Killing Joke [2003] in Bloomington, MN

It's best to takes notes as lead singer
Jaz Coleman
calmly reads a list of provisions ("Put on your masks/And animal skins") because
Killing Joke
's second self-titled album is about to take over. Moments after
Coleman
's stoic opening,
Geordie Walker
's guitar chugs into action and awakens
's most threatening juggernaut of an album in years. Bass players
Youth
and
Paul Raven
are both back (although
's stint in the group looks to be temporary) and
Dave Grohl
guests on drums, perhaps paying
the Joke
back for adapting the killer riff of
"Eighties"
for
Nirvana
's
"Come as You Are."
Grohl
's drumming is suitably intense and tribal when need be, while
Andy Gill
's production miraculously makes sense of the band's thunderous sludge. Still the
/
Walker
partnership is the star of the show as they play off and push each other like a doom-and-gloom
Jagger
Richards
. It sounds like
is sitting in the dentist chair with one of those little vacuums sucking out the words on
"Total Invasion,"
while
patiently waits his turn to blast out his own brand of stately mayhem.
"Asteroid,"
"Blood on Your Hands,"
"Loose Cannon"
are all highlights with the band sounding as inspired as when they started, adding the advantage of years of interaction, and
"You'll Never Get to Me"
presents a brand new shimmering and yearning angle to the group. While
's discography has more than its fair share of awkward and overly ambitious albums, they've once again returned to the fury and focus of their classics. ~ David Jeffries