Killing Joke have quickly become a favorite band of mine and more so for their first two records than any of the others Ive been making my way through. After the noisy, discordant rock out, slightly metallic "Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions" the niche Post-Punk, Industrial Rock outfit took four years to create "Pandemonium" where their influence comes full circle. Having been a notable impact on American Industrial Metal band Ministry, the feedback loop can be heard as the band take a considerable step into the Industrial Metal sound with heavier distortions and a more Metal sense of rhythm, while keeping all that makes them unique and distinguishable.
The records stand out track "Exorcism" marks seven minutes of pounding industrious repetition and heavy guitar crunching under singer Jaz Coleman's theatrical performance of an exorcism, descriptive, practically visual sound effects included. Once again the band execute repetition to perfection on their heaviest track, which bares a strong resemblance to songs like "Just One Fix" and "N.W.O." from Ministry's "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ" album, slamming the same riff over and over to pummeling, pounding drums. As I'm writing this I can't help but notice the symbols used in the title on the cover art.
Each track is its own beast taking on a distinct sound, "Black Moon" having a dreary vibe reminiscent of "Revelations", "Millennium" with a soaring sing-along chorus that has a typical 90s charm about it and "Whiteout" brings about denser percussion, with more layers and faster hi hats taking on some borderline Drum N Bass influences. The last two tracks trail off with a noticeable drop in production quality. Pandemonium has its impressive moments but comes off as a collection of fair songs kept fresh with the constant shifts in tone and vibe from song to song. With only one stand out track its a record you'll of wanted more from if your aware of what this band is capable of.
Favorite Track: Exorcism
Rating: 5/10