What's THIS For...! was generally well received by critics. In a 5 out 5 star review, John Gill of Sounds wrote: "it's an album of incomparable verve, energy and aggression, and you might even risk a dalliance with the slumming glamour of its violence. Trouser Press described the album as "nearly as terrific" as their debut album, "bringing funk to ambient music, implying feeling sublimated in a chaotic world".
A significant contemporary dissent came from Melody Maker, whose Adam Sweeting called the album "a tired and very noisy collection of ripoffs", and deemed the whole effort "unlistenable... apart from the spaces between the tracks".
In a 2016 review, Paste Magazine's Josh Jackson listed the album at No. 48 on his list of "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums". He said the band "laid the groundwork for an industrial music revolution," and noted "the real genius here is the human emotion that comes through such spare efficiency." The Pensive Quill's Christopher Owens calls this "...the greatest album ever made."
Artwork
The image of the photograph was taken at 88 Colegate in Norwich, though only the left-hand side is visible.
Track listing
: <small>The 1981 cassette featured the titles "This Is Madness" and "It's Very Nice (Unspeakable!)" instead of "Madness" and "Unspeakable", respectively.</small>
Personnel
;Killing Joke
- Jaz Coleman – vocals, synthesizer, production
- Kevin "Geordie" Walker – guitar, production
- Martin "Youth" Glover – bass guitar, production
- Paul Ferguson – drums, vocals, production
;Technical
- Hugh Padgham – recording engineer (uncredited)
- Nick Launay – recording engineer, mixing (uncredited)