Painkiller (band)

American band

PainKiller

Also known as| Pain Killer (1991)
Origin| New York City
Genres| Avant-garde jazz, experimental rock, grindcore, avant-garde metal
Years active| 1991–1995, 1997–1998, 2003, 2004–2006, 2008, 2024–present
Labels| Earache, Tzadik
Members|

* John Zorn
* Bill Laswell
* Mick Harris

Past members|

* Hamid Drake
* Yoshida Tatsuya

Painkiller (stylized as PainKiller, previously known as Pain Killer) is an avant-garde jazz and grindcore band that formed in 1991.[1] Later albums incorporated elements of ambient and dub.[2]

The three primary members of Painkiller were John Zorn on saxophone, Bill Laswell on bass guitar and Mick Harris on drums. Zorn and Laswell work in the New York avant-garde jazz music scene. Harris was the drummer for the grindcore band Napalm Death.[3] Harris' blast beats inspired Zorn to create his signature style, forming improvisational groups like Naked City that merged disparate genres into a unique scene.[4] Several musicians have made guest appearances both live and in the studio, including Buckethead, Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth, Yamatsuka Eye, Mike Patton, Koichi Makigami of Hikashu, Justin Broadrick and G. C. Green of Godflesh, Fred Frith, and Keiji Haino of Fushitsusha.

Harris left the band in 1995 to dedicate himself to computer music. Zorn and Laswell resurrected Painkiller and played with Yoshida Tatsuya of Ruins on drums.[5] Hamid Drake joined the band for Zorn's 50th Birthday shows at Tonic in New York City. That show (which also featured Patton as a guest) was released as a live album by Tzadik. [6]

On June 23, 2008, Painkiller performed Their Last Show In Citè de la musique Paris, France with the original line-up of Zorn, Laswell, and Harris, along with an appearance by Fred Frith and Patton.[7]

In early 2024 the band reunited again, though with Harris on electronics and effects rather than a conventional drum kit. They announced the release of a new album, Samsara, in November 2024.[8]

## Band members

[edit]

### Current lineup

[edit]

* John Zorn – saxophone, vocals (1991–1995, 1997–1998, 2003, 2004–2006, 2008, 2024–present)
* Bill Laswell – bass guitar (1991–1995, 1997–1998, 2003, 2004–2006, 2008, 2024–present), samples (1994)
* Mick Harris – drums, vocals (1991–1995, 1997–1998, 2008), electronics, effects (1994, 2024–present)

### Former Reunions members

[edit]

* Hamid Drake – drums (2003)
* Tatsuya Yoshida – drums, vocals (2004–2006)

### Guest/session musicians

[edit]

* Justin Broadrick – guitar, drum machine, vocals (1991) (on Buried Secrets (1992), tracks "Buried Secrets", "The Toll")
* G.C. Green – bass (1991) (on Buried Secrets (1992), tracks "Buried Secrets", "The Toll")
* Keiji Haino – guitar, vocals (1991) (on Rituals: Live in Japan (1993), tracks "Vapors of Phlegm and Blood", "Tetragrammaton", "Cat's Cradle", "Demonic Possession", "Tokyo Lucky Hole"; on Collected Works (1998), track "Marianne")
* Koichi Makigami – vocals (1991) (on Collected Works (1998), track "Marianne")
* Buckethead – guitar (1993)
* Kevin Sharp – vocals (1993)
* Yamatsuka Eye – vocals (1995) (on Live in Osaka (1995) (Execution Ground Japanese bonus CD), tracks "Bodkyithangga", "Black Bile / Yellow Bile / Blue Bile / Crimson Bile / Ivory Bile")
* Mike Patton – vocals (2003, 2008) (on 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 12 (2005))
* Fred Frith – guitar (2008)

### Timeline

[edit]

## Discography

[edit]

* Guts of a Virgin (Earache, 1991)
* Buried Secrets (Earache, 1992)
* Rituals: Live in Japan (Toy's Factory, 1993)
* Execution Ground (Subharmonic, 1994)
* Talisman: Live in Nagoya (Tzadik, 2002)
* 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 12 with Hamid Drake and Mike Patton (Tzadik, 2005)
* The Prophecy: Live in Europe with Yoshida Tatsuya (Tzadik, 2013)[9]
* Samsara (Tzadik, 2024)
* The Equinox (Tzadik, 2025)

### Compilations

[edit]

* Collected Works (Tzadik, 1998)
* Guts of a Virgin & Buried Secrets (Earache, 1998)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Spicer, D. Jazzwise.com Painkiller article accessed 3 October 2024.
2. ^ Christie, I. Trouserpress.com Painkiller entry accessed 22 July 2008.
3. ^ Huey, Steve. "Pain Killer". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
4. ^ Shteamer, Hank (2020-06-22). "'He Made the World Bigger': Inside John Zorn's Jazz-Metal Multiverse". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
5. ^ http://magaibutsu.com/mgb/pain-killer/ Magaibutsu website|accessed 3 October 2024
6. ^ https://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=5012 Tzadik Records 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Twelve|accessed 3 October 2024
7. ^ Violator_Vtr, 2008 06 23 Painkiller (w Mike Patton) - Cité de la Musique, Paris, France, retrieved 2022-04-20
8. ^ Painkiller Resurrection, retrieved 2024-06-26
9. ^ "Pain Killer | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Painkiller

* John Zorn
* Bill Laswell
* Tatsuya Yoshida

* Mick Harris

Studio albums|

* Guts of a Virgin
* Buried Secrets
* Execution Ground

Live albums|

* Rituals: Live in Japan
* Talisman: Live in Nagoya
* 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 12
* The Prophecy: Live in Europe

Box sets|

* Painkiller: The Collected Works

Related articles|

* Naked City
* Godflesh
* Scorn

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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