Review
Killing Joke
Absolute Dissent

As a band, Killing Joke has had numerous peaks and valleys in their career over the past 30 plus years most recently with the death of longtime bassist Paul Raven. The band has been one of the few to successfully tap into different genres over the year’s punk, Goth, metal, rock and experimental dub to name a few. The band’s ability to effortlessly move between these different genres and try different things with their music has kept them fresh sounding even today. Killing Joke's desire to continuously evolve is one of their main attributes that have kept them on my radar for so long.

The new release Absolute Dissent contains elements of what Killing Joke fans have come to appreciate and expect over their long career, in a package of a dozen new songs. The first two ‘Absolute Dissent’ and ‘The Great Cull’ bring in the early Killing Joke industrial / punk sound with screaming guitars and tribal drums the majority of Killing Joke’s fans love the band for. Songs like ‘European Super State’ and ‘In Excelsis’ hearken back to their 80’s club period and sound like ‘Eighties’ and ‘Love Like Blood’ but both sound fresh here and are not just a regurgitation of the past. What I was really impressed with is that both of these new tracks showcase the durability of the sound they were creating back then. The song ‘Endgame’ also showcases Jaz Coleman’s lyrics with lines like "Sit back and enjoy a three-dimensional screening of the end of the world" it’s apocalyptic rock at its finest. There is quite an interesting history to this band that most long time fans have been following over the years and Jaz takes no prisoners lyrically, his influences seem to be the driving force behind the band and the coming apocalypse. The albums final track ‘Ghost Of Ladbroke Grove’, is a fine example of their dub influences and closes the album quite satisfyingly.

Absolute Dissent gives us the original lineup of Jaz Coleman (vocals), Geordie (guitar), Youth (bass) and Paul Ferguson (drums) recording together for the first time in 27 years. This record is one of if not the best they have done and if you are a fan you will not be disappointed.