Band : Killing Joke
Album title : Absolute Dissent
Label : Spinefarm
Distributor : V2
Release date : 27/09/2010
Release : CD

You know, I was completely oblivious that Killing Joke had been started up again in the new millennium, that they had even already two previous albums since? And thanks to the fact that a lot of labels/ distributors now work with iPool to do their promo (as opposed to sending out promo copies), they tend make their stuff available to many more (serious) websites and fanzines, than used to be...so when I saw the promo info of Absolute Dissent in between a bunch of other paperwork of albums the editor-in-chief and me were to post as "Upcoming Releases" (and weren't we real late with that too, considering the release date?) that day, I went, "Ki...Ki...I boot the first one that dares to claim this album for a review!"...because I was gonna do it, see? I mean, I've come to listening to albums I have to review with a far more penetrating ear than when I'm listening to albums I buy. Weird? Not really, I feel one has to know what one writes about! Luckily, the Chief had been sent a watermarked copy of the album I could borrow, in stead of waiting for the actual download!

Now don't ask me to give you a history-of-the-band...those among you really interested need but to check the band's page at Wikipedia! Among the more important things, it's necessary to remember that the original line-up consisting of singer/ keyboardist Jaz Coleman, guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker, bassist Martin “Youth” Glover, and drummer Paul Ferguson, broke up in 1982 when Youth went his own way to be replaced by Paul Raven. It was also the period when the band changed its sound from the harsher Post-Punk of the first 3 albums towards a more Pop-geared one, of which the 1983 album Fire Dances was the first display. That sound was continued on 1985's Night Time, which carried the band's first mainstream hit “Love Like Blood”, the album also featuring further hit songs “Eighties” and “King And Queens”. With Coleman and Geordie as constant factors, the line-up changed over the years, starting 1987 or so, but eventually Coleman emigrated to New Zealand in 1991. In between there'd been some temporary “reformations” (more details, see the article mentioned above) but the real comeback of the band came in 2002, when Coleman, Geordie and Youth reformed the band, releasing their second self-titled album a year later to critical acclaim. Raven played on the subsequent tour, and it's been suggested that he actually played all bass on the album as well. The drum seat was occupied by several people after that. The next album was 2006's Hosannahs From the Basements Of Hell. On October 20, 2007, Raven died of heart failure, and it's at the occasion of his burial that the four original members of Killing Joke finally meet up with each other again, and from the meeting came a reformation, tours (starting with a couple of special night in which the band played and recorded material of their first albums only – released in 2008 through Estworld Recordings), and eventually also a recording session of new material in October-November of last year!

Almost a week after getting the watermarked promo, I've been able to give the album several listening sessions (in between making a series of reviews, of course), and I've come to the conclusion that to me personally, this is the best material I've ever heard of the band (but admittedly I've missed a couple of albums)! Overall, it's heavier than the material of the mid-eighties, and in some ways harkens back to the band's early sound, while retaining some of that “need for melody” which would characterize their later material. And as if to contradict the fact(s) I just stated, the album is ended in the somewhat calmer (with keyboards clearly present) and in some ways almost Dubby (or maybe the term “soft-Reggea flavoured is more in place) “Ghosts On Ladbroke Grove”...still with Jaz' typical ruff vocals stylings though! And a real great combination it is, too!

The song which perhaps comes closest to the heavier tracks of that “melodic” period of the band, is “In Excelsis”, and this is also the only track off the album posted at myspace.com/killingjokeofficial. Very possibly (but you'll have to check that for yourselves, because I didn't have the time for it) there's more off the new album on the band's page at Last.fm, or on their official site, but at least you'll be able to listen to 30-second samples of all songs at the trusted online sales websites. I hear the band's out on tour at the moment, and that would be with the addition of keyboardist Reza Udhin (the frontman of Industrial band Inertia already joined KJ in mid 2005), but I've been unable to find any data (the band's official website for some reason being unattainable from my network computer). Meanwhile, I rank this album very high in my year-lists, let the be absolutely no dissent about that! Oh yeah, I'm definitely goin' to the record store as soon as possible to order my own vinyl version of this album!!!

98/100

Tony.