Hosannas From The Basement of Hell (Cooking Vinyl)
By Ewan Wadharmi
Over the eons, many unenlightened persons, mostly middle managers, have taken Machiavelli’s text “The Prince” as an instruction manual for the ruling class, rather than the satirical indictment of the abuse of power that he intended. “Implosion” and “Majestic” have the potential to replace Metallica’s “Kill ’em All” in the headphones of soldiers on the front, specifically those who weren’t issued a grasp of irony. The mixture of driving ferocity and hypnotic tribalism would fit in well with the military’s mind-control techniques. But Hosannas‘ intent is purely a celebration of the Killing Joke ritual complete with quasi-religious overtones.
Conspiracy theories unraveled, scripture reworked, and mysteries explained, all to shed a favorable light on the band and their sordid practices. They go so far as to invoke the name of Killing Joke in song, and chronicle the actual recording of this very album in turn. Gives it a staggering “fresh as hip-hop” feel. Jaz Coleman’s voice has become whatever is the opposite of honed, gloriously jagged like cavernous ruins. Geordie’s buzzing guitar mantra compliments Coleman’s rusty vocal chords more than ever. Paul Raven served as bass man again, before joining the last Prong tour and the current Ministry crusade. Some of the intros could have been significantly shortened to maximize the impact, but this is as strong an album as Democracy, and stronger than Pandemonium.
(www.cookingvinylusa.com)