Search - Killing Joke :: XXV Gathering! Let Us Prey

Okay.

D. Cross | Hollywood, CA USA | 10/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Live albums are always sketchy, and this one is no exception. The guitar is sometimes lost in the mix here, especially on Pandemonium (which is more suited to an openning song rather than the closing). And the tracklisting is not my favorite. Songs I really would've like to have on here:





Exorcism / Savage Freedom / Hollywood Babylon / Sanity / Money Is Not Our God / Inferno / Mathematics of Chaos / Whiteout / Change / Intellect / Millenium / Zennen / You'll Never Get To Me / Kings & Queens





If you're a huge fan, this will do better than some half-assed bootleg with the one drunk dude cheering over the whole thing. Otherwise... start with the proper albums.



P.S. - the Amazon tracklisting is WRONG (it can be so difficult to actually look at the product).



1. Communion

2. Wardance

3. Song & Dance

4. Primitive

5. Total Invasion

6. Bloodsport

7. Requiem

8. Asteroid

9. The Wait

10. Pssyche

11. The Pandys Are Coming

12. Sun Goes Gown

13. Are You Receiving?

14. Love Like Blood

15. Pandemonium"

Don't believe the mid-years fans- THIS IS HAIR RAISING !

ted offensive | pacifica, california United States | 01/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've seen this band 5 times, including right after the first Iraq War began in'90 and we stopped rioting long enough to attend. Paul Raven even remembered that show!



This show is even better! FEROCIOUS! My hair stands on end several times during the set. The new kid on drums is a big farmboy that beats up his kit like John Bonham. The dvd is astounding as well.



They are very focused right now, living in Prague and working on a new album. THESE TIMES WERE MADE FOR KILLING JOKE, AND THEY KNOW IT. Enjoy, they did!

ted o."

3 1/2 stars-- great show, but not without its flaws.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 04/23/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded during a series of performances celebrating the band's 25th Anniversary in early 2005, "XXV Gathering: Let Us Prey" captures the then-reunited (and quite rejuvenated) Killing Joke in full flight, an almost overbearing entity that crackles with a tangible energy. Some of this is admittedly lost in translation onto media-- there's something about seeing the band that gets lost, particularly in the unusual presence of vocalist Jaz Coleman.



Still, it proves to be a pretty exciting set-- a bit heavy on the band's debut (5 tracks and a b-side are taken from that album), but still capturing a number of great performances-- Coleman introduces "Wardance" ("We have so much work to do tonight-- WARDANCE") that cuts loose under its danceable frenzy, "Asteroid", goofiest song in the band's catalog, cuts loose and provides a slice of punky explosion, and the last half dozen pieces, regardless of whether high energy ("Pssyche"), slow grinding ("Pandemonium") or tribally meditative ("Sun Goes Down") are all pretty much universally fantastic.



Coleman does falll a bit flat on a couple of the early pieces ("Song and Dance" and "Primitive" both find the singer a bit thinner than you'd like), and the sound on the recording is muddy, and both of these temper my feelings on the recording, but this is a good performance and well worth investigation."