Fugazi In On The Kill Taker CD

Fugazi: Ian Mackaye, Guy Picciotto (vocals, guitars), Joe Lally (bass), Brendan Canty (drums).
Recorded at Inner Ear Studios, Virginia in December 1992.
Personnel: Guy Picciotto, Ian MacKaye (vocals, guitar); Brendan Canty (drums).
Recording information: Inner Ear Studios (12/1992).
Photographer: Cynthia Connolly.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Guy Picciotto; Ian MacKaye; Joe Lally; Brendan Canty.
In on the Kill Taker is like scrubbing your face with steel wool. It finds the band relying on rusty guitar shards that scrape, seethe, and hiss, further removing itself from the sound of 13 Songs and Repeater. Harsh and grating, Fugazi surprisingly produces sheer noise at times, best witnessed in the lengthy closing of "23 Beats Off" and the unintentional Gremlins homage that opens "Walken's Syndrome." Joe Lally's bass and Brendan Canty's drums are relegated to acting as a guide; they're pushed -- but not squashed -- down in the mix, allowing for Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto's guitars to take control, corrosively so. It's probably Fugazi's least digestible record from front to back, but each track has its own attractive qualities, even if not immediately perceptible. "Facet Squared" and "Public Witness Program" open the record furiously, but the majority of the following "Return the Screw" is hardly audible, aside from occasional vocal tantrums. A good amount of time is spent alternating between low-key guitar noodling and intrusive bursts of aggression. They're smart with their sequencing, placing the gentle instrumental "Sweet and Low" (the only track where Lally plays a prominent role) after the exhaustive cacophony of "23 Beats Off," and generally piecing together a set of rather diverse tracks that flows well. Picciotto's anti-Hollywood rant on the properly titled "Cassavetes" is a classic Fugazi moment, as is his similarly name-dropping "Walken's Syndrome." Buried at the end of the record are two excellent lurchers, MacKaye's "Instrument" and Picciotto's "Last Chance for a Slow Dance." Not Fugazi's finest hour, but one of its most daring and rewarding. ~ Andy KellmanRolling Stone (9/30/93, p.106) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...as Fugazi grow more diverse, their music only becomes more powerful....KILL TAKER explores almost every aspect of Fugazi's roots....even the occasional calm can't hide the rage underneath..."
Melody Maker (6/5/93, p.34) - "...IN ON THE KILL TAKER is [Fugazi's] finest hour yet...they make the most astonishing exhilarating sound....it's Rage Against The Machine for grown-ups--it's a record you simply must possess..."
NME (Magazine) (6/5/93, p.33) - "...[IN ON THE KILL TAKER] is [Fugazi's] densest and most enigmatic yet....it's an intensity that's breathtaking...this is the sort of record that defines what rock music is capable of..."