10 Great Rock Albums Recorded In Really Weird Ways

1. Killing Joke - Pandemonium

Post-punk titans Killing Joke have a long history when it comes to strange rock and roll stories but far and away their wildest is the conditions under which their album Pandemonium came to be. With founding member Martin ‘Youth’ Glover returning to the fold he brought with him the bizarre concept of recording their next record not in a dingy London studio but instead in one of the greatest monuments on planet Earth: the Pyramids of Giza.

Killing Joke got approval from a self-professed Egyptian white witch in order to enter and work within the King’s chamber of the legendary landmark. Unfortunately, upon setting up, they found their 10 hour battery packs were emptying in mere minutes. Ever a group of spiritualists, the group elected to perform shamanistic rituals to prove to these otherworldly forces that they came in peace.

Not only did this solve their issues, it seemed to open them up to a whole new world. Audio engineer Sameh Almazny had a vivid nightmare whilst napping in the Pyramid of the Eye of Horus chasing him, so much so that he tried to flee the location. During one particular take of recording, vocalist Jaz Coleman swore to Youth that he witnessed him levitating off the ground.

Pandemonium turned out to be an appropriate title for this album and it's quite unbelievable story.

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Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many gaming quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite