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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/killing_joke.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300: Killing Joke's reformed founding line-up.\
3[[labelnote:L - R]]Martin Glover, Jaz Coleman, Geordie Walker, Paul Ferguson[[/labelnote]]]]
4%%
5->''Til the fearless come,\
6And the act is done,\
7A love like blood,\
8A love like blood.''
9-->"Love Like Blood"
10
11Killing Joke are a PostPunk band from London, England. Formed in 1978, the band were instrumental in the development of IndustrialMetal and various aspects of AlternativeRock. Their sound throughout the years has ranged from "[[HeavyMetal quasi-Metal]]" PostPunk, to [[GothRock Gothic]] SynthPop, to Industrial AlternativeMetal. Their lineup has always been based primarily around singer Jaz Coleman and guitarist Geordie Walker, with the current (reunited founding) lineup including bassist Martin "Youth" Glover and drummer Paul Ferguson. Former members have included drummer Martin Atkins,[[note]]Music/PublicImageLtd, Music/{{Ministry}}, [[SuperGroup Pigface]][[/note]] and late bassist Paul Raven,[[note]]Ministry, Prong[[/note]] [[TearJerker whose sudden death]] caused the original lineup to reform in tribute.
12
13While the band has only had minor commercial success, they have been cited as an influence by Ministry (perhaps their most obvious fans), Music/{{Nirvana}} ([[Music/FooFighters Dave Grohl]] plays drums on their 2003 self-titled album!), Music/{{Metallica}} (covered "The Wait"), Music/NineInchNails, Music/MarilynManson, Music/{{Slipknot}}, Music/FaithNoMore, Music/{{Rammstein}}, and Music/{{Korn}} among many, ''many'' others.
14
15Jaz is also an accomplished classical composer and sang in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' and Youth is a prolific producer and remixer, working with Music/GunsNRoses, Music/PrimalScream, Music/{{U2}}, Music/DepecheMode, Music/PaulMcCartney,[[note]]under the group name The Fireman[[/note]], among many others.
16
17Not to be confused with [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke the Joker comic]].
18
19----
20!!This band provides examples of:
21* AlternativeMetal: From the 90s-onward, when the Industrial aspects aren't as prominent.
22* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Jaz is famously a looney. Heavy involvement in the occult and magic will do that to you.
23* ConspiracyTheorist: Jaz, from time to time. It ties in with his status as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} extraordinaire.
24* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Their first EP, ''Almost Red'', has a pronounced Dub influence. Their following albums would be closer to HeavyMetal.
25* EpicRocking: Many songs are over 5 minutes long. One of their most famous, "Love Like Blood", is nearly 7 minutes.
26* GothRock: Much of their 80s output.
27* HarshVocals: Jaz's voice became much rougher in the 90s, until this trope was in full blast by the 2003 self-titled. It's been reined in for the albums since.
28* IndustrialMetal: [[UrExample Very influential in its development]]. After the SynthPop era started to sour, they began taking back influence from the likes of Ministry.
29* LongRunnerLineUp: Type 5. Kept its founding lineup of Jaz Coleman, Kevin "Geordie" Walker, Martin "Youth" Glover, and Paul Ferguson until Youth's departure in 1982. Ferguson left in 1987, and the band as a whole was inactive from 1996 to 2002. Since 2008, the lineup consists of all four original members plus Reza Uhdin on keyboards, a position added in 1984.
30* OppressiveStatesOfAmerica: Their 2003 self titled album contains several songs in this vein. Ironically, the drummer on that album is American.
31* ProtestSong: Their 2003 self-titled album consists largely of these.
32* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: Paul Raven's death inspired the original lineup to reform in 2008.
33* SelfTitledAlbum: Their 1980 debut and the 2003 record with [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Dave]] [[Music/FooFighters Grohl]].
34* SynthPop: Hinted at with ''Night Time'', in full force with ''Brighter Than a Thousand Suns'' and ''Outside the Gate''.
35* TitleOnlyChorus: The majority of their discography.

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