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Killing Joke - XXV Gathering! DVD Review

by Eric Bodrero


Killing Joke has been making music for decades now, but if you've missed them during any of their trillion shows they've played live, then this DVD is for you. The show was filmed in London at the Sheperds Bush Empire earlier this year (2005), and includes quite the lineup of material, and does a good job of showcasing it.

Included are such favorites as "Communion", "Wardance", "The Wait," and "Pssyche". There is an even balance between newer and older stuff, so fans won't have too much to complain about. However, some of my favorites on this DVD are "Whiteout" and "Asteroid," but that's probably because they're such great tracks. Killing Joke put on quite the show, with frontman Jaz Coleman coming on stage with a full body uniform, boots, and his face painted completely red, except for his eyes which are streaked with black. He keeps a fairly good maniacal face throughout as well, with odd and awkward motions and marching steps. However, it all gets fairly monotonous, and after awhile I almost couldn't stand looking at his face, which turns into a big, sweaty, paint-streaked mess.

The atmosphere of the show remains dark, with cool, well-placed lighting, which is normal for a Killing Joke show. One thing I thought was impressive was the two giant banners on either side of the stage, which glowed different colors during different songs in the set list. The crowd was really into it, and the show has a great enthusiastic energy which remains until the end.

As far as technical aspects are concerned, it's all basically how you'd want your favorite bands' DVD to turn out. The audio is spot on and is fully Dolby Digital 5.1, with a 16x9 screen format. The camera work is interesting, and showcases the band members in all of their glory, however in some spots the editing can get a little rough, cutting away too fast and leaving you kind of jilted. The bonus features include a very interesting interview with Jaz himself, a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals and the sound check, and liner notes by Coleman.

All in all it's a good DVD with decent bonus features that you would expect to see, along with mostly great filming, wonderful audio, and a great live performance to boot. I would recommend it to fans, but if you're just getting into KJ you might want to hit up one of their records first.


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Killing Joke - XXV Gathering! DVD

Label:Eagle Vision USA
Rating:

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