(at least early in their career) were a quasi-metal band dancing to a tune of doom and gloom. They eventually became less heavy and more arty (the latter seems almost impossible) -- more danceable even -- but early on they made some urgent slabs of molten dynamite that oozed with the power of thick guitars, thudding drums, and over the top singing. The origins of
lie in the Matt Stagger Band.
(vocals, keyboards) in the late '70s.
in late 1978. The duo recruited bassist
) to complete the band's lineup.
's girlfriend of the time. BBC disc jockey
was impressed by the EP and offered the group a session on his show, which became one of the most popular shows he broadcast in the late '70s. By the end of 1979, the group had signed with Island Records, who allowed them to set up their own label, Malicious Damage.
Killing Joke released "Wardance," their debut single on Malicious Damage, in February of 1980. Following its release,
Killing Joke and Malicious Damage switched from Island Records to EG and released their eponymous debut album. The group began playing shows regularly throughout England and gained a reputation for being controversial. Their artwork often featured repulsive or inflammatory images, and after one of their concert posters pictured the Pope blessing legions of Nazis, the group was banned from performing a concert in Glasgow. Despite the controversy, the group began amassing a following of both punk and disco fans with hard-edged but danceable singles like "Psyche" and "Follow the Leader." The band released its second album,
What's THIS For...!, in 1981.
After recording and releasing the group's third album, 1982's
Revelations,
Jaz Coleman -- who had developed an obsession with the occult -- decided that the Apocalypse was near, so he left the group and ran away to Iceland with
Geordie. While in Iceland,
Coleman and
Geordie worked with a number of Icelandic bands, most notably
Theyr, which would later evolve into
the Sugarcubes.
Youth followed
Coleman to Iceland shortly after his departure. After a few months with no sign of the end of the world,
Youth returned to England and formed
Brilliant with
Ferguson. However,
Ferguson left shortly after the group's formation and moved to Iceland with
Killing Joke's new bassist,
Paul Raven.
Youth continued playing with
Brilliant, while
Killing Joke's new lineup -- featuring
Coleman,
Geordie,
Ferguson, and
Raven -- worked in Iceland for a brief period. Soon, the group returned to England and recorded
Fire Dances, which was released in 1983.
Fire Dances demonstrated a calmer, more straightforward band than the one showcased on the group's earlier records.
For the rest of the '80s,
Killing Joke continued to release albums, all of which failed to regain the audience they had in the early '80s. After 1988's
Outside the Gate, the group broke up, only to reunite two years later for
Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions.
Extremities featured a new drummer,
Martin Atkins, and returned the band to the noisy dance experiments of its earlier records. Following its release, the group took a four-year break. In 1994,
Killing Joke re-formed as a trio with
Coleman,
Geordie, and
Youth and the group released
Pandemonium, a harder-edged, heavier album than its previous records.
Democracy (1996), a second self-titled album (2003), and the live celebration
XXV Gathering! followed. After opening for the reunited
Mötley Crüe on a 2004 tour of the U.K., the band settled in Prague to record its next album,
Hosannas from the Basement of Hell, which appeared in 2006. In October of 2007,
Paul Raven died of heart failure in Geneva, Switzerland. The original lineup of
Coleman,
Geordie,
Youth, and
Paul Ferguson all attended the funeral and decided to reunite in honor of both
Raven and
Killing Joke. After a worldwide tour, this lineup entered the studio and recorded the 2010 release Absolute Dissent.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine & John Dougan, Rovi