Killing Joke

Интересный альбом. Сначала правда сбил с толку синтезатор и распевочный тон первой песни, но дальше альбом становится всё более шумным, грувовым, кричащим, тёмным, всё как я люблю. Лучшая песня: Tomorrow`s World

I am very family with this album because I’ve enjoyed it for decades. I think I found a (somewhat) original pressing on vinyl about 20 years ago. There’s a few great songs on here and I love how this album appears to have inspired/influenced a lot of other great music. I saw KJ in concert around 2003ish and that was great. I also met one of KJ’s former drummers (living legend Martin Atkins) a couple years ago when he led a tour of the Post-Punk and Industrial Museum in Chicago, where a few KJ items are on display.

Loved it. Need to explore more

I was wondering how I was as familiar with as much of this as I was. And then I remembered: this album was on a Kurt Cobain list or some such. I believe people I knew were low key obsessed after getting that prompting. I believe I had actually known of Killing Joke BEFORE I was aware of Nirvana. Props to me. My 14 year old self had probably seen Requiem as a song title and was sold. Anyway, this album is awesome. Not sure I would connect with it the way I am if I wasn’t experiencing such strong and eerie familiarity, but what can I say? 5 Boolean: True

A favorite. I love this album. So glad to see it here.

probably my favorite kj album

First time listening to a full album from them. It was quite boring post punk till it got to The Wait. That's when I realized the Polish band Siekiera must've taken quite a lot of inspiration for their album Nowa Aleksandria from this song or maybe this Killing Joke album in general. Anyway I'd rather be listening to Siekiera 2/5

This feels innovative and extreme for 1980. Like nin and ministry and kmfdm and all those bands must have loved these guys. So did Metallica. They covered the wait. Industrial. Industrial was the word I was looking for.

Pretty good rock album that I have never heard before today. Seemed a little ahead of it's time. Some really good songs with great music. Not a lot of variety but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I will probably listen to this one again.

Not sure how I feel about this one. It has its moments, then again it is sometimes rather dull. Blodsport was a nice closing of the album. 6/10

always fun to find a new metal band i didnt know. but still not really my thing

⭐️Requiem

It wasn’t quite a heavy metal album despite my fears from the name and cover. Not amazing though

Relentless Proto-Industrial, Electro-Funk, Dalek Rock

bleh

This definitely killed and joke or good feelings at all

Very good early Industrial Rock, when it was more indebted to Gothic Rock and Post-Punk. The straightforward songwriting keeps it grounded while everything else is pretty experimental. Liked this one, probably needs a second listen. Key tracks: Requiem

Decent post punk album although it’s a bit samey, songs like Bloodsport sound good but don’t really go anywhere. Requiem, Wardance, Primitive are the best tracks. 5/10

eh

Gear: Punch Audio Portazo Artwork: 🧱✊🏴 Production (2005 Digital Remaster): ♨️🥾🥩 Music: 🧩🖕🦄 Rating: 🃏🃏🃏/5

I don't need more post punk in my life.

Just kind of difficult to listen to overall.

Many of these songs started strong with a catchy hook, giving me hope. But then the song would not really evolve except by adding vocals that are just kinda meh. Change was my favourite track of them, but I don't see myself putting it on anytime soon. 4/10

Killing Joke is a fun album. It is weird and dissonant, yet strangely funky for how rough and harsh it feels. Killing Joke has always been a weird band for me, where I have a strange fondness for them. WIth their rougher side they make that new-wave eighties aesthetic work.

6/10

Absolutely brilliant album. I’ve listened to this 3 times today.

This album is definitely cool but I have no idea what buddy boy is saying

3.5 Worth revisiting later

Way too droning and repetitive. Almost achieves a sort of trance-like appeal, but falls short of being actually appealing.

Another album in the category of why I love this list, hadn't heard of them, clearly an influence on a lot of things I love. Not sure this album works most of the time but enjoy the ambition and melding of so many ideas and genres.

It's too bad, my favorite track "Change" was a B-side. Ah well. The washed out vocals and more instrumental angles benefited this a bit. If Change was legit this would have rounded up, but alas. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

Bon

Listening to it after years and I realised that it is a very good album.

This is a band that I've heard _of_, but I don't think I've specifically listened to before. I find "S.O.36" hypnotic.

This album has a real atmosphere. It sits on you while you listen. The themes feel carefully chosen and the instrumentals fit them without strain. Nothing feels accidental. The band builds a dark, tense mood and stays inside it. The guitars are sharp and metallic, the rhythm section is heavy and deliberate, and the vocals cut through with a cold urgency. The whole record feels controlled and purposeful rather than chaotic. It creates a strong sense of place and never really lets go of that feeling. The production is dry and direct. It keeps the edges intact and lets the weight of the playing come through clearly. There is not much warmth here, but the cold clarity suits the material well. Killing Joke’s debut is a focused and atmospheric record. The pieces fit together cleanly and the mood stays consistent from start to finish.

Eh

Wasn't super grabbed but it was interesting

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I dig my post-punk weird, and this fits the bill. It's undeniably more synthy than any post-punk we've yet gotten in this challenge, and has some industrial tinges to it as well. Despite this, it remains groove-able and dance-able throughout! A fine example of post-punk at its best.

Just sounded like a lot of the other 80s new wave post punk nonsense

It's unmistakably a British punk album and that will always be a tough sell for me.... but between the killer industrial grooves and gloriously menacing bass tone, I was nonetheless hooked the whole way through. Pretty good album, I can't lie! Standouts: Tomorrow's World • Bloodsport • S.O.36 • Primitive • Change

There are so many punk and post punk albums on this list but I feel like one deserves to be here. I've never heard an album like this. It combines the aura of the genre with crunchy metal synths and even becomes something approaching dance music at times. Gripping stuff that absolutely demands your attention. Loved it.

Liked it way more than I thought I would

Enjoyable rock - I thought it would be more punky

I really like this album. Pure post-punk darkness. Though the ambience is thick, I was a bit disappointed at how all the tracks aren't as memorable.

If I was paying closer attention, I probably would have liked it less. 2.

I didn't think I'd like this. Don't get me wrong it's rough in spots but all punk is. It could do better lyrically but they got the energy. It made me want to check out their later work and see what they became. Not bad, good first album.

I’d heard of this band but never heard them. For some reason I lumped them in with like thrash metal or something? But this was more post punk Wire sounding and I dug it.

Another one I wasn’t excited to listen to and ended up really liking.

Сара 2 Марко 2

Did nothing for me. There were times where the track would drop and I was intrigued to hear more… then the vocalist would start singing and I’d lose interest :/

This was all right. It feels like another one of those UK bias albums, but it was a decent listen. Punk rock that felt a little timeless; I also was able to tap into how this would have been good live. (3.5)

Sort of post punk but not quite fully fleshed out.

Don’t remember

Really like the heavy bass and drums. The vocals are harder work for me.

Well, it's not the worst punk album on the list. I'm not sure it deserves to be here, but it's fine.

Wow, this sounds so much more modern than I anticipated.

Well the first person to fire is whoever remastered this. I thought it was just really terribly recorded until we got to the “Rough mix”’s at the end and you realize what it should/did sound like. The remaster puts the guitar into a tiny box, chunks it up, and hangs it up dry. The keyboards are nigh on nonexistent and you need them to give these songs any texture or balls. The drums are the only thing really even close to right and the only instrument that uses the full stereo field. Overall nothing sits just right in the mix. Musically it’s not my bag but honestly was more compelling than I expected out of Killing Joke. The music of theirs that I remember was much more patently industrial and bombastic without substance, but this comes across as a passable if mediocre late 70’s guitar rock album.

Another pretty good new wave album. I enjoyed it.

it's post-punk alright. gestures towards goth and industrial without ever making eye contact. i didn't dislike it. Complications was pretty good. but i don't think i'm ever coming back to this. deserves to be one of the 1001? i mean i dont think i would pick up on Killing Joke being absent but i think this album's inclusion is fair. maybe i would swap it for Night Time (or the self-titled). meh. sure.

There was a lot of cool instrumentation on this album. It definitely felt more modern than it was but still not fully my vibe.

Nothing about this appealed to me.

A little boring

All apologies to Kurt Cobain, but I didn't really see what was so great about one of his favorite bands. The music wasn't bad at first, but it felt extremely repetitive. By midway through, I just completely lost interest because the songs kept sounding the same.

Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Nirvana, and a slew of other important 80s and 90s acts own a bit of gratitude to this album, a gem of an album for fans of grunge, punk, and industrial

Ah, my misspent youth. My friend and I were introduced to this by some boys in a bus shelter in 1984. I instantly connected with Requiem and Tomorrow's World and have listened to those tracks frequently over the years. I recently sought out the whole album again and found it more accessible than I remembered. Killing Joke have all the anger and attitude, but they like a tune and a rhythm. Fabulous stuff.

Somewhat familiar with some of their more well known songs, but nothing on this debut album. Parts of it I really liked, whereas others left me a bit cold. Might be something that grows with repeated listens, but Requiem, Primitive and Change would be the top tracks on first listen. 3 for now but it might get better marks on a re-listen at some stage.

I'd have to say that this was pretty enjoyable. Punk going towards hardcore but didn't quite get there yet. Very aggressive still not yet quite like Cro Mags. But alot of tight hard and fast grooves, with agression, edge, and attitude in the right places. I WOULD listen again off the recommendation of this list but, certified poser i may come off as. I just discovered some new late 70s and early 80s punk and hardcore this year that I like better than this. So I don't wanna be too unfair to that whilst I'm still seeking my own preferences in the genre. Will shoot high. Cool shit. Not the coolest, yet.

Wasn't sure what to expect but what I got was an awesome wall of sound, with chugging riffs and driving beats. Really liked this.

Generated 9/3/26, listened on 9/7/26. Right up my alley post punk. B grade Joy Division with a bit more industrial vibes. Great bass licking

not my fav but not horrible, there's that one song that stands out but the others i forgot about

I was in just the right mood for this one. im emo todays!

A great debut by a band that melded post-punk with a metal/industrial sound that was truly ahead of its time. The opening track "Requiem" is stunning, and while most of the rest of the record doesn't hit that high, a number of songs come close. Great and promising beginning for this band.

A solid example of this sort of thing.

Blind album and artist. Some super wacky bit cool effects for the 80s. Honestly would love to revisit this.

Album #261 Killing Joke: Killing Joke I’m not sure if I’m just getting generous, or if I’m on a really good streak of albums, but I just can’t stop dishing out four stars. Whether or not my scale has eased, however, I’m pretty sure Killing Joke’s debut would always warrant such praise. Killing Joke are definitely one of the most peculiar bands that I’ve come across, and it is really hard to nail down an identity for them. My introduction to them came from their wildly successful 80s new wave album ‘Night Time’, which I would never call a sell-out, but it is certainly far more mainstream sounding than the gothic industrial affair that is their debut. I’m still not entirely sure what industrial music is, but I seem to always know it when I hear it. Killing Joke is part of that first wave of industrial bands that spawned out of the post-punk scene, another notable band being Swell Maps; they took the uninterested attitude of post-punk and combined it with bleak mechanical instrumentals. That being said, there is still melody to be found in Killing Joke; just because the music is intentionally nihilistic doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time listening to it. It doesn’t have a hit as big as ‘Eighties’ or ‘Love Like Blood’, but their self-titled is still home to a myriad of great tracks, and I would even argue that ‘Requiem’ may just be their best. Apparently, Killing Joke only continued to keep reinventing themselves, eventually turning into a black metal band even, but that’s a bridge that I shall cross on another day. Best Songs: Requiem, Change, The Wait Worst Song: Wardance Score out of 10: 8

Not for the faint hearted but really good industrial sounding post punk slash metal but with shades of funk on some tracks - although I can't remember which ones now. Echoes of early Cure & Fugazi in this, enjoyable 4 stars.

Didn't interest me, but wasn't so bad as to offend me like other 1-rated albums

This whole album sounds like someone clearing their throat. Repeatedly

One of my biggest blindspots despite their influence on countless Gen X bands, if not outright theft.

Just dreadful to listen to. The mixing is awful and covers the vocals so much it’s a wonder why someone is singing at all. And it’s not like the other instruments are doing anything interesting, they are just chugging away in a repetitive manner that offers little in the way of melody. This was another album that I was forgetting as I was listening to it. No point in listening again, I’ll forget it just as quickly.

First listen Saved 0/9

Some of the songs had a very vibey vibe to them. Could come back later this release was solid

Really liked this. Have never ever heard of Killing Joke.

Nothing about this indicates that it should be on this list

Nothing of note here. Not for me.

It has its moments, but overall wasn’t very impressed. It’s repetitive and abrasive, and while some songs represent it well, it can become uninteresting at times. Still, this group is a supposed ancestor of the genre, so I’d say that makes it worthwhile for anyone who’s into this style of music.

Rough around the edges, what's present is the core of things to come. Existentialist and angry at the establishment's BS, this album puts down roots in punk if not industrial rock. Not my favorite by them (their second self-titled is much better) but foundational for a group that pioneered and never compromised.

..

This is exactly why I started this. A band I have always meant to give a listen, but havent gotten around to. Loving this.

This was really great!

A lot of sounds I like. Vocally, not a big fan.

I think this would have hit different on another day. Maybe I’ll come back later.

This was great. It's really heavy but not really heavy. Whenever I've listened to Killing Joe's most popular songs, it hasn't captured their power in a way that this album does. For 1980, it's way ahead of its time.

I might have opted for 'Night Time' over their debut album (if for no other reason than to highlight the funny story about how Nirvana stole their iconic riff on 'Come as You Are' from 'Eighties' which, in turn, had been stolen from 'Life Goes On' by The Damned), but this works. It's both decent and significantly influential. "Oi, mates! You can't have that! We stole it fair and square!"

I don’t know. I liked this at first but it started to tested my patience half way through. I needed this to get to the point, and it never did.

5/10 Very average early-80s punk with an industrial vibe. Indiscernable lyrics, lots of (but not just) screaming, heavy guitars/bass. Not really my cup of tea.

My only exposure to Killing Joke is from "Eighties" coming on the radio and recognizing it as the germ from which grew "Come As You Are." This was a really interesting listen. *Killing Joke* came out at the time when English bands were either whole-heartedly embracing synths or shunning them completely. This album uses them to add hooks and subtle atmosphere in a very restrained way. No one is here trying to see just how weird they can get these things to sound- they serve the song. I really enjoy that. The songs are good too! And it's a quick listen as well, and doesn't wear out its welcome. I enjoyed it. FOUR STARS

Not my favorite genre, but some enjoyable tracks with Tomorrow's World, Bloodsport, and The Wait. A little grating at times though.

Noise pollution.

Glad I managed to sit through the first couple of tunes which irritated me, as most of the subsequent songs were more interesting, or palatable.