snobb Thirty-three years after their original founding, John Zorn-led jazz-core trio unexpectedly reunited last year. To date, the reunited collective announced already third new album to be released in April. Two other original members are bassist Bill Laswell and former metal band Napalm Death drummer Brit Mick Harris.

Back in 1991, Painkiller sounded like an extremely radical (at least for the jazz scene) hybrid of free jazz, early punk and death metal with screaming vocals.

"Guts Of A Virgin" is the trio's 24+ minutes long debut, containing twelve songs- two minutes long each in average, very much in punk tradition. All pieces were pure improvisations, just recorded in the studio, with a lot of energy, loud and dirty. Guitarless trio with Zorn's soloing sax instead of expected solo guitar and two vocalists(?) - John himself and Harris screams by its aesthetics is much closer to the punk-rock scene of the late 70s than to any form of jazz. Zorn's interest to Japanese brutal avant-rock is obviously an important influence as well. The songs themselves are quite monotonous, far not memorable, the main attraction here is an unbelievably high level of energy and rage.

It's interesting to notice, that the original band was founded in the turbulent times for the world after the fall of the Soviet Union - and the end of the Cold War, when all the world's political architecture has been destroyed and changed to the new one. The revitalizing of the band happens during the first similar tectonic breaks in today's world architecture, the first such a monumental change from the year 1991. It looks like the free world is becoming smaller, and all the world's dictators are trying to take the whole world under control. "Guts Of A Virgin" was an illustrative soundtrack to the year 1991, probably re-united Painkiller is recording loud and screaming soundtrack of today once again.

siLLy puPPy This compilation contains the first two EP releases of PAINKILLLER on one CD. It has both “Guts Of A Virgin” and “Buried Secrets” in their entirety. Yes! No tracks have been left out. I hate it when they do that nonsense.

Since both EPs were short little creations both clocking in under 30 minutes, it was very practical to release a combo-CD that had both of them and so it was.

There are no bonus tracks so this is simply EP 1 “Guts Of A Virgin” plus EP 2 “Buried Secrets.”

Sometimes this is listed as “Buried Secrets / Guts Of A Virgin.” Like what? Homie be trippin’. List the first album first for bleep’s sake! Lame, lame, LAME!

Me likey both albums enuff 2 giv 4 starz…..

siLLy puPPy John Zorn continued his PAINKILLER band which was one of the earliest examples of mixing avant-garde jazz with grindcore metal and one of the first hardcore bands of the era to delivery all the intense and sinister feel of what extreme metal bands of the same time were conjuring up only mostly without guitar. The second EP release BURIED SECRETS not only continues what was unleashed on “Guts Of A Virgin” but adds on new layers of intensity. Once again John Zorn makes his alto sax sound like a tortured pig being sacrificed to Satan with Bill Laswell pounding out heavily distorted bass lines accompanied by Mitch Harris pounding out intense drumming sessions. There were also a couple of helpers on this one with Justin Broadick adding some guitar, drum machine and vocals on the title track and on “The Toll.” G.C. Green also contributes on bass on the same two tracks.

While BURIED SECRETS carries on most of what the debut dished out, it expands upon its overall sounds. The first moment of true departure from the previous offering’s limitations comes with “Blackhole Dub” which contains just as the title suggests with a dub beat on bass and a simple drum backing while Zorn wails on the alto sax in a very strange way. It no longer sounds like a tortured pig but more like a tortured canary! There is also some dark ambient effects that make it seem very eerie. The production in general seems more polished on this one. The title track is totally different than many other tracks. The addition of the guitar really puts this one in left field but don’t expect any grungy metal power chords or anything. This one is chock full of strange echoey freaky riffs and note bends that reverberate into infinity. There is so much feedback and ambient embellishment that i’m not even sure which instrument is playing what. Zorn and company abuse their instruments so harshly that they simply emit otherworldly sounds and render it impossible for the listener to discern the differences of the sax and guitar. Then the bass and drums finally come in to add some sanity to a serious freak out session.

This album is much more playful as evidenced by the followup to the title track. The 21 second frenetic sax assault “The Ladder” shows the true spirit of punk via jazz and metal and then ushers in more violent and turbulent jazz-metalcore. Zorn astonishes as he makes his alto sax do things unthinkable and creates streams of consciousness that could lead to utter insanity. And add the bombastic drum and bass assaults, it’s utterly maddening. “The Black Chamber” is probably the only snippet of “normal” sax playing as it starts like a recognizable jazz sax type of sound that one would expect in a NYC club of the 60s but of course, nothing stays that “normal” for long in the Zorn world. It becomes another avant-dub type of track with more tortured pig sax squeals that follow. Even the ambient vocal effects sound like possessed pigs seeking revenge as they embrace the powers of the dark side to do so. “The Toll” is another stand out as it begins as an ambient track with a slowly building drum and bass. It is the other track that has guitar and it is used in a conservative way to create an amplified atmospheric presence rather than playing a dominant part. It continues like an avant-doom / sludge metal track with stange guitar and sax craziness. This one actually has vocals.

BURIED SECRETS is a great improvement over the previous “Guts Of Virigns.” There is so much more going on here. While everything from EP one is still in ample supply here, all the tracks don’t sound like they hatched from the same mold. The variations that occur sporadically are a welcome contrast to the more usual suspects. If you’re a fan of the first EP, fear not because all of those slaps in the face are still present and more but on this one, Zorn and company learned the art of ambient enhancement therapy and found new ways to strike terror into the inner ear canals of their fellow homo sapiens. I personally like this second release much better because it contains all of what came before and adds lots of new twists and turns and takes Zorn’s sax torture and incorporates it into a more meaningful way of menacing humanity. This is a dark and tumultuous sonic experience. Once again probably too jazzy for extreme metal heads and too metal for jazz purists but for those who simply want a true tortuous experience that supplicates impeding doom, this is for you.

siLLy puPPy PAINKILLER was one of the many projects of the prolific avant-garde jazz performer John Zorn and perhaps one of his most metal adventures. This band was quite unique at the time and took the listener where no one wanted to go which would be by mixing the unlikely disparate musical forces of avant-garde jazz with grindcore metal. GUTS OF A VIRGIN was the first of three studio albums but four live albums would also be released. The band consisted of John Zorn on sax, Bill Laswell (countless acts including Praxis, The Golden Palominos, Massacre, Buckethead, Iggy Pop, Herbie Hancock, Public Image Ltd etc) on bass and Mick Harris on drums who was most notably in Napalm Death. Although this is considered just as metal as jazz, there is no guitar to be heard.

GUTS OF A VIRGIN is extreme music to the max. This is guaranteed to alienate most jazz lovers for being too extreme metal and vice versa too jazzy for most metalheads. What we basically get on this cacophonous raucous is a highly distorted bass and drum attack accompanied by Zorn’s alto sax assault that really, i swear sounds like a tortured pig most of the time! It squeals like it’s being slaughtered live and the driving high pitched notes sound like a knife is being driven deep into its heart and twisted while pliers are ripping its snout from the skull. It’s truly tortuous stuff with dark resonating bass lines, pummeling drum abuse and saxophone nightmares. A soundtrack for horror films to be assured.

This is the same type of sax sound that appears on the first Mr Bungle album that was released the same year. It’s no wonder Mike Patton was so enthralled with his playing because Zorn delivers the most metal sound of any sax player i’ve ever heard. GUTS OF A VIRGIN is as filthy and dirty as the title implies. The muddy bass mixed with pig squeal sax create a free jazz / metal cacophony that also shows a bit of humor with song titles such as “Purgatory Of Fiery Vulvas.” The tracks are generally mid-tempo with some flair ups that add some intensity for contrast’s sake. While most tracks are instrumental, a few have some grindcore type of vocals screamed by Mick Harris. While the music is described as free jazz, it generally is so in the frenetic saxophone solos while the bass and drums have a recognizable groove firmly planted in the metal universe. This is a true assault to the senses! The compositions aren’t brilliant but it’s not bad for such an experimental album. Obviously only one for the hardcores!