Fans who thought
Killing Joke had hit rock bottom with
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns were proven wrong by the follow-up effort. To be fair,
Outside the Gate was never meant to be a
Killing Joke album, at least not by the band. It was a solo album by lead singer
Jaz Coleman -- with
KJ guitarist Geordie Walker helping out -- until the record label muscled the band's name onto the cover in an attempt to make some money off this misguided experiment. Here
Coleman tries to become a bona fide singer rather than just a vocalist, and turns his usual growl and shout into a croon. His delivery is iffy, undermining his grandiose lyrics which are further damaged by the horribly thin music. Pallid synths poorly imitate orchestras, the complex song structures are just tedious,
Coleman acts as if he's
Freddie Mercury and
David Bowie mashed together, and none of the throb, thunder, or heavy riffage so important to the
Killing Joke name is to be found. Put it this way: this is the
Killing Joke album where castanets are heard and both bassist
Paul Raven and drummer Big Paul Ferguson quit the band to avoid association with this misfire. If you're anything but a very forgiving completist, pass on this one. [The 2008 reissue of
Outside the Gate adds remastered sound and seven bonus tracks including demos, remixes, and B-sides.] ~ David Jeffries