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What Are You Listening To?


khaos

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2 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

This is probably my favourite KJ album.

For me, in the very limited amount of time I've spent with these albums I'd say my early favorites would be between the 2003 self titled "comeback" album, 1994's Pandemonium and 2010's Absolute Dissent. MMXII is right up there though, there are some massive tracks on this one like Rapture, Fema Camp, Corporate Elect, Glitch...but I've only played it once. 2015's Pylon is really good too. I like the first two albums from '80 & '81 a lot too, they were the first ones I connected with but they almost sound like another band to me now after spending an entire day with mostly the newer stuff.  

Pretty crazy to think this band formed the year I graduated high school, and 43 yers later they're still going with the original lineup mostly intact again and they seem to have gotten better with age. I've spent much of today questioning how I could have allowed their brilliance to escape me for so long.

 

Killing Joke - The Gathering Live London, 2005

 

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Good to see you've made the connection with Killing Joke @GoatmasterGeneral. It's amazing how influential and long running they are and as you mentioned with essentially the original lineup. Tippy top of my bucket list, but I'm pretty realistic that I've got little chance of ever seeing them. Course, I've said that about plenty of other bands who I went on to see in the past few years. Maybe they will do a fest in the States one day.

I'm terrible at rankings for bands I'm obsessed with. Favorites change too often. But outside of the debut which is mandatory listening for everyone IMO, I'd say the self titled from the early 2000's, Hosannas, Pylon, and Night Time get the most play. I need to go back and refamiliarize myself with some of the stuff I don't spin regularly like the EPs and such.

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John Zorn's Dreamers (as Electric Masada) - Marciac 2010 Track 4 Karaim

Dipping my toes into John Zorn again, first thing I've listened to by him since Naked City many moons ago. Nope, still too selfindulgant and atonal for me. Parts of it sounds like what people who hate free jazz think free jazz sounds like. If that makes sense.

BLACKBRAID live in Long Beach- The River of Time Flows Through Me.

Ah, that's better.

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1 hour ago, Sheol said:

Dipping my toes into John Zorn again

Yeah. I tried - and you all know I like some out-there music - but he is rather wanky to my ear.

BÖLZER - Hero. No, not the greatest album in the history of the universe, but a good listen all the same.

NP - BITCHIN BAJAS - Bajascillators. Groovy electronica. Not wanky at all.

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Ok, so settled in at the workplace and queued up some of the Goatmaster's highlights from his recent Killing Joke binge (and a few others). Haven't listened to a few of these for a while.

Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent

Killing Joke - Hosannas from the Basement of Hell

Killing Joke - Pandemonium

Killing Joke - Revelations

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Arsena - Blood Rusted Mother Earth - 09/09/2022

I already knew the band with their EPs but the album is here and I love it!

As far as Thrash Metal is concerned, here is a serious competitor to everything that has been released in the genre this year, including the latest Megadeth that I love though.

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I'd heard about Killing Joke for years as far as their influence on metal, naturally but never bothered to check them out until the Metal-Fi days and finally grabbed those two early classics-the S/T and What's This For!  I mean IDK, yeah, I like those albums allright and they add another dimension to my collection but I wouldn't say I love them, but they're interesting in the way they have a heavy sound without being what I'd call metal and I like their in your face post punky thing and to me rather novel in the way they utilize industrial, punk and dance beats or whatever. Guess I should listen to some of their more recent stuff but, given the decades and developments in heavy music, for some reason they give me a feeling of meh.

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Just now, markm said:

I'd heard about Killing Joke for years as far as their influence on metal, naturally but never bothered to check them out until the Metal-Fi days and finally grabbed those two early classics-the S/T and What's This For!  I mean, IDK, yeah, I like them and they add another texture to my collection wouldn't say I love them, but they're interesting in the way they have a heavy sound without being what I'd call metal and utilize industrial, punk and dance beats or whatever. Guess I should listen to some of their more recent stuff but, eh.

Killing Joke finally clicked with me after trying off and on for many years, while generally maintaining a 'yeah it's good but I could take it or leave it' attitude for most of that time, similar to yours. Not really sure what caused me to have this big KJ epiphany. My buddy Bob posted a pic of his car dashboard head unit and it said artist: Killing Joke, album: Absolute Dissent (forget which song) and so I just randomly dialed it up on YouTube and was blown away. I listened to most of their newer albums (90's til the present day) 2 or 3 times each in about 24 - 36 hours Mon & Tues and not much else. Couldn't get enough of them. (except for Democracy, wasn't real keen on that one)

But just because it clicked for me that doesn't mean it will click for you. I will say their 80's stuff has more pop sensibilities and was a bit dancier, more stereotypically post punk in sound, while the newer stuff is overall heavier and angrier and a bit more grand if you know what I mean. The lyrics are almost exclusively heavily left-wing political now, anti-authoritarian and anti-plutocracy which appeals to me a lot. I still like the first two albums from '80 & '81 as well as 1985's Night Time, but as of Monday night I can definitely say I like the sound of their newer ones better.

Give the 2003 self titled a go one night when you don't know what you want to play next. You've got nothing to lose except 54 minutes of your free time.

20 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

That Daemon of Oa album popped up on my YT recommended yesterday, have to spin it at some point

I was so-so on it til about the middle and then it finished strong. Very Greek sounding to me, I really enjoyed it a lot.

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