We Sent ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead some questions via e-mail whilst they were on their UK tour to talk about their new albu, Pussy Riot and much more.

You have a new album set for release on the 22nd October called ‘Lost Songs’ how did you find the whole writing and recording process for it compared to your previous albums?
We modeled our process very much upon what we learned when working on Tao of the Dead. Simply put, it was to treat the making of an album like being on vacation, and make the enjoyment of the process the goal. This ran deliberately counter to what previous producers, including Jimmy Iovine, had told us about recording - that making albums should be difficult and we were suppose to suffer the process.

What themes and stories featuring within the songs of the album?
Quite a number of the songs are specific to the novel I'm working on, and others are inspired by current events. Pinhole Camera's for instance, was inspired by one of my friends giving me a pinhole camera she'd made, which made me reflect upon the idea of images in media, how they affect our perception of the world, yadda yadda.

The artwork for ‘Lost Songs’ is pretty impressive who came up with the ideas and final design for it?
Thanks, I'm glad you like it because I'm already receiving complaints from people who are used to our grandiose styles. I wanted to do the cover very quickly, to reflect the urgency of the writing process for the album, so I drew it up in half an hour. I chose the black and white theme because I felt it reflected a starkness within some of the lyrics.

You released ‘Up To Infinity’ recently which you dedicated to Pussy Riot, what are your thoughts on the whole Pussy Riot situation?
I think it's fucking terrible. Artists put in jail for performing? Fuck Putin, and fuck the Russian Orthodox church. Fuck all churches, for that matter.

You are currently in the UK on a headline tour how have the shows been so far?
We are actually currently in Taiwan, which probably reflects just how late my reply to this interview is. Anyway, the UK was very cold and wet and we all suffered from colds, but one of my favorite shows was in Leicester, where we played in a tiny basement with Maybe She Will, and it was a lovely, barrier-free noise fest. Old-school mayhem at its primordial best.

What can we expect from tonight’s show? And how have you found picking a set list now you have your eighth album ready for release?
Which show are you referring to, that I might better accommodate you with an answer in retrospect? Tomorrow we are playing with Dinosaur Jr. and Thurston Moore, both of whom influenced us in our musical infancy.

Once your UK shows come to an end you are off to mainland Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the back to America, do you have any favourite countries or cities to play?
So far, for me, playing Phnom Penh, Cambodia was very special. Not least because I lived there, but the reaction exceeded my expectations and I was repeatedly told that there had not been a show like that there before. Cambodia is emerging from a lost generation, and music reaching there can still be a revelation, it gives one the sense that change is possible and that we are not entirely powerless, something I believe the media would have us convinced otherwise.

What would you say your biggest highs and lows as a band have been so far?
I don't know. I don't really spend much time reflecting upon the past.

Most bands get gifts from their fans, what has been the best and also the weirdest gift you have received from a fan?
Weird, I can't say. But my favorite gift was a portrait someone had painted of me with a quill in hand, it was very moving.

What’s your opinion on the whole anti piracy laws going on at the moment and how it will affect the music industry?
It's been going on nearly a decade now. It's very hard to say, because internet theft is very different from going into a store and putting a CD in your coat and walking out. In fact, the idea of virtual information is something that still needs defining. Think about it, I bought my copy of Depeche Mode's Violator from a store when I was twenty. So I already bought that album, does it affect the record sale numbers if I download it for free because I couldn't find my CD? On the other hand, if I download an album I've never heard before and it becomes my favorite album, I ought to be obligated to buy it. That sort of ethical behavior is difficult to enforce, but at the same time ought people really be put in prison for years over a few torrents?

Where do you hope to see And You Will Know Us By The Trial of Dead in a year’s time?
That's really not that far away. I don't suspect much will have changed in our routine.

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
Easy. A Zebraffe.

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Easy. Don't believe the hype.

Interview by Jack Turner