Killing Joke – Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell (2006)

September 21, 2021

Hossannas From The Basements Of Hell is the sound of latter-day Killing Joke pushed to the extreme. Everything about the band is pushed to 11 on this release, as the band explore meandering, deafening compositions which were recorded in some catacombs beneath the streets of Prague. As someone who has visited some of these interesting subterranean caverns, one can only imagine the intensity that unfurled as the band conjured their ungodly work.

Killing Joke have also dabbled, perhaps lightly, with the occult in the past, but those vibes are strong and ever-present here. Geordie’s hollow guitar has immense weight and clout to it. I can feel it reverberating around the catacombs as I listen. Youth’s bass pins the tracks to reality, a throbbing heartbeat in what are otherwise songs that are easy to get completely lost in.

This record is the sound of a band pushing their established sound to its absolute limits. Its a corker.