Customer Reviews

Killjoy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This band was a basic mistake discovery for me. A friend worked at a record store and had this cd as a promo and asked me if I wanted some he had in a batch. Sadly, all the promos were sub-par grunge and metal but this cd stood out like a sore thumb. From the opening of 'You Again', with its heavy as hell riff, to the 'toms as machine guns' drumming of 'Get Up'; you get a good idea that this band is a wonderful live experience. John Toogoods vocals are just that....Too 'damn' good! The songs are somewhat derivitive but in a good way. 'Gimme Gimme' has a very nice Trouble feel to it. The bridge/chorus has a a bit of Swervedriver going on and when the middle breaks out into a flurry gun-fire drumming, I dare you to say your heart isn't racing. 'Envy' sounds like Jawbox covering a New Model Army song. If you can understand that comparison.......and 'Debs Night Out' s a guitar synth layered gem. With some nice distorted bass textures and a very nice mid-80s euro-pop feel, this song could have been pulled off a Sisters Of Mercy record. Well with better singing of course..but the unofficial highlight of the cd for me is the song 'Bitter'. A Helmet inspired piece of muscle with such an amazing and surprisingly out of nowhere melodic chorus that I almost want to cry everytime it comes by. My only gripe is the vocals on this particular song are a bit too low in the mix; kind of like taking the indie-rock way of burying the awful vocals to an extreme. 'Silvercup' has the distinction of being the only song I have ever heard from this band outside of my own listening to the cd. I heard the guitar pattern used for some 'MTV real world' broadcast. Sad, I know....but oh well!

Dark. Textured. Bleak. Angry. Wow. Those are the words to describe 'Killjoy', Shihads second LP, the followup to the industrially tinged 'Churn'. Possibly the biggest guitar riff in the world, opens the album, on the immensely heavy 'You Again'. Below the crunching guitars Toogood wails about possibly a lost friend ('I hope I never, see you, again.') and the ending to the song show Shihad's relentless touring of the Churn album had sent their collective muscle into the strastophere - the moody jam eventually clicking back for a soaring, 'wall of sound' finale. 'Gimme Gimme' is dominated by bassist Kippenberger, again Shihad showing their deft mastery of sonic changes in tempo and chords. Mid way through the disc Shihad take a break and swing into 'Debs Night Out', a fabulously slow synth driven song before kicking into 'Bitter' - possible the finest song Shihad have ever written. The album closes on a fusillade of riffs, just as the album started. Its an andrenalised ride from start to finish - Toogoods gritty vocals submerged beneath the guitars and Larkin's drums driving the album all the way to its climatic ending on 'Get Up.' Sustained, brilliant and dense, Killjoy is a testament to this fantastic heavy rock band.

This album has to be the best thing in rock to come from NZ's shores. In a list of the best NZ albums of all time it comes in second only to Split Enz.
Killjoy has wickedly innovative music and a genuine sense of emotion and power all the way through.
Hardly derivative rock, it's rythms range from 3/4 to 4/4 to 5/4 yet are as moshable as anything from the nu-metal era.
2 Tracks stand out for me 'You again' and 'Bitter'. You again opens the album with one of the biggest rock riffs ever heard and bitter is a salt-in-the-wound ball of distortion and blazing rhythms. And just wait till you hear them live.
Deb's night out was also released as a single which shows their quiter side and some of the electronics they incorporate sparingly into their albums.
The album finishes with lead man Jon Toogood screaming the line "Get Up!!" over ear-bleeding distortion. And god you do.
10 years on this is still a MUST HAVE album. The boys still play tracks from this album live and the fans go nuts.
If you feel your missing something in your record collection, then it's most probably this album!

This is quite possibly one of my favourite albums of all time, nothing sounds like KILLJOY. Shihad have really changed their sound & direction with every release, this was ahead of their time as was their first album Churn I feel. The songs here are full of sincerity & depth. I am not a huge fan of what they have produced from the last 9 years but was blown away by this album the very most from Shihad. Go buy it, then Churn you won't be dissapointed.... : )

This is one of the best CDs I own! It has good music and meaningful lyrics, a rare combo these days. They manage to express their dismay about the current world situation and their personal issues intelligently rather than just 'I'm young and pissed, just because.' Not to scare away anyone who just wants a good rock CD, because it is definitely that too. You can always get lost in the guitar without getting caught up in anything too political. I like this CD far better than Shihad's subsequent releases (not that I don't enjoy those as well) it just feels raw and unpolished, something that cannot be said about General Electric, ect. Buy it, buy it now!

To anyone who knows New Zealand Music they know that most of it is overhyped. Sure the Straight Jackets FIts Datsuns Panam are great but such bands as feelers etc are over hyped but belive me this is classic kiwi stuff. The opening SOng You Again is a crunching killler of a song written about Jons girlfriends attitude to him i guess pretty savage (i hope i never see u gain) Gimmie Gimmie is another col song and catchy corous, the call is similar and different but great heavy guitar sounds nad goood vocals. The Call and BItter are both great songs Bitter in particular but the suprise song is Debs Night Out, a quite mellow song with cool guitar soungs good lyrics and great voclas a touching song from an heaey album. After that its bak to the great heavey guitar and thumbing drums, silvercup starts slow before breaking out to a huge chorus and the other songs aree good as well. Recommened one of thier best other than maybe the general electric, don't expect pacifier you won't get it, but this is better less commerical and disticn;y kiwi.