Killing Joke: Sage, spiritualism, and recording in the Great Pyramid of Giza
Often associated with occult themes, esotericism, and apocalyptic imagery, Killing Joke made headlines when they decided to record inside the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza. In an effort to fuse ancient symbolism with contemporary music, the band created an extraordinary and memorable chapter in their storied career.
In August 1993, vocalist Jaz Coleman and bassist Youth embarked on a journey to Cairo for a recording session dedicated to their Pandemonium album. Facilitating their venture into the pyramid was Mary Lomando, an Egyptology student who played a crucial role in smoothing the process. Meanwhile, Coleman enlisted the talents of local musicians to infuse an authentic and indigenous flavour into their music.
“I had recorded in Egypt before,” Coleman explained, “So I was telling Youth how great the studio was, and he said: ‘We don’t wanna play in the studio. We wanna play in the Great Pyramid, man.’ I thought he was completely potty. I’d been working in Egypt for years, and I knew how difficult it was to organise anything like that. I couldn’t see that it would be even remotely possible.”
Fuelled by its esoteric appeal, Youth was drawn to the pyramid’s design and the significance of its aesthetics. “I was attracted by the esoteric, occult significance of the Great Pyramid,” he said. “Being a pyramid, it has interesting properties – its proportions. It has four sides. And when it was first built, it was all covered with marble, and at the pinnacle was a Golden Section proportional to the whole structure, and at the top of that was a diamond, also in the same proportions.”
Continuing, he added: “Another reason to record there was where it is geographically positioned, on the 32 or 33-degree latitude, which is tied in with the earth-energy ley lines. The St Michael ley line, for example, that runs through Glastonbury, continues on through the pyramid.”
This incredibly complex Wonder of the Ancient World is the oldest of the seven and the only one that has remained largely intact. Many theories surrounding the pyramid’s construction point towards extra-terrestrial life, a conspiracy Coleman also leans towards. “The pyramids were constructed by a non-human intelligence, for sure,” he asserts. “I have no doubts about this. Each foundation stone for the Great Pyramid weighs the same as four jumbo jets. We don’t even have cranes today that can lift those sorts of weights.”
Despite arriving on location a little late, the band were quick to make the atmosphere just right, deciding to turn off the electricity so that all they had was candlelight. “You have to crawl in through these tiny holes, then you come to this massive alien staircase like in a science fiction movie, which you walk up to enter the King’s Chamber,” recalled Youth. “It’s actually quite a small room, yet the reverb goes on forever – made it feel like a big hall or something. It’s got Golden Mean proportions, which gives it mystical qualities.”
The recording process presented difficulties, as drained batteries, electrical issues, and sterile takes prompted a ceremonial transformation. Coleman expressed frustration, saying they had brought in batteries for eight to ten hours, but the chamber kept depleting their power. They could only extract ten or 15 minutes’ worth of energy from them, resulting in lost time.
At the same time, the first night seemed a little odd, enough to stagnate progress. The next day, they had a different approach entirely: respect the pyramid’s value of threes and get to work. “So we wanted three guys – me, Jaz and one engineer – and three women in there,” Youth explained. “We took on a much more ceremonial attitude – lots of incense and smoke,” Greg Hunter added.
Continuing, Youth recalled how they crafted the perfect environment for the album: “I was conducting the ceremony virtually naked with just a very thin lungi round my waist, and I was running about with these burning sage bushes in my hand. I had brought in lots of flowers, garlands, incense, some holy water, and these naturally wand-shaped quartz crystals. They can cut through negative psychic binds. I used them in casting the circle, and I think it made a big difference.”
According to Coleman, Youth thought that using Quartz would help their battery issues, “and it did”. They also came across some strange visions during their time recording there, including three women dressed in ceremonial Egyptian clothes and a strange moment when their sound engineer, Sameh, ran out of the pyramids screaming for no apparent reason.
“There was a point when it seemed like Jaz was levitating, floating in the air in the chamber,” Youth remembered. “It was an amazing scene, amazing sound, an amazing recording. Jaz did these amazing vocals, so we’d got tracks done for Exorcism, Pandemonium and Millennium. When it was over, we felt incredible. We all felt totally regenerated and renewed. When we came out, there was, like, this festival of Bedouin Berbers. They’d set up fires and stuff outside, and they were singing and dancing.”
Emerging unscathed from their encounter with the paranormal within the Great Pyramid, Killing Joke achieved success as their album Pandemonium secured the number 28 spot in the UK charts. Perhaps this was foreshadowed the moment the band left the pyramid, encountering a celebration orchestrated by Bedouin Berbers, expressing their jubilation through fire, music, and dance. “It was incredible,” Coleman said.
