KILLING JOKE — What's THIS For...! (review)

KILLING JOKE — What's THIS For...! album cover Album · 1981 · Non-Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Windhawk
Killing Joke is an English band that started out towards the end of the punk movement. "What's THIS for...!" was their second release, and it was a truly original release back in 1981.

Musically the bands roots seems to be quite related to the punk movement, where especially the guitar sound owes a lot to the punk movement along with the generally fast and aggressive music here. Killing Joke have taken the punk influences and heavily evolved them though, creating a sound that was rather unique back in 1981, and highly influential as well.

The guitar do have a sound that oozes classic punk. What sets it apart is the way the guitar is played, where repeated riffs are combined with complex and melodic riff patterns, unlike the classic repetitive punk approach to riffing.

The drums are played in a unique manner here. Most times fast and always very aggressively played, many of the songs have what most would call a tribal drum sound. In this case the playing is so complex and fast that the songs may well be described as drum assaults - the drums are loud, fast and everywhere; truly dominating the sound on this album.

In addition to the distinct way drums and guitars are used here, the at times very angst-filled vocals and the sparingly but effective use of synths to enhance the angst and aggression on display here adds up to a very dark and disturbing sound, influencing many later bands - especially in various forms of industrial and thrash.

As for the songs here, they are a very mixed lot. Most of the songs here do suffer from being too long. The scope of the songs here are limited, and after having passed the 3 minute mark there is generally too much repetition going on. The sheer intensity, angst and brutality keeps some songs interesting past the 4 minute mark as well, but rarely any longer.

Halfway through the album the band seems to run out of ideas as well; thus the second half of the album is much weaker than the first.

Still, it's an album worth purchasing on the strengths of the first 5 songs here, all of them to a greater or lesser degree representing something rather original and unique.
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