Killing Joke Vinyl Records
Heavy and slow, Killing Joke (at least early in their career) were a quasi-metal band dancing to a tune of doom and gloom. They eventually became less heavy and more arty -- more danceable, even -- but they made some urgent slabs of molten dynamite that oozed with the power of thick guitars, thudding drums, and over the top singing. The group's brutal sound emerged from U.K. punk and anticipated industrial, but the pummelling impact of their sound also endeared them to the distaff side of the metal community, and their uncompromising nature allowed them to stand on their own regardless of context.