Pandemonium [Clear & Blue Vinyl]

Issued in 1994, PANDEMONIUM proved to be Killing Joke's long-awaited follow-up to 1990's EXTREMITIES, DIRT & VARIOUS REPRESSED EMOTIONS. While the earlier album was embraced as a powerful return to form for the British metal/post-punk act, PANDEMONIUM applied that outing's heavy aesthetic to a much larger canvas, giving many songs a cinematic sweep, as best evinced on Led Zeppelin-esque title track and the stomping "Millennium." In addition to marking the return of bassist/producer Martin "Youth" Glover, the record also indulges in frontman Jaz Coleman's Middle Eastern leanings, as most notably heard on the highly percussive "Communion." For those who worried that EXTREMITIES was just a one-off reunion, PANDEMONIUM reinforced the notion that Killing Joke was still committed to its signature fierce, brooding, industrial-tinged sound.