IT'S OVER/THE END:
KILLING JOKE "ASTEROID"
“The worst is not. So
long as we can say, ‘This is the worst’”, said Edgar, who along with Kent
was the most noble and optimistic of the characters in King Lear.
Spare his plethora of Mad King Ludwig gold-rimmed chairs and
gaudy baroque paintings, there is nothing that is outwardly noble and nothing
to suggest that there is anything inwardly noble about Trump. Obviously, there
is a whole lot of bad. With the victory evening itself and the Bannon and
Sessions announcements, the last week has been frightening. But can it get
worse? Let’s hope this is the end of the worst and the guy’s damage is frozen
like a daiquiri.
But for the nihilists and those comforted by oncoming
apocalypses, we have Killing Joke’s, “Asteroid.”
I’m a ball of fire
Fire from heaven
Terror from nowhere
You’ll never shoot me down
Days turn to minutes
Five seconds till it hits
Three seconds to ground
One second to
Asteroid!
Coming in from the void
Vocalist Jaz Coleman, guitarist Geordie Walker and bassist
Raven (and Youth shortly afterward) gave birth to Killing Joke in a smoking
crater of apocalyptic theory and even though the majority of its fan base probably
dismisses Coleman’s beliefs as dark humor, they’ll go along for the ride
because Coleman’s soothsaying brings a healthy stream of boiling blood to
Killing Joke’s music.
“Asteroid” is a stunning tune, the bonfire exploding early with
Coleman’s screams (“And a 3rd
Angel sounded! And a star fell from
heaven!”), punctuated by sonic drum smashes. Apparently--contrary to
typical recording methods--the drums were recorded last on the album according
to Dave Grohl who guested on drums on this self-titled release, Killing Joke’s
11th in their 23rd year. Killing Joke recently released Pylon, another massive slab of epic alternative-rock
that belies their age and shows no sign of the band hitting any creative funk.
They’re one of a few bands I am still holding out hope to see live, despite living
in Turkey.
Coleman actually moved to Iceland early in the band’s career
to avoid the apocalypse, moving back shortly afterward without a peep, not even
‘whoops, wrong day’. Plenty of superstars in the U.S. have plans of hightailing
themselves out of America during the ensuing four-year apocalypse. Most will
make their way back before the end without a peep.
