Every few years, Killing Joke emerges to remind rock young’uns that what they consider revolutionary is as reactionary as a Barbra Streisand album. The uncompromising Killing Joke features the original lineup of vocalist Jaz Coleman, bassist Youth, and guitarist Geordie, as well as later-period bassist Paul Raven and Foo Fightin’ Dave Grohl on drums.

Killing Joke pummels listeners with fresh, cliché-free amalgamations of industrial, metal, and punk. The first song, “The Death & Resurrection Show,” exposes other laughably watered-down attempts to triangulate the genres. Coleman bellows guttural phrases as Geordie’s meat-grinding riffs form a doom storm rife with apocalyptic thunder. Joke isn’t safe or sanitized; it’s often uncomfortable to hear and grating on the nerves. But this same sense of prickly danger makes the album great and keeps Killing Joke relevant, challenging, and vital.

This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2003.