KILLING JOKE — Turn to Red/Almost Red (review)

KILLING JOKE — Turn to Red/Almost Red album cover EP · 1979 · Non-Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Turn to Red/Almost Red" is an EP release by UK post-punk/industrial rock act Killing Joke. It´s the band´s first official release and was originally titled "Turn to Red" and released through the independent Malicious Damage Records label in October 1979. This version of the EP featured 3 tracks. The EP was re-released through Island Records in December 1979 bearing the title "Almost Red" and featuring 4 tracks. The original "Turn to Red" version is a collector´s item today and very hard to find.

Stylistically the material on the EP are generally a bit different from what most people probably expect from a Killing Joke release. The grit and aggression of the next couple of releases aren´t a big part of the sound on the EP, and Killing Joke present a more new wave influenced post-punk style. The four tracks are pretty different and at this point the band clearly hadn´t found their own sound yet. The only track off the EP which I think features anything (other than the voice of Jaz Coleman, which always gives away the fact that you´re listening to Killing Joke) resembling the later Killing Joke releases is the distorted guitar riff on "Are You Receiving", which of course doesn´t mean the remaining part of the EP isn´t interesting, because it certainly is. It´s just very different from what you normally expect to hear when putting on a Killing Joke release.

"Turn to Red/Almost Red" is well produced, featuring a sound production which suits the material well. Upon conclusion it´s a bit of an odd first release by Killing Joke, as they would change their sound rather drastically shortly after the release of this EP, and the material featured here does not represent the band that well. Normally a debut release would at least provide a rough picture of what an artist aims at sounding like on future releases, but this release leaves me a bit confused. A 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted though, as there is nothing wrong with the quality of the content.
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