Review Summary: Welcome to the new genre of industrimetal - it's gone electro
Killing Joke has now spanned three decades in the music business. From their gothic punk roots in London’s Notting Hill to playing some of the best industrial metal in the world, at a time when the scene kids seem to rule all. Their latest album, Absolute Dissent, is an absolute master-class in how to sound huge.
The title-track is a cathedral sized anthem that wouldn’t sound out of place if sung by the choir at St Paul’s, yet still it has that punky and unembellished industrial feel. Jaz Coleman’s vocals range from choral and soaring to gritty and tough, while the guitar chugs along with a crushing heaviness achieved to perfection by Geordie Walker. Raw guitar crossed with upbeat drums gives that ‘four guys in a room’ sound, but then the chorus flies at you in a progressive wave of ascending vocals and electronics that stuns and amazes your ears. It sounds like the Industrial Revolution on LSD.
‘The Great Cull’ is a generous mix of harsh riffs, spine-tingling chords and melodic choruses to die for while ‘Fresh Fever From The Skies’ is an up-tempo croaky hymn that fills any space with its immense moshable noise. ‘In Excelsis’ powerfully moves the album forward with choral synthesizers and striking vocals, followed up by the melancholic rave anthem of ‘European Super State’ that is dreamy and stirring with its monochromic and electro inspired sound. ‘The Raven King’ shows how Killing Joke can be so incredibly versatile; a breathtaking pop-rock ballad with an unforgettable chorus melody despite still possessing Jaz’s distinct vocal signature.
The above is just a small collection of the 12 staggeringly good tracks on this album (their 14th release since the early days of 1979). It is an astounding and reputable accomplishment to be creating an album like nothing you will hear this year—it is without doubt in the top ten, if not top 5 in 2010, alongside bands that are infinitely more youthful than the seniors that are Killing Joke.
Absolute Dissent could be described as industrial, rock, metal, electronic, alternative, post-punk, which makes it a unique and irresistible addition to anyone’s music collection that opens one’s mind to the brave new world of Progressive Industrial Punk-Injected Electro-Metal…
