Fire Dances is the fourth studio album by English
post-punk band
Killing Joke, released on 15 July 1983 by
E.G. via
Polydor Records.[1] It was the band's first album to feature new bass player
Paul Raven, recorded at Basing Street Studios in London between February and March 1983.[2] According to
Paul Ferguson the band's drug use contributed to the original mix of the album being "tinny".[3]
The album was remastered and reissued in 2008, with eight bonus tracks: the non-album single "
Me or You?", an alternate version of "Dominator" (B-side to "
Let's All Go (to the Fire Dances)"), an unreleased early version of "The Gathering" and four tracks from a
John Peel session from 1983.
Fire Dances was generally well received by music critics. NME called it "their best [album] yet, and also likely to be their biggest."[10]PopMatters and Trouser Press both qualified the album as "superb",[7][11] with the latter describing the album's mood as "brighter" and "more joyous" than previous records.[11]
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