In a new interview with music writer Joel Gausten, Killing Joke bassist Youth explores a number of topics including the band's most recent album, Pylon, and the publication of his new collection of drawings, The Anarchist Colouring Book.

A true psychedelic visual experience, The Anarchist Colouring Book offers dozens of original Youth illustrations. Although fans who have checked out his past poetry books (including Kommune and Middle Class Riot) are already familiar with Youth's unique drawing style, the new book is the first publication devoted exclusively to his work in this medium.

“Last year or so, a few people had suggested strongly that I consider doing (my drawings) as a coloring book,” he explains. “I started to do some specifically for that, and collated and adapted some older ones that I thought might work well. I mentioned it to (Killing Joke frontman) Jaz Coleman, and he said, 'Yeah! That's a great idea! You should call it The Anarchist Colouring Book.' I was like, 'Yeah! That's brilliant.' It hadn't been a long-held ambition of mine to do a coloring book; I saw an opportunity to get my drawings out into a wider realm because the poetry books are so tiny in the appeal range.”

The publication of The Anarchist Colouring Book coincided with the arrival of Pylon, Killing Joke's 15th studio album. The band's first release since reforming their original lineup in 2007, Pylon easily earned a place on more than a few Best of 2015 lists and showcased the group's heaviest work in years.

“Absolute Dissent (from 2010) was more of a regrouping and a self-reflection of our entire career,” Youth offers. “It felt a little bit like a compilation album, almost. MMXII (2012) was definitely more of an album album, but more synth-oriented and a little bit more progressive in that sense - but nevertheless with a couple of uptempo, euphoric ones. And then this one's a bit more guitar and - I don't really want to say it - but more metal-influenced in some ways.

“I think we took a bit more time writing this one,” he continues. “With the previous two, we had to write and record in two-three weeks; it was boom, boom, boom. With this one, we kind of did it in Prague, which we could afford because the studio time was cheap. We spent more time coming back and doing more jams and really cutting]down the 100 or 150 ideas to the 15 that ended up on there. I'll say some of the best cuts never made that top 15, as usual. It's a funny process with Killing Joke; it's never rational or logical, but it does come out the way it kind of should. I don't really argue with it or question it too much. It can be very frustrating at times, but I accept it because the rest in futile (laughs)”

The complete interview is available at this location.

Killing Joke are on a mission to take their music of resistance to a whole new level with latest and 16th studio album, Pylon, which was released October 23rd, 2015 via Spinefarm Records. With the original lineup of Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth and Big Paul continuing to hold firm, the band has released an official video for "Euphoria".

Pylon was produced in the UK and Prague by the band and Tom Dalgety, whose credits include the hugely successful Royal Blood album, and isn’t designed to accompany a quiet night at home in front of the fire; Pylon is very much music as ritual – raw, uncompromising and precisely-targeted lyrically, with the artwork put together by regular band associate Mike Coles, the designer behind the very first Killing Joke album.

As for the album’s title, says Youth, “It’s simple… Stark brutal industrial suicide… This is the third in a triptych of albums, Absolute Dissent, MMXII and now Pylon… heavy and uncompromising, bleak dystopian lyrics, as well as some visionary celebration… lots of black pain emotion. To be honest, we remain genre blind so our music will always cover a vast spectrum of influences, from disco right through to heavy metal and beyond…”

While other bands of a certain vintage may struggle to hold their edge, Killing Joke are delivering the best and most relevant material of their career, with no mellowing or softening of the edges getting in the way – a line in the sand against mainstream music and corporate existence, with “I Am The Virus” (“an intense, angry, uncompromising shout into the abyss”, according to Youth, and lead track from Pylon) providing a typically bitter taste of the ‘delights’ to come…

“I believe we delivered 15 tracks for the new album,” ponders Youth, who actually raised that number to 16 with a last minute dub remix, “and it could have been a lot more…”

“This record really showcases the power of Killing Joke,” continues Jaz. “I remember we once jammed with German outfit Can, and I don’t remember hearing Can…”

Difficult, perverse and wilfully unpredictable, Killing Joke continue to be a group that actually stands for something; Youth will tell you it’s “honesty, commitment and illumination”, and the others will doubtless have ideas of their own, but one thing’s for certain: what once seemed paranoid now seems downright prophetic, and for all of their adherence to darker hues, the future for Killing Joke seems bright… whether they like it or not.