Killing Joke - Pylon

Pylon is the fifteenth studio album by British rock band Killing Joke, released in October 2015 via Spinefarm Records.

About the Band:

Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original line-up included Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), "Big" Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitars) and Martin "Youth" Glover (bass).

Their first album, Killing Joke, was released in 1980, and after the release of Revelations in 1982, bassist Youth was replaced by Paul Raven. The band achieved mainstream success in 1985 with both the album Night Time and the single "Love Like Blood".

Forming almost with metal music, the band's sound has shifted since their formation, incorporating elements of electronic music, synth-pop and gothic rock. Since forming nearly 40 years ago, they have not yet run out of steam, releasing not only reissues and remakes, but continuing to create new and contempory music.  From their self-titled 2003 reformation album and on up to 2012's magnificent MMXII, their resurgence has been rock solid. 

Absolute Dissent released in 2009 was recorded after the reunion of the founding members, and was a strong release, winning them the "Innovator Award" at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour 2010. They were awarded this by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin who stated "I go back a long way with Jaz Coleman and the band. I used to go and see the band, and it was a band that really impressed me." As well as Led Zepplin, their influence on other bands has been noted, with names like Metallica, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden to name the well recognised in what is a long list of musicians.  

 

About the Album:

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.

To quote Metalinjection.com's fine summary: "Fit for any era of outrage at the ruling class, it comes dressed for the future while rooted firmly in the venerated past. Carefully crafted, yet executed with a youthful, basement-jam exuberance, Pylon could wind up being the best Killing Joke album in a long, long time. Just how long is up for argument, but the fact that the argument could take place in 2015 is a testament to the staying power of this majestic beast. Long may they live."

Check out a couple of tracks from the album:  I Am The Virus, New Cold War, Euphoria and New Jerusalem.

 

Pylon was ranked Number 6 in Classic Rock Magazine's 2015 Top 50 Albums Of The Year List.

This double album 2LP record set is on black vinyl housed in a Gatefold sleeve with a bonus track, pressed in Europe.