(From Eflux Media, 22 October 2007)

Killing Joke Bassist Paul Raven Dies

 Musician Paul Raven was found dead in a home in Geneva, Switzerland Saturday Oct. 20, after apparently suffering a heart attack.

Paul Raven was in Geneva working with French industrial band Treponem Pal, who are reuniting for a new album with singer Marco Neves, Prong/Jesu drummer Ted Parsons and members of the Young Gods, reports MTV on its website.

Raven was found dead Saturday by Parsons, MTV.com says, according to a post on the drummer's MySpace page. He said he and Raven and the other collaborators had gone out drinking the night before Raven’s body was found. He was only 46.

“I found Raven asleep in a chair the next morning in [a] living room,” Parsons wrote. “I thought nothing of it, as Raven would sleep like this on the tour bus in the front lounge all the time. Then I looked closer at him, and he looked very gray. I checked his pulse and there was none.”

The drummer goes on to say he called for help; he and the band members attempted CPR and immediately called for an ambulance. The medics that arrived said Raven had died in his sleep a couple of hours before being found, apparently from a heart attack.

“Words can't describe how I feel right now,” Parsons wrote. “I'm devastated. He will be missed by many.”

According to MTV’s biography of the bassist, he joined Killing Joke in 1982, replacing original bassist Youth. He collaborated with the English post-punk rock band on 1983's “Fire Dances,” 1985's “Night Time” and 1986's “Brighter Than a Thousand Suns.”

Raven left the band during the recording of 1988's “Outside the Gate” but returned for 1990's “Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions.” Killing Joke disbanded in 1991, with all former members except singer Jaz Coleman going on to form Murder, Inc., adding Chris Connelly as singer.

Raven also participated in Pigface, a project conceived by Murder Inc./Killing Joke/PiL drummer Martin Atkins and worked with Prong, on their “Cleansing” and “Rude Awakening” albums.

In 2003, Raven rejoined Killing Joke for their eponymously titled album and for its follow up, “Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell.” Two years later, he commenced a collaboration with Al Jourgensen of Ministry for their latest album, “Rio Grande Blood” and toured with Ministry in 2006.

Killing Joke is credited with having inspired the likes of Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction and Foo Fighters.