''Pandemonium'' is the ninth studio album by English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Ki ...

, released on 2 August 1994 by Butterfly Records. The album marked Killing Joke's return after a four-year hiatus, the longest the band had taken since it was founded. It also featured the return of founding member

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

, who replaced Paul Raven on bass.

Content

The vocal tracks for "Pandemonium", "Exorcism" and "Millennium" were recorded in the King's Chamber of

The Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World ...

. The session was filmed by director Shaun Pettigrew and features in the Killing Joke documentary ''The Death And Resurrection Show'' (2013) which also details alleged paranormal experiences during the recording.Coleman, Jaz (2013). ''Letters from Cythera'', p. 378. self-published. Frontman

Jaz Coleman Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman (born 26 February 1960) is an English singer and musician. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as the lead vocalist and keyboardist of post-punk group Killing Joke. Coleman is known for his unique raspy baritone voic ...

considered ''Pandemonium'' to be a conceptual album on the external influence of Arabic music, which was spread throughout the album. It also incorporated his perspective on life, which is apparent in songs such as "Labyrinth" and "Pleasures of the Flesh". A track called "Hallucinations of a Cynic" was also recorded, but left off the album. The title track, as well as "Communion" and "Whiteout", would become live staples of the band.

Release

''Pandemonium'' was released on 2 August 1994 by Youth's record label Butterfly Records. The singles "Millennium" and "Pandemonium" both reached the UK top 40 and the album is the band's best selling work. It was reissued in remastered form in 2005, featuring two additional tracks: a remix of "Another Cult Goes Down" and an experimental dub remix of "Pandemonium".

Reception

''Pandemonium'' has been generally moderately-well received by critics. ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' magazine wrote, "Gargantuanly heavy, catchy and hilarious at turns, ''Pandemonium'' yokes pounding slabs of techno-metal to Coleman's cosmic visions, to exhilarating, trance-inducing effect". ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' described it as "a significant upgrade from '' Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions''".

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

described the album as a return to form for the band.

Track listing

Personnel

; Killing Joke *

– vocals,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

* Kevin "Geordie" Walker – guitar * Martin "Youth" Glover – bass guitar,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing ; Additional personnel *

Geoff Dugmore Geoff Dugmore (born 12 April 1960) is a Scottish drummer, musical director and producer. He was a member of the bands The Europeans, and Wildlife. Career Educated at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, Dugmore started his musical career ...

– drums * Tom Larkin – drums * Larry De Zoete – drums *

Hossam Ramzy Hossam Ramzy ( ar, حسام رمزي; 15 December 1953 – 10 September 2019) was an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He worked with English artists like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as with Arabic music artists like Ra ...

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

* Said El Artist – percussion * Aboud Abdel Al –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

* Matt Austin – programming * Paddy Free – programming ; Technical *

Greg Hunter Greg Hunter (born 1965 in Hammersmith, London) is an English composer and sound engineer. He attended Goldsmiths, University of London. He is known for his work with The Orb and with producer Youth in their collaboration to form Dub Trees, and a ...

– production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing *

Ron Saint Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music ...

– mixing * Sameh Almazny – engineering assistance * Natalie Heath – engineering assistance * Matt Howe – engineering assistance * Sheldon Isaac – engineering assistance * Mike Coles - cover design

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control Killing Joke albums 1994 albums Zoo Entertainment (record label) albums Industrial rock albums