The late musician joined the band in 1979 after seeing an advert in the Melody Maker magazine.
A founding member of the English rock band Killing Joke, that emerged from the post punk scene and had a key influence on industrial rock, Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker, popularly known as Geordie Walker, died at Prague on Sunday, November 26th.
Aged 64, he passed after suffering a stroke. Apart from Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Walker was the only other constant member in the band until his death. In a social media post the band said they were devastated by the death.
Killing Joke: Music Style and influences
The band’s musical style evolved from post punk in the years to come, incorporating elements of gothic-rock, synth-pop and electronic music. Killing Joe have also influenced many iconic bands over the years to come which include Metallica, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden. The band called their sound “tension music”. Co-founder Ferguson described it as “the sound of the earth vomiting.” Further stating that their “influences were beyond punk,” and also included Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Yes and King Crimson.
Who he was? Walker and Killing Joke
Born in 1958, Walker’s family moved from Newcastle to Buckinghamshire. Walker and bassist Youth joined the band in 1979 after responding to an ad Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson put out in Melody Maker, which read: “Want to be part of the Killing Joke? We mean it man. Total exploitation, total publicity, total anonymity. Bass and lead wanted.”
Walker recorded fifteen studio albums with the band between 1980 and 2015, the most recent being ‘Pylon'(2015). Walker had also been a member of industrial music supergroups Murder, Inc. and The Damage Manual. Walker’s guitar style was metallic and cold. Walker stated that “the guitar should convey some sort of emotion“. He cited Siouxsie and the Banshees’s original guitarist John McKayn who “came out with these chord structures that I found very refreshing”.
In March this year, Killing Joke released their new single Full Spectrum Dominance and performed their first two albums, Killing Joke and What’s THIS For…!, live at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
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“Geordie was a true inventor of a massive sound that has influenced so damn many of us. Man…a damn nice guy to boot,” posted Guns N’ Roses guitarist Duff McKagan on Instagram. Randy Blythe, the lead singer of heavy metal band Lamb of God, said he was“immensely saddened” about Walker’s death.
