In on the Kill Taker is like scrubbing your face with steel wool. It finds the band relying on rusty guitar shards that scrape, seethe, and hiss, further removing itself from the sound of 13 Songs and Repeater. Harsh and grating, Fugazi surprisingly produces sheer noise at times, best witnessed in the lengthy closing of "23 Beats Off" and the unintentional Gremlins homage that opens "Walken's Syndrome." Joe Lally's bass and Brendan Canty's drums are relegated to acting as a guide; they're pushed - but not squashed - down in the mix, allowing for Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto's guitars to take control, corrosively so. It's probably Fugazi's least digestible record from front to back, but each track has it's own attractive qualities, even if not immediately perceptible. Tracklisting: A1 Facet SquaredA2 Public Witness ProgramA3 Returning The ScrewA4 Smallpox ChampionA5 Rend ItA6 23 Beats OffB1 Sweet And LowB2 CassavetesB3 Great CopB4 Walken's SyndromeB5 InstrumentB6 Last Chance For A Slow Dance
