Review Summary: An overlooked gem
You can’t deny the impact of Killing Joke. Their highly influential debut album has aided a myriad of genres, and they have released consistently high-quality albums throughout their lengthy career. However, two albums from the 90’s,
Pandemonium and
Democracy, tend to be overlooked in discussions of their music. While the early and later years of Killing Joke are undeniably brilliant, the in between years are nothing to make light of.
One reason that
Democracy in particular might be brushed aside is that isn’t incredibly different from its predecessor,
Pandemonium. Both albums create a passionate atmosphere, coupled with repetitive (though rarely boring), lengthy songs that on occasion showcase heavier tendencies. Don’t take that to mean that you can only listen to
Pandemonium and skip over
Democracy, though.
Democracy is highly infectious, and stands as yet another excellent addition to Killing Joke’s discography.
Album opener “Savage Freedom” sets the mood for what is to come perfectly. A simple yet very catchy riff accompanied by stomping drums and Jaz Coleman’s emotional, harsh yell combine to create a wholly enjoyable listening experience. The high standard is kept throughout the entire album as Killing Joke takes you through a journey composed of many different genres. “Democracy” and “Prozac People”, while somewhat similar in structure to “Savage Freedom”, both showcase some of the most contagious choruses around. “Lanterns” is a calmer track backed by acoustic guitar that is beautiful throughout, and “Aeon” is beyond catchy with its upbeat new wave sound. Album closer “Another Bloody Election” is a faster-paced punk anthem that doesn’t seem out of place at all, and is an excellent close to the album.
There are hardly any negatives in
Democracy, but they do rear their head on occasion. While “Lanterns” is gorgeous in sound, it drags on for a bit too long. The length of the songs coupled with the fact that most exhibit a similar atmosphere brings down the middle to latter end of the album, when it becomes difficult to focus on the different aspects of each individual track. “Pilgrimage” doesn’t quite reach the heights of the rest of the album: Coleman’s vocals take on a grating quality, and the instrumentation isn’t particularly interesting, making it one of the skippable songs on the album. In addition, the album can come off as a more laid back
Pandemonium, and while that is not an inherently bad quality, it does give off the feeling that Killing Joke has done this before.
While the 90’s may have been unkind to many bands that found their fame in the decade before, Killing Joke managed to hold onto their quality throughout that time. While
Democracy may not be their most influential or best composed album, it is still wholly enjoyable and deserves more praise. The plethora of sounds encompassed within mean that fans of almost any genre can find merits in at the very least a few of the tracks, and everything is done well enough that it all combines with nary a hitch. Killing Joke didn’t reinvent the wheel with this one, but it’s still a damn fine wheel nonetheless.
