Killing Joke Democracy Zoo/BMG KILLING JOKE, CONSIDERED the godfathers of Industrial, have been brutalizing listeners since 1979 with their hypnotic, bass-anchored political-punk dance attack. Nirvana, NIN, Soundgarden and Ministry are all indebted to Killing Joke's influence. Patented chiming guitar aggression and tribal rhythms punctuate the anthems of societal decay depicted on Democracy. They've re-emerged triumphantly with a relentless guitar/bass/drums onslaught, and the volatile, throaty vocals of leader Jaz Coleman. The incessant eight-minute new wave-meets-metal-punk opus "Aeon" and the skull pounding "Intellect" envelop the listener in a brain-numbing cataclysmic web of exotic sound and rhythm. These Brits can still tear the roof off the sucker when it comes to executing an explosive thrash-punk groove. --Ron Bally Merle Haggard 1996 Curb Records THAT MERLE HAGGARD sits at the hand of God--that is, George Jones--is a given. This thin disk, which clocks in at under 40 minutes, does nothing to detract from Haggard's divinity, but it packs no surprises either. Haggard makes the customary nod to current events with the would-be ecopopulist anthem "Winds of Change" ("Even in our world today, the weaker are the prey/But if we don't fight for the planet she will die"). Most of the other tunes are trademark mid-tempo country shuffles, notably "Untanglin' My Mind" and "Beer Can Hill," a hell-yes ode to Bakersfield with backing vocals by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens. All good stuff, but not the massive comeback we've been waiting for. --Gregory McNamee THE TALENT SHOW Self-Titled Arf! Arf! Records YOU'LL AWARD MORE or fewer stars based on your kitsch tolerance levels and, presumably, your sense of charity--if you can imagine yourself being tapped to judge a local talent show in which parish children and nursing home residents are heard puttin' on the ritz. Naturally, it's David Greenberger of Duplex Planet fame behind the scenes here. I dunno. My idea of a fun time never included sitting through an asthmatic, off-key harmonica rendition of "Swanee River." Although young Kevin, Jordan and Eric gamely suffering through false starts, faltering tempos and partially recalled lyrics for "Here Comes The Sun" sure made me appreciate my Beatles Anthology One CD. And when the ubiquitous MC (a low-rent Ed Sullivan) takes the mic for a rousing, loungy take of "St. Louis Blues," right down to a Louis Armstrong impression midsong...well, call it twisted charm. As the Tom Waits-on-ludes crooner croaks on the closing track, "God Bless America." --Fred Mills

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