mind, I liked it and need to explore their discography more.

Oh my, I enjoyed the heck outta this! Dark and rough-around-the-edges, I'm pleasantly shocked this came out as early as 1980 and don't actually mind how repetitive it is. It's more about the gritty textures creating an immersive atmosphere than it is about intricacy, though there are definitely some catchy hooks here and there. Also, the main vocal styling reminded me a smidge of The Cure (just more growl-y), so that's a plus!

Uninspiring

Really glad I had the chance to hear this! 3.5 and growing in my estimation!

Kind of repetitive. Album never really grabs your attention. Overall, it's okay. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Surprisingly enjoyable!

Different to what I remembered and had in mind from about 20 years ago, but I was reading they did change as they went on. Thought this was pretty great though, a lot more industrial and rocky than I was expecting, but works well. They definitely deserve their rep as being highly influential. And they have a mackem in the lineup, even if he does go by the nickname of Geordie, his hometown is definitely red and white!

Insanely ahead of it's time for 1980, a post hardcore band at least a decade earlier than any I can think of. The early tracks had an electronic slant as well which is also ahead of the curve. It's a bit rough and the ideas arent as well fleshed out as they could be but that can be forgiven for a debut that's completely changing things up. The less atonal riffs had a minutemen-y feel which is definitely a good thing. Don't think it can be a 5 because it's not that good on its own merits, but a strong 4.

Requiem was an absolute barnstormer and I don't think the rest of the album quite hit the same heights. Diverting enough, and a lot more fun than some other industrial music we've had.

Hmm interesting. Kinda industrial punk type thing. Not sure it will catch on! Reminded me of something and I couldn't work out what. Didn't mind it though, pretty good but doubt I'll be rushing back 3.5

3.1/5

on dirait un peu the clash mais en plus goth super pochette

Неа

Initial impressions before I even listen to the album: I've never heard of this band or heard their music. Is that the Berlin wall? 1980, so 9 years before the fall of the Berlin wall. Maybe something in Ireland? Northern Ireland was in some serious turmoil in the early 80s. Looks like it's going to be another British punk album or pirate radio band - which I do not have the best track record with. Let's dive in. "Requiem" was fantastic and the follow up song "Wardance" both have fantastic energy while showing early signs of we'll call it "Proto-screamo". I particularly am loving the bass guitar that comes through the songs. "Tomorrow's World" is when I read through the Wikipedia blurb and that wall is in Derry, Northern Ireland where anti-British protests began getting violent. "Bloodsport" is a fantastic showcase of the musical technology and it's use in post-punk music. It's a fun and catchy tune which is also crazy because no dubs were added post. This is the band playing the music from start to finish without any cuts including all the awesome sound effects and synthesizer noise. "The Wait" is a song I am VERY familiar with. I first heard this song as part of Metallica's Garage Inc. album which is a compilation of all the songs that inspired them or appeared as B-sides on their main albums. This song rocks and is my personal standout on this album. It's so cool and extremely well composed and just oozes personality and early Heavy Metal influence. This song alone is so good and was such a surprise to get today. The album on Spotify has four extra songs after "Change" but I didn't listen to them as they were just repeats of some previous songs. Fun album, lots of energy, some good dark messages communicated. I'll give it a 8/10 total, I'll be revisiting the band to explore some of their other songs and albums.

3.78 for Killing Joke's self titled debut. The album starts off with bangers.. Requiem, Wardance, then deviates into an annoying tangent with Tomorrow's World, but gets right back on track with Bloodsport and The Wait. This is super early post-punk at it's finest. Combining hard industrial guitar riffs with synths and crushing lyrics. You can hear how Skinny Puppy was influenced by this. I enjoyed listening to this and will many more times in the future.

Requiem

Decent punk album. Reminds me of The Clash a bit.

For some reason, even though I generally enjoy post-punk albums, I remember not liking Killing Joke back in the day. Well, something's changed in the interim. This was great. I can only ask myself, what's wrong with me. 4 "my younger self was definitely wrong" stars.

Anonymous

Named after one of Len Houmous’ famous comedy gigs. Someone laughed so hard, they died! 3.3 6/13 Complications

A 1980 rock album that sounds decently of its time, fitting in with the upbeat fun grooves of all the punk/post-punk/new wave albums that happened right around here, just throwing a little more edge and some electronic flair. Decent

I knew a little of this band before and ended up enjoying this album a lot.

Solid 3.5. Going 4 because it was completely out of the blue for me. Fun one.

Damn, this one surprised me. Hadn't heard of these guys, and was really surprised at how good this one is. Sounds fantastic and raw at the same time, and I love the post punk vibe.

Wow, I had not heard of this before. Has the rawness of The Clash's s/t but with synths and stuff. Really, really cool.

Depressing

Like a bit of post punk but will say the album felt quite repetitive so would not listen again in full. Some decent tunes on there

Better than I expected. Missed this one back in the day!

"Bloodsport" is kinda catchy. The rest of it doesn't do much for me. It's like The Cure meets the Ramones, and while adding keyboards to punk is part of an interesting mix, it's not something I especially enjoy listening to.

Very obviously influenced by Joy Division

Killing Joke, yes, I even own one of their albums, but not this one, a later one. What comes to mind regarding their debut album? Actually, nothing, except that I'll never listen to it again. With some albums, I also wonder if I'd want to discuss them with someone else or even recommend them, and I don't think Killing Joke's debut album is one of them. It's simply boring, but maybe I've misunderstood something. Every time the drums kick in, I feel like I'm listening to the same song—well, the lyrics, but I have to admit, I couldn't care less about them. I'm sorry, but this wouldn't normally get any stars. I find it neither innovative nor interesting in any way. Zero points, no stars.

banging post punk record

I think I wanted to dislike this because it’s confirmation that some amazing albums didn’t make the cut (Discovery is genuinely a baffling exclusion) but listening to this for its own merits it’s pretty good. The rhythm section is better than most other pinky stuff we’ve had and it’s not really self indulgent like the worst of post punk has been. A solid 3.5 rounded up to close this off.

Interesting is the best I can say for this. I can hear the influence it has had in what’s come since, but it sounds like an industrial future where the 60s dr who villains won. Laced with paranoia.

My butthole clinched up when I saw "English" and "New Wave". I'm slowly developing some musical trauma with most of the dreck we've been subjected to on this list that combines those two words. *THIS*, however, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. First off, hats off to them for being at least 10-15 YEARS ahead of the curve. This could have been released in 1995 with no problem and would've sounded contemporary with other 'Industrial' music. Instead, it was (!!) 1980 (!!). Wow. Second, the less they sang the better the song. Actually, the deeper into the album I got, the more I liked it -- some. We just recently had Ministry album and I realized that time hasn't been kind to this type of music for me. It used to be my jam, but I've long outgrown it. Same here, actually. I appreciate how groundbreaking this was. It was drawing a blueprint out for more bands later and did so with a startling clarity and prescience. Top tier kudos for that, but it still doesn't excite me like it used to. Absolutely this was an interesting listen and considering it's time and place in musical history I'd concede it's entry on the list. I'll be fair to it and my tastes and keep it at a 'weighted' (3/5).

This one caught me completely out of right field, as I'd never heard of this band before and was stunned to discover these guys were making this style of music all the way back in 1980. You could have easily convinced me this was released in the late 80s or very early 90s, and it would have still been ahead of the surge of industrial rock/metal and post punk that left its mark the final decade of the last century. That's not to call it great, as the singer leaves much to be desired, and while it employs the hallmarks of that sludgy industrial grunge that was to come, it's raw and repetitive, with little progression or change, and several of these tracks overstay their welcome by a wide margin. But it's a solid 3/5, as there's certainly a foundation being laid, and given that this is their debut, I look forward to exploring more to see where they went with it after.

126. Killing Joke - Killing Joke (1980) 6.28.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 4 = 4.8 rounded up to a 5 "Enjoy yourself/ This is your new age" Killing Joke re a band I've heard a lot of songs from , but the only full album I've listened to was Night Time which has tow of their biggest hits on it - "Eighties" and "Love Like Blood" - which are both awesome, and remain in my 5-star playlist. early 80s UK post-punk is kind of my jam, and the rest of their discography ( as much as I've digested piecemeal) is a shameful blind spot in my listening history so I'm happy to get started on correcting that. Shame they only have one album, but so it goes. I have also read some about front man Jaz Coleman who is one of those prolific renaissance man types you occasionally find buried in the popular music field, who had gone on to collaborate with a ton of different artists, both in and out of the music sphere, and who has trained as a conductor and helmed dozens of highly respected performances with elite orchestras. Dude also has some very uh, interesting takes on the nature of reality. Well worth your time to look up his CV. Anyway though, my point being, I already know going in that Killing Joke are on the more intellectual end of the sphere when it comes to this sort of thing, infusing politics, philosophy, and social criticism into their work. But as driving and hard-nosed as it might be with their proto-industrial beats, and metallic overtones, they don't skimp on the melodic structures. I fully expect to get some decent grooves mixed in with my anti-Thatcherite messaging here. THE TRACKS Side A "Requiem" - In the last review I talked about how crazily relevant Randy Newman's material still was on Good Old boys. In addition to the music itself holding up incredibly well, the opening lines of this hit pretty hard and are 100% applicable to today's screen culture. A funeral song written for the dying minds and culture Coleman saw around him, just waiting mindless, and subservient for the unavoidable apocalyptic nightmare scenario to play out. Have we been trapped in this purgatory of easy distractions, and intellectual pablum for way longer than it seems? This certainly seems to indicate a resounding yes. Maybe even longer than Coleman figured at the time. Musically we are steeped in a pleasantly plodding atmosphere with a buzzing synth line ( shades of Gary Numan) and casually motorik that carries us along and is punctuated by Coleman's powerful delivery. As hummable as it is strikingly dark and pessimistic ( but is this commentary of wake-up call?). "Wardance" - Things turn aggressive with some tighter, heavier drum line and a processed, ragged, robotic vocal line from Coleman on the verse. Truth in advertising here as this is definitely has a danceable groove to it. It's if like Gang of Four were inspired more by the krautrock from Faust instead of Can and Neu! and read way too much post-apocalyptic sci-fi instead of socialist critical theory. And man, the end of the world vibes keep on coming. This feels like a societal powder keg in song form. War and atrocity just around the corner, racist graffiti all over the place, people fighting over resources in a possibly engineered scenario? Perhaps to cull the herd? reading to much into things maybe, but I can't help but keep those more "out there" ideas of Coleman's that I mentioned earlier in mind. Some heavy shit. Literally and metaphorically. "Tomorrow's World"- Yeah, yeah, I know not every album is a concept album. But why can't they be? Death of the author and all that. I think this one has a better case than most. After the buildup of the first two tracks, we get the reality of the "Letter - on your doorstep" calling you up as meat for the grinder in the seemingly unavoidable war that been on the books. That apocalypse ain't gonna usher itself in , you know. And look at how great things USED TO BE. Back then. When people didn't look as... different as they do now. Put these rose colored glasses on first though before you closely examine that past, and then strap this rifle to your back. Best of luck! This one was a bit more raw, especially in Coleman's delivery ( the echo us used to brilliant effect here) but the drums and bass over up a fantastic groove that the chainsaw guitar can glide over providing enough of an accent to make this a head nodder nonetheless. This puts me in mind of Prime Juju-era Banshees stuff. "Bloodsport" - And then we get an instrumental where the only obvious thing to hang a narrative on is the title. What naturally follows after a call to war by the likely disinterested powers. Bread (Blood) and circuses of course. This funky number opens with a great almost disco by way of groove that leads into an either heavily processed or electronically recreated crowd noise that comes in with the hand claps, and reads to me like a good time had by a lot of people under some very not good circumstances. We get the actual cheers and whistles from the crowd at the end as the audio frys and sizzles away into a menacing tone. War as theater maybe? Seems to me like the very hard work of conveying a narrative using only instrumentation has been done here. Nods to Coleman's future as a classical composer and arranger. Side B "The Wait" - That same menacing tone opens up the most driving, danceable, and laser focused track yet. Coleman's distorted vocals on the verse sing us a song of post-nuclear disease and environmental decay and poison, where mutants of the body sit and rot, still alive while the mutants of the mind have maybe played out their end game ( but are they safe and secure in their bunkers or are they rotting away with everyone else?). All we can do is sit and linger in the new half life we've been given until the lights finally go out. Bleak as fuck and I've played it like three times in a row. Fuck yeah is it super catchy and energizing despite the lyrical content. This is peak artistic juxtaposition, folks. Also - seek out the Metallica cover of this. This lends itself VERY well to the garage punk speed metal take. "Complications" - We're well into the fallout era now with this more straightforward, yet still driving and energetic number. Martin Glover's bass is in full control of the proceedings here and he tears it up rather nicely. As low key as anything on here but still doesn't feel like any sort of afterthought or throwaway. "S.O.36" - The most overtly theatrical track yet as we get some sinister German radio chatter interspersed over alternately ringing and chainsawing Siouxsie and the Banshees-esque guitar work, and a falling down the stairs robotic drum beat with a fat bass assist. A showcase for all the players here, while they let Coleman kind of hang back and interject occasionaly about a poisoned, dying earth. Good times. "Primitive" - The funkiest track yet, with Glover setting the tone with that thick bass that leads into an almost brightly shining guitar tone. But instead of any kind of real optimism, the lyrics hear indicate some sort of new world order of chaos and back to basics survivalism. The old world is well in the rear view by now and maybe those mutants have taken the reins. But then, maybe this hand to mouth subsistence living is preferable to the clawing, pushing, and struggling. By day the mutants might run, but by night they dance. * BONUS TRACK "Change" - If Glover stole the show on "Complications", this one's a twofer with Paul Ferguson's drums and Kevin Walker's scratchy guitar assaulting us with some scratch funk stylings. I can see the cartoon lightbulbs flashing intensely over the heads of dozens of future nu-metal guitarists after hearing the playing on this. Great stuff. Included on the U.S. version in between "Complications" and "S.O.36", this would have been a fine addition to teh original release. HIGHLIGHTS - "Requiem" - "Wardance" - "Tomorrow's World" - "Bloodsport" - "The Wait" - "Complications" - "S.O.36" - "Primitive" - * "Change" MIDLIGHTS - LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS This whole album plays out like Coleman heard "London's Calling" and told Joe Strummer to hold his beer. Ear scorching, politically caustic, post nuclear dance music for radioactively disadvantaged mutant dissidents. Intense the whole way through and full of enough anti-authoritarianism stoking content to get any burgeoning worth his salt through any rough period of questioning. And all of this without sacrificing an ounce of listenability. I would have had my tiny little brain melted had I heard this at the right time. Unfortunately I had to wait several decades. I've heard several of these tracks before and really dug them, but listening to them in order as whole it really does feel like this ties together better as a concept album than a lot of ones I've heard from other artists that were actually constructed as and meant to be heard as. Lyrically, Coleman definitely has themes in mind here, and they all dovetail nicely from song to song, without worrying about any handholding or on the nose call backs and structure. I'm reminded of a fractal where every part of the whole contains within the structure of the whole itself. Amazing shit, and a shame I waited so long to get to this one. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - No FURTHER LISTENING - Faust IV by Faust - Radio-Activity by Kraftwerk - The Pleasure Principle by Gary Numan - Pink Flag by Wire - Entertainment! by Gang of Four - The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshee - Clan Of Xymox by Clan Of Xymox - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste by Ministry - Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails - Herzeleid by Rammstein - Hymns by Godflesh

"Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals.. Its only Teenage Wastland" I think sometimes you have to be really young to really commit to nihilism. Its edgy, I get it. I also find it hard to be self-sustaining. But nihilism and cynicism have probably been responsible for a lot of the music I love. Just being honest. I first encountered Killing Joke in the liner notes of Metallica's Garage Inc. where the fellas had covered "The Wait." Unfortunately, I did not pursue this further, being more drawn to the Mercyful Fate medley and driving into the Melissa album. So this gets to be a new listen for me today This is a gnarly album, a pure dystopian soundscape. The repeating riffs of the guitar and the bass descend on you like inevitable doom. You can hear the primordial waters of of industrial rock. Jaz Coleman's guttural vocals are the last piece to set the scene and were there, a wash in nihilism. We start with a "Requiem" essentially for the present world which ushers us into the bleak "Tommorrow World." On "Bloodsport" I could hear the crowd clapping and shouting with the violence. If that was done musically without sound effects that may be the best use of a synthesizer I've yet heard on this project. After we suffer through "The Wait" and emerge in a more "Primitive" world than the one we lost at the beginning. What a helluva ride! Yeah, this was an album worth hearing. These guys were ahead of their time for sure. 4/5

First time listening to Killing Joke for me. They reminded me a little bit of the Ramones but in their own way still. The history of the album art is cool to learn about. Callie would rate this highly with a wiggle and a dance to most of the songs.

Liked this way more than I thought I would. Bloodsport gave me the vibes of some futuristic battle arena vibe, where this is the intro song to some sort of colosseum battle or some shit. Where the clapping is the audience getting pumped up for the show they're about to see. There's even some noise behind the clapping segment that even sounds like some sort of audience... My brain generates some interesting thoughts sometimes, but in this case these thoughts very much improved my listening experience. 7.5/10

The great thing about this list is that it recommended some albums to me that I probably would never have listened to in my entire life if they hadn’t been recommended. Thoughts: sounds like someone is sneakily farting.

Haven't finished listening to it yet but I'm very much enjoying it, was expecting punk more than metal to be honest.

Ok - didn’t really grab me too much - a bit samey I felt

Despite expecting to enjoy this, nothing really stood out to me. It wasn’t anything special and I didn’t really enjoy it.

I enjoyed the comic more. Get it?? Like Batman. Alright, whatever. This was a pretty weird album. I understand the low rating, but I kind of thought it was weird in a refreshing way. The almost grungy, metallic guitar playing was very interesting. Every song feels very unpolished, gritty, and real. The singer on the other hand, eh, the singer kinda sucks. I’m not gonna lie to you. This is one of those albums I enjoyed the most when he wasn’t singing. For that reason, “Bloodsport” was, and I mean by far was, my favorite song on the album. Seriously though, it’s really cool how different these songs sound for being called Rock songs. They’re pretty unique in that regard. Futuristic almost. Song to song, the sound is pretty different from the last, but the songs themselves drag on a little too long, and are fairly one-note and not tremendously engaging. They’re fine, certainly, but nothing you’d think is amazing or necessarily in need of a listen. It’s not an amazing album, but for what it is I enjoyed it enough to say that I might return to it if I’m bored. It’s a mid to high 3.7 for me. Some funky, raw guitar playing throughout the album that I can’t really compare to anything else, but the singing just isn’t for me, and holds the album back heavily, unfortunately. Still though, I had fun with this one at least. Being unique is an accomplishment in and of itself. It’s another accomplishment to be unique and sound as interesting as this does, and not get a 1 or a 2. Unique in a cool, refreshing way. Cool little album. I liked it. I could see myself digging into this band who I’ve never heard of before until today’s discography and checking out their other stuff. The lead singer looks to me, in visual appearance only (I wish in vocal quality, but alas) like an exact replica of Ozzy, which doesn’t contribute a single thing to the album, I just think it’s really funny and I wanted to share that. But yeah, with a voice like that it’s no wonder this album is rated as low as it is. If the guitar playing wasn’t so god damn interesting, this would be an easy 2 from me. But I can mostly tune Temu Ozzy out and enjoy this album for what it is. So, despite all odds, it’s still a high 3 for me.

2/3

While this was probably groundbreaking on release, this one just felt ok to me. Highlights-Tomorrow's World, Bloodsport, and Primitive.

This had some really easy to latch onto instrumental work. This was constantly riding the line where I was enjoying it and was surprised that I was. Good one to have on the list. I could see myself listening to this again.

Cool album art. That opening had some cool instrumentals going for it. 2nd Track keeps it up. The trend continues to the end. The album surprised me. Every track is sonically interesting enough. The album doesn't stick around longer than it should.

Fine ?

Better than I thought and bloodsport bangs

Decent album

Malo

3/5

I listened to the entire album before realizing I listened to the wrong one because this dumb band released two different self-titled albums. So I'm rating this based on their 11th album, which I suffered through. It's trash. Just purely awful British metal/industrial rock. I quickly skimmed through their 1st album and it's no better. This is the Marmite of music. Nobody likes it, except for the British for some reason. 1/5

This is a great album probably 7/10

Love the bass lines!

Bit underwhelming. Nothing even close to as good as Love Like Blood

Liked the early industrial sound of this album, it showed the way for many bands and it influence is notable. Very good album.

This was okay just not my usual go to genre. It didn’t really feel punky enough to do it for me.

Really liked this, feels way ahead of its time. I think 'Bloodsport (Rough Mix)' is a great example of this album in a microcosm, loads of funk in the bassline with bite and a bit of stadium campness to boot. It's got it all and feels very influential.

For once, a British post-punk album that isn't hard to listen to! I even enjoyed some of it! I do still stand by the fact that when you listen to one post-punk song/album, you've heard them all. This was no different. I'm just so happy I didn't hate every second of it. For that alone, it gets a firm three. Congratulations, Killing Joke!

Conflict between my ears with this one. The beats are good; use of synth is ok. Lyrics, such as they are, are mostly morbid and dark.

Not bad...when there were no vocals.

A pretty good album, I liked S.O.36 and Change the most.

will revisit

This rocks harder than I was expecting

I really enjoyed how experimental and weird this was but I didn't love all of the experiments on here. Change in particular stands out as a okay I get it why is this still going song. But for every change there's a requiem so take what we can get right? Feelin a nice low 4 on this.

Meh

Oh, this was rather and pretty good, just misses that one special thing to make it perfect.

kind of industrial punk and metal. Cool sound but didn't really stick with me

On paper this is right up my alley but the first few tracks did not click with me. Ended up really liking the middle section though. I could see it growing on me but for now 3.5/5 Favorite Tracks: Bloodsport, The Wait

Heavy but not leaden. Has some solid atmosphere while still being sprightly. Sometimes too repetitive for its own good. I’m always a little concerned before I start a post-punk album because 1) it’s not a very descriptive genre term, that shit could mean almost anything and 2) I often don’t really like it. I liked this fine, though. It helps that it’s not an hour long. “Requiem” is a solid opener and I really enjoyed the insistent chug and ornamental guitar on “Tomorrow’s World”. Also dug the synth and bass work on “Bloodsport”. Thoughtful arrangements that ride the line between being overproduced and too spare. Not sure if or when I’ll revisit this one, but I liked it enough to recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of music.

not for me and not special for anyone

No private session used for Spotify. I have never listened to a Killing Joke album, mostly knew them from the almost Nirvana riff so I was pretty excited for this album; however I was disappointed. Not impressed with the yelling or the seemingly forced keyboard. I did appreciate the use of a lot of guitar.

Decent. Could be a 4.

Overall really interesting! I enjoyed this for sure, a decent 4 star album

Decent

Heavy post punk, had never listened before but would definitely give another listen!

This was somewhat interesting in a sonic sense, just simply based on how the group mixed punk with funk, metal, and industrial-like music. Some of the tracks just felt a tad too repetitive to me, however.

A solid post-punk record, but also an example of finishing returns. The first few tracks led me to believe I had a potential 4 star album on my hands, but as the album wore on, I grew less and less interested. I listened a second time and had the same reaction. “Requiem” is a killer track though!

Better than Coldplay

Not what I was expecting but I liked it :)

Don't have tooooo much to say about this one, pretty pleasant post-punk that I enjoyed in the background :)

Quite a formative post punk record for me, tbh it's dated a little bit more than others from around that time like Wire and Pere Ubu but there's still a really fun energy and very unique vibe to this album that I really like

I love the energy from this album. Great work out album cause it pretty easy to zone out listening to. The song so liked the most were “requiem” “war dance” “tomorrows world” “the wait” “complications” and “change”. The albums greatest strength (and I’m not familiar with the band outside of this album so I don’t know if this is like their shtick or just this album) is their ability to incorporate electronic bits and intros. It really adds something fresh to an English punk band that’s not bland, but definitely would’ve felt more bland had they not been bold enough to include that. It really gives them something special, and it’s my favorite aspect of songs like Requiem. The only thing holding this album back from being a perfect 5/5 is just not having great vocals. They are not bad they are just sort of drowned out by the much more interesting instrumentation. Seriously this album is totally worth your time, and don’t be intimidated, the cover makes it seem like it’s really heavy but it’s pretty accessible I’d say for something that is alittle heavy.

Never heard of this band from England. They had a nice mix of sound genres some catchy others rock n rollin a bit with some Electronica mixed in.

Requiem - 4.5/5 Wardance - 3.5/5 Tomorrow's World - 3/5 Bloodsport - 3.5/5 The Wait - 4.5/5 Complications - 4/5 $.O.3.6. - 3/5 Primitive - 4/5 A pretty decent post-punk album that also was a pioneering album in the industrial rock sound. Some of the more experimental tracks lost me a bit on the A-side, but once The Wait kicked in it hooked me right back. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Requiem, The Wait

Schrott.

Mid, I understand how metal fans would enjoy this album, but for me it seems lacking in substance and isn’t very interesting Overall Score-Strong 4

Oh, I had never heard of this band before and didn't know what to expect but the first song GRABBED me immediately

Very repetitive and ultimately boring. Shame cause it is nicely recorded and has some interesting sounds.

Punk - competent but predictable

Not bad

Truly awesome album. Enjoyed the hell out of it.

If there is one thing they know how to do, it’s introducing a song. Every track on this album slaps you in the face immediately and creates such a dark and foreboding setting, and the transition from the end of Bloodsport into The Wait is especially phenomenal. Where they lose the ball is anything following the intro. Even saying that, there is not an anti-climactic moment in this entire album because there is a total lack of ANY developmental structure. They pique your interest by introducing the idea of a song and walk off like they just made War Pigs. Yes, it’s heavy, it’s punk, and yes, it resembles early industrial music at times. It’s influential but no it is not GREAT. Killing Joke is best experienced through the 30-second SoundCloud previews for each track, leaving the rest up to interpretation because God knows it would probably be better than what already exists here. Put short, listening to The Wait adequately describes my feelings consuming this nothing-burger.

The Wait is awesome

Punk rock you can dance to. I remember The Wait as covered by Metallica on the Garage Days Re-Revisited EP. Anyway, KJ is one of those bands I need to deep dive into a bit more. I enjoyed it.

Well this was a pretty cool surprise. I knew “The Wait” from Metallica covering it on Garage Days way back in the day… like ‘87. But lots of catchy songs on here. And to think it came out in 1980, even more impressive.

I thought this album was really just okay

ehhhh it wasn't bad, but again, just one of those that I didn't really vibe with or get much out of. A lot of that could have been my general lack of love for metal music. I'm sure this was original and important to developing future sounds and whatnot, but not for me!

I've heard of Killing Joke but never actually listened to them, I understand them to be a punk band so interested to listen to this. Definitely not punk, they seem to be a bit more heavy goth. I really dig this and am surprised I've never heard it before as this would have been right up my alley when I was younger. They remind me of many bands that I loved growing up and am blown away that they were never introduced to me. Definitely feeling some industrial vibes. Reminds me of some early Siousxie and The Cure. Great album and glad to have discovered it!

Punk range. Annoying noise.

This is really cool punk. Glad I was able to get the recommendation

Proto-industrial? Really enjoyed this album. Didn't overstay its welcome. I see why every band I listened to in the 90's referenced Killing Joke as an inspiration.

I'm going to give this a 3 in the hopes that I'll remember to come back and check it out some day. It didn't really catch me, but I didn't hate it.

5/10

3.6/5 Favorite Songs: Requiem The Wait S.O 36 Change

Not bad.

Been listening to this since the early '80s and it still kicks ass.

Killing Joke - Killing Joke (7/1001) Wasn’t sold on this one at first blush but it grew on me pretty quickly. Well the music did, never did click with the vocals/lyrics, but there are some solid grooves here and the obvious Black Sabbath vibes are fun. Also sensing that these fellas were a big influence on Pantera and Biohazard. Mostly in the funky, chugging guitar sound. Anyway, it was pretty fun.

Rate: 7/10

The beats cool but repetitive.

meh rock común común fuerte pero medio dark. me aburrió. una estrella y media porq hay peores

I don’t necessarily think this is good, but I do think it is shockingly modern sounding for 1980. I can see how this was widely influential to a lot of artists who came later. It has a very unique sound, particularly for the time period. Not my thing, but I can appreciate the influence.

ta bien

Been wanting to listen to this one for awhile. Good but I'm not sure if its my favorite Killing Joke album or not. Favorite track: Requiem 3.5/5

pretty cool

This feels like the most 80s punk ever, bridging that power-chord chug with the reverb and synth of the era. Honestly, I'm liking this, and not just for “The Wait,” which I forgot all about being in Metallica's covers library. Whatever this is (I'm going with proto-industrial the longer it goes on), I'm on board. That simple. Light 4*

niet het maar okayish

Dark and heavy on most parts. I liked it. But there is definitely better music out there

Nice Postpunk can hear some Joy Division in there , nevertheless very nice

I was expecting more straightforward punk but this mixed in a lot more sounds and genres and felt deeper and darker because of it

Unremarkable

Not my jam. Soz...I get why people might like them though. I'm not an animal

Maybe because they took their time more, and for a debut album, I really didn't hate this. For british post-punk with some early emo feelings and psychadelic components, it was decent. I like the tempo of it broadly, and from what I could understand about the lyrics it wasn't bad. I know this sounds like I am damming them with faint praise, but there was something legitimately interesting at times during this, and even a little funky. Probably wouldn't relisten, but enjoyable.

Super excited to hear this because I have heard of the band but never gave them the chance, and oh boy, was I wrong not to listen to this earlier! Shit absolutely slaps, but not exactly what I expected from 80s post-punk band - they truly do have something unique about them, maybe this interesting thread of industrial in their DNA which becomes apparent the more you listen to this, but at the very least this is strong 4 stars and one band definitely to REVISIT! P.S. after a few relistens I am strongly considering 4.5 on RYM

Backdropped by Britain electing Margaret Thatcher, this album feels and sounds like evil The Cure. Surely, the combination of Post-Punk and Industrial Rock creates a rather disturbing and loud orchestra of sounds with hissing guitars and cavernous drums. Jaz's vocals are either demented and distorted like on "Wardance", loud and commanding like on "Requiem" or troubled and manic like on "Primitive". Even the instrumental "Bloodsport" works well to create a pseudo-fascistic theme on what sounds like Football Promo music. The album's biggest flaw to me is it's lack of cohesive ideas. While individually I think each song does great, there's not really a whole lot aside from atmosphere gluing all the tracks together. The dour and gloomy "$.O.36" with it's repetitive instrumentals and far away vocals against a vocal sample of what sounds like some German people talking, doesn't seem to sit quite as flush next to the ultimate track "Primitive" with it's pepped-up tempos and punk veneer. Even still, this record is super easy to put on repeat and the 2005 remaster ESPECIALLY sounds fantastic. The mixes pop and you can really hear every detail in the music. I especially love Youth's bass playing on this record. So even though it's a bit disjointed, it feels like an essential piece of 80's alternative rock history especially for UK music of the time. I imagine my rating for this would go up the more I listen to it. I dig it!

6/10… industrial / goth / punk / *1980

pretty good

Pretty decent rock. Wasn’t what I expected but that was a pleasant surprise in and of itself.

Repetitive and droning. Favourite Track(s): Change Least Favourite Track(s): The Wait, Bloodsport

R.I.P. Geordie. 5/5

Ten years ahead of its time. I actually kind of enjoyed this one. Fun listen. 6.5/10 Top song Requiem

Por momentos me gustaba pero la mayoría del tiempo solo me preguntaba cuánto faltaba para que acabara el disco.

Another 2* not worthy of review. This album should be removed from the list and replaced with Mother Love Bone's Apple. Apple was the only album by Mother Love Bone, as its frontman, Andy Wood, died shortly after its release. MLB was set to explode onto the grunge scene, and it clearly would have as Pearl Jam - with MLB's core of Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament - notoriously exploded on the scene soon threafter. Andy was beloved in the emerging Seattle music scene, and his death had broad implications on grunge. Apple is an album that everyone should hear before they die and would be a 4* album if it were included on the list.

Not impressed. It's not bad, but it doesn't feel like anything particularly special to me. There's a bit on the Wikipedia page for this album that says the band produced it themselves and that recording only took about 2 weeks, and I'll just say that it certainly sounds like it. It doesn't all come together to make a good whole work for me.

Good

Listening to this was a killer.

Solid album with a few really good tracks. Liked it more than expected.

I enjoyed!!

Proto-industrial!! So cool

I've listened to some of newer Killing Joke music and this wasn't quite as good to me. Still alright though.

Y si vamos terminando la jodita de poner el primer álbum y me dan lo mejor de casa banda

Muy malo, no sé cómo esto puede estar entre los álbumes que hay que escuchar antes de morir, si escuchas esto y te gusta te tenes que morir. 0/10

Somber, dark and grungy. I like it well enough. A few good grooves in there with Bloodsport and Complications to act as a breath from the more oppressive stuff. I got to Change and REALLY liked that one, but then found out I was listening to the re-issue and Change is a bonus track that wasn't there in 1980. That's too bad, I think that would have been my favorite on this album. With it I'd call this a 3, but without it I think it sits at a high 2.

pretty repetitive honestly. But not that bad.

8 / 10

2.5 I liked the more rave centric atmosphere to this punk album. It was a bit samey, one note. Interested to hear more from them.

Primitive raw!

De volgende keer dat je ouders klagen over de duivelse muziek, zet dan Wardance aan. Dat klinkt echt alsof het direct uit de hell komt. Maar dan wel een hell waarin Satan een soort van Disco vibes wilt? Hele bizarre plaat, de cover geeft wel echt meteen aan dat dit geen gezellig albumpje gaat worden. Gecombineerd met de naam Killing Joke, en dan Requiem als eerste nummer? Het is niet snoeihard, het is wel heel duister. Eerlijk? Dit album trok ik zoveel beter dan wat ik had verwacht toen ik de cover zag. De cover zag er uit als het zoveelste snoeiharde punkalbum, maar de muziek is veel meer dansbaar. Ik las dat er disco invloeden in de muziek zaten en ik snap die wel, het is duidelijk vooral harde rock/metal. Maar de muziek is een stuk trager waardoor het iets dreigends krijgt. En door die vertraging ligt de focus ook veel meer op de basliujnen en hoor ik nou af en toe een synthlijntje? Heb uiteindelijk Requiem nog maar eens geluisterd na het album, en ja ik neem het terug. Die hoort ook wel bij de FAVOs. Dit is gewoon een hele sterke album opener. En misschien, heel misschien is dit ook wel gewoon echt een heel vet album. Ik zie al helemaal voor me dat dit gedraaid of gespeeld word in een warehouse, waarna een techno dj het overneemt ofzo. Blawan, Dax J, Hauff,. ze moeten haast wel geinspireerd zijn door deze muziek. En anders zouden ze het zeker eens moeten luisteren, want dit is gewoon best wel vet. 4 sterren! FAVO: Wardance, Complications, Change, Requiem

Fun, with good energy. ★★★

I heard it described as molten dynamite and that does sum it up. There is (post) punk here, but also metal and even a weird sense of disco. It's a sound that is only theirs. Don't expect Love Like Blood.

Ok this slapped. Not normally into punk but this was pretty great. Loved how it was recorded live

Don't have that much to say about this. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was neither very good nor bad. I can see there being something here if this is your jam. Some decent tracks, some less so. Weak 3.

This was pretty cool. It felt very metal at times with heavy, slow riffs. “Requiem” felt like the heavy metal, nightmare version of Gary Newman “Are Friends Electric”. This was different and it felt like a mix between later heavy metal like Metallica and things like Joy Division. Not an album that I will come back to a lot, but still an interesting one. Strong 3.

Had some solid songs on it.

It's fine but I couldn't tell you one single standout track. It just sort of blended into the background. 3/5

Guitar work is the best part of this. Interesting, but would have preferred it either punkier or gloomier. I get it’s blending the two but not my fav type of post-punk. And the vocals did nothing for me.

no my thing

When this started I was shocked by how much I liked it. The industrial sound behind it is really cool. However, the album is pretty one note and not too interesting beyond that

Sounds timeless considering it was made in 1980. No wonder it's inspired so many of our current metal and alternative bands.

This was really cool, a blend of post punk and proto industrial that is clearly super influential. I had a nice time with it.

So ahead of their time...

1-2 of the songs on here were decent but did not enjoy the rest, really not a fan of all the shouting x

I wasn't sure what I was gonna get, and I'm pretty happy how limited the vocals are here. They're generally used as another instrument, adding a particular energy to the angst-rock, it's about the vibe, gloomy guitars with a little reverb. It's not exactly my go-to, maybe some 15 years ago I would've gotten real excited about this. It's in an odd little nook between goth, punk, and metal, I imagine its main downside is for people who really need lyrics to carry a song. I listened to the digital remaster with 5 additional tracks. The first listen through I skipped them, I like to keep the original feel of the record, but if you're gonna re-listen anyway, I think it's a fun addition to the album. It just repeats some of the best tracks with subtle differences to the mix. It's unnecessary if you're the one-and-done type of listener. 3.1/5

Easy to see how this influenced so many bands (thinking specifically LCD Soundsystem).

Good album but not my favorite from Killing Joke

Not my cuppa.

Decidedly inoffensive, which I'm sure wasn't the vibe they were going for at the time.

3 stars

It's fine, nothing good or bad to say

Won’t revisit

Surprisingly, I kind of liked this album.

So that's where Requiem is from. A bit of an odd album, but some decent guitar work.

some of the songs were really nice, but it was mostly too repetitive for me. it's nice when bands pioneer genres and create new sounds but 40 years later these albums start to sound like a plain derivative of the more recent ones. which is a totally unfair look to have about these things in general. i feel like i would've enjoyed this album way more if i heard it back in the 80s or even 90s

I thought they would've put their other self-titled album on this list but this one was a decent surprise. It's like if early Swans tried to make Cut the Crap by The Clash into a good album. I love the 80s kind of gritty Post-Punk sound that bands like this were going for back then. It pulls out a range of emotions with everything going on in any given album. I also love that they had to make at least one instrument per song sound like an industrial paper shredder. It adds character, if nothing else.

When to listen: metal mood with a twist. I liked some songs more than others. Unsurprisingly, it was the more melodic less metal tunes, like Change. I also liked Bloodsport.

Post punk industrial roots. This is surprisingly accessible and has rhythm and songs.

Just mehhh

Sinner crackers

- funnily enough, Killing Joke ends up being the first group given to me during this project that I've seen live, even though it was a widely panned performance when they opened for Tool in 2019 - that wasn't entirely their fault (audio problems/really bad mixing), but I think people were also largely confused as to why this kind of post-punk, very British goth rock/new-wavy group was opening for a prog/stoner rock powerhouse and weren't impressed with the same riff and chords played over and over again -- not something people into Tool would necessarily appreciate - with this music, I'm instantly teleported to the single punk show I've witnessed, where the energy was palpable, sweat and cigarette smoke was in the air, and it was just bodies moving to loud drums and fast, attacking guitars. I'm sure this group put on a live performance in their heyday that would leave everyone in the room speechless, especially with this darker sound right at the very beginning of the 80s, but I can see how this doesn't translate well over headphones for the people who may not enjoy this kind of music to begin with - the drums and guitar in "Change" are very fun, but the floaty vocal echoes popping in every little bit drag down the urgency of the track. some of the slower songs ("S.O.36" and "Tomorrow's World") were easy to tune out just because of their repetitiveness. still, tracks like "Wardance" and "Bloodsport" were perfectly fine, inoffensive punk songs (if there is such a thing)

Aldri hørt om, likte det.

The squared-off sounding synths in Requiem grab my attention, and it kicks into a great midpaced groove. I like the simple production, guitar and bass both clear in the mix. Wardance leansd more into an industrial sound, especially the distorted vocals in the verse. I don't think industrial was even a thing in 1980, so this is pretty cool. The chorus could be punk rock, but the riffs are more interesting, with plenty of fuzz and noise from the rhythm section. Tomorrow's World is a downright doomy plodder (v. good) with the keys and bass taking the lead. Bloodsport is a groovy instrumental, but The Wait is my favorite so far, speedier now and melodic, almost heavy metal. Complications continues in a similar vein, before the next track goes back to slower stuff - but heavier if anything. Primitive is the last track on the standard edition - nice drum fill and then a simple bass lick before the guitar fades in. It's a hard rocker, a good closer.

Note: I didn’t listen to the remastered bonus tracks (My personal preference for reviewing). I didn’t think I was going to like this, but the angry pulsing punk spoke to me today. Tomorrow’s World reminds me of early Siouxsie and the Banshees, and that’s a good thing. The only thing I knew about Killing Joke before today was from punk T-shirts some of my friends wore back in the late 80s and early 90s. Now I get it. 4 stars

Weird and fun

6/10

Not my vibe. Maybe deserves another listen to get up to 3 stars.

Ehhhh don’t make me listen to this

Given how creative the UK scene was at the time this was made, it’s quite disappointing on the whole. Unremarkable for the most part. There are a couple of decent tunes towards the end – Complications struck me as the best thing on the album. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not exactly Back in the DHSS is it?

geral achou paia. barulhento e repetitivo, o combo perfeito para eu tacar o dedo na nota 1.

bliver lidt monotont for mig, men det lyder cool! Forud for sin tid!

Den her var superfed! Virkelig grum lyd!

Nice energy. A bit strange with the german in one of the songs, but I'll let it slide.

It's ok. A little repetitive after awhile. Favorite: Requiem Would I listen to it again: Probably not

Bueno

I kind of liked the songs that didn’t seem to have any singing. I did not like this man’s singing.

3.5

This sounds scary :(

I can 100% see the influences this song had on other artist I like, and I can appreciate that. However, for the most part these songs just dont sound finished. This is also coupled with teh fact that mroe than a few songs have any lyrics and have multiple cuts on the album. You can have simple acoustics/sound, or no vocals, having both just makes it feel empty. Even if we compare them to songs popular that were popular around this time, these sound more like intros and snippets than full fledged songs. If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be Complications.

5 Loved this and never would of heard of these guys otherwise. Requiem is a sick opener and the rest of the album lives up to it

Great album - I love punk, and whilst this may not be totally punk it has that punk aesthetic. Energetic, dark and gritty, maybe a little uneven on side two, but not enough to lose a star. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

I neither like nor dislike. Utterly ambivalent. But… One of the songs was on a mixtape from the early 80’s given to me by a buddy, a recording from a Colorado College late night radio show where another buddy DJ’ed, blasting punk to the innocent coeds. It opened my eyes! 3 stars for fond memories.

Still punk, b/c it's anthemic & it says what it means, even if it's symbolically engaged, Killing Joke is unquestioningly ahead of its time. The industrial strokes & obscurer lyrical moments presage a new confessional energy in music: 'Horror, don't let me go on / Mommy, they'll take his pain away.' W/ this said, it has groovy intentions, & seems to be drawing from the store of 'robot pop' that Kraftwerk initiated, e.g., check out 'Bloodsport.' Like The Clash before 'em, pop matters, & I say thank god to that: you only note the burgeoning mess of industrial self-pity that Reznor & co. venerate so uglily: 'After wakening, silence grows / The screams subside, distortion shows.' It isn't all that original tho. Unknown Pleasures dropped in '79. & it did more.

Punk. More musical than most punk. But ultimately, it gets boring and repetitive. A 2 (it didn’t make me angry).

Not for me

Not sure if this is considered good for the genre but I don’t care for it.

This is not my thing. I can see how maybe when it first came out it had a new sound but now it’s not so fresh.

About halfway through this project and this list has fed me more than my fair share of forgettable 80s drivel, and I'll admit I was instantly ready to shrug this one off as more of that upon seeing the album come up. But I'm glad I gave it a chance, because it was surprisingly good. Truly an 'underground classic' (as described on Wikipedia) in the proto-industrial/punk/metal genre. Very noisy. Not mainstream by any means, but not so outrageously indie and 'weird' that it would put off most listeners. It's exceptionally raw and gritty, with naked basslines by Martin "Youth" Glover that really stand out throughout. Jaz Coleman's vocals are obnoxiously British in nature, but by the end I admitted his style actually enhanced the songs, rather than detracting from them.

Wel lkkr postpunk maar niet bijzonder