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Painkiller

Musical Group
Foradventurous listeners into avant-jazz, grindcore, experimental dub, and fans of john zorn or bill laswell.
4 Reviews 1 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

Formed in 1991 by John Zorn (alto sax), Bill Laswell (bass) and Mick Harris (drums), Painkiller fuse avant‑garde jazz with grindcore, dub and noise. Early Earache releases Guts of a Virgin (1991) and Buried Secrets (1992) set the template; Execution Ground (1994) expanded into slow, dub‑soaked darkness. The group’s sporadic activity has included powerful live documents.

Core trio: John Zorn (alto saxophone), Bill Laswell (bass), Mick Harris (drums, vocals). Early releases appeared on Earache Records (Guts of a Virgin, Buried Secrets); Execution Ground followed in 1994. Guests on Buried Secrets include Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green. Later performances featured percussionists Hamid Drake and Tatsuya Yoshida.

Four DeBaser reviews chart Painkiller’s evolution from the blast-furnace EPs Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets to the cavernous dub/ambient sprawl of Execution Ground. Praise is high for the early Earache releases; Execution Ground is lauded as monolithic and immersive. One review slams Vol.12 as overcooked improvisation. Overall, the trio’s grind-jazz-dub alchemy is celebrated for audacity and impact.

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