Killing Joke - In Excelsis
Killing Joke – In Excelsis MCD (Spinefarm)
To truly appreciate Killing Joke, you have to experience them live, and just immerse yourself in their primal power; stand there with jaw on floor and be washed away by their hypnotic onslaught, and, of course, Jaz’s sinister ‘spastic jester’ stage persona. It’s something truly awesome to behold, and no studio recording is ever going to capture that kind of sprawling sonic intensity. So, how does this MCD, a taster for the new album due later in the year, that also sees the original line-up of Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson reunited once again, measure up? Surprisingly the title track is the least convincing cut on offer, sounding just a tad too cheerful for someone who prefers the Joke’s more apocalyptic output, but things heat up with ‘Endgame’, which thanks to an incredibly dense mix and its relentless attacking groove feels something akin to a huge weight bearing down on the back of your neck. It’s a thing of savage beauty… as is ‘Kali Yuga’; based around an insistent little rhythmic conceit, it’s not as nasty as ‘Endgame’ but dangerously catchy all the same, and has another one of those uplifting one word choruses that only Killing Joke can quite pull off. ‘Ghost Of Ladbroke Grove’ rounds out the EP in fine fashion, and is a dark dub-laden slice of industrialised reggae, which insidiously ebbs and flows its way into your head in much the same way that ‘Turn To Red’ did over thirty years ago. Is this an essential purchase for Killing Joke fans? Yes! Does it whet the appetite for the forthcoming ‘Absolute Dissent’ LP? Oh YES! Ian Glasper
