Killing Joke – Night Time

One of the great albums of the mid 80s. Almost flawless, no weak links. Excellent musicianship, dark, in your face, big sound. Love Like Blood clearly deserves a place in the Top 10 songs of the 80s. If you worship Love by The Cult (both albums released in 1985), as anyone with taste would, this album will appeal to you also. Still sounds exciting after 37 years.

Long time KJ fan since my simultaneous discovery in 1984 of S/T (Malicious Damage) 1980 and “Night Time” 1984.

After having heard the “Kings & Queens” 12” on vinyl, this was one of my very first introduction to KJ, instantly hooking me like a junky discovering crack for the first time, and is still amongst my favorites of the band reguardless of how it is considered “gothic” or “commercial” by other Gatherers and critics alike. Perhaps at the height of their 80s form, fusing all their musical elements and thematic concepts perfectly, “Night Time” is a dense exploration of the inner workings of a band approaching their craft and ideas with a more layered attempt while never actually over-simplifying their sound. Some have compared KJ’s “Night Time” to Metallica’s “S/T (Black Album)” in of the simplification of sound and song, but KJ’s result always felt as though it was the natural continuation of their calling at that point.

“Night Time” manages to actually mix Geordie’s incredible guitar work perfectly with the ever-growing keyboard synthetics of Jaz, in such a perfect balance than neither out-drowns the other, something which would come to be in their follow up, the pre-Chris Kimsey re-release of “BTATS”. Big Paul’s drumming is by no means toned down, but can appear leaner and more subdued to some, offering exquisite subtle tribalism which also perfectly accompanies Paul Raven’s masterful bass work, perhaps his all-time best for KJ, in my opinion.

Each song is a classic in its own right. “Night Time” is a great title piece which offers a glimmer of hope amidst a thick and dense musical composition suggesting the doom, the lyrics feeling more personal than the usual grandeur of their ideas. “Darkness Before Dawn” is both pure deep KJ, thick and layered with uneasy keyboard chords and Geordie’s leading riffs, a piece which could be, in its idealistic form, decades before its time. “Love Like Blood” was the band’s greatest single, so pretty much everyone knows how that one goes, as is “Kings And Queens” presented here with a little introduction which adds to the piece’s not-so-obvious (for untrained ears) grandeur. “Tabazan” was the closest to “classic” KJ this album had to offer, while “Multitudes” (also known as “The Madding Crowd” from the K&Q single) presents us with the most representative piece off of “Night Time” in of general feeling, Raven’s bass work here being my own inspiration to pick up the instrument. “Europe” follows through with ease and yet presents a sense of unease in its delivery and emotional implications. Ending on a high note with “Eighties”, another KJ anthem which isn’t just iconic in its own right, but was also “ripped off” by a certain songwriter in the early 90s helping the grunge scene explode. “Night Time” has always been the most complete and perfect “cross-over” LP from the band, with just enough “gothic” undertones and commercial “hooks” to make it somewhat accessible to a greater market, while remaining true in KJ flavor with each member of the band at the top of their game. Not for everyone, but deffinately an important point in the band’s career.