Search - Killing Joke :: Fire Dances (Reis)

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Dark Mark | Washington DC | 07/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why does it seem like this one isn't as important than other KJ stuff. I love the punk dance metal fusions of WHAT'S THIS FOR. Even more so than the first album. This was a return to that form for me. The bonus tracks make it even better. In my opinion they should have been on the original album in first place. And if they wanted to outdo themselves they could have added BIRDS OF A FEATHER and SUN GOES DOWN. How can I put this?....this is like grunge is cheating on metal while punk is cheating on rock and had this baby at a disco."

Shamanic Atmospheric Tribal Trance Post-Punk

Mr. Man | Baltimore, MD United States | 07/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tribal repetitive drumming and chant down singing with brilliant angular post-punk guitar that will shake the devil out of you. Hearing this in the early 80's was beyond my capacity to comprehend. Having listened to a massive variety of music since then, I still haven't heard an album like it. Compared to much of the cookie cutter Hardcore Punk of the time, this was a bombshell of originality. I was ecstatic that there was a new direction for punk. Alas, even Killing Joke didn't quite stick with this formula again after this album. An edgy punk album somehow reaching for tranced induced spiritual revelation instead of aggro reactionary violence. Music for Goths and Punks who have just spent 40 days and nights in the desert."

Where it all comes together...

A Slight Delay | NJ, USA | 10/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of fans of this band--including a couple who've reveiwed the CD here--say that this CD is somehow "atypical" of the band. Taken out of context, it is... it's not as abrasive as the discs that preceded it, and Jaz's voice doesn't seem to have the same edge, or desparation, that the earlier releases had.



On the other hand, if you look at where the Joke was headed, it all makes perfect sense both musically and lyrically. Rather than just railing at the absurdity and decay of life, this is the first album that starts to point to a way forward. It suggests, I think, that there is an identity beyond nationalism, beyond party politics, et cetera, and offers something of that identity through music. Part of the reason, I think, for the "jaunty" sound of Coleman's voice is the realization that there was/is something bigger to tap into, and he saw his music as a conduit for that. The possibility of building a community of like-minded individuals is pretty heady stuff.



Or maybe he was just happy that the world hadn't ended during that trip to Iceland. :)



And it's equally possible that I'm over-thinking this. But I do think that they were on to something here. It's the first inkling you get in the band's sound and lyrics of any kind of optimism that another world is possible, and taken in the context of the band's later work--all the way up to "Hosannas"--that optimism isn't out of place.



Then again, I have to admit that I'm biased toward this album; it's the first thing of theirs I ever bought (right around the time that "Night Time" came out), and I wore my vinyl copy out with repeated plays. So hear it yourself rather than taking my word for it."