PAINKILLER - Execution Ground - CD - Subharmonic Records - 1994
review by: Larissa

Let the scandal commence. Nay, let it flourish: my love for jazz is second ONLY to metal. But like the latter, there are certain parameters I pledge by. The primary edicts:

1.) Like Coltrane, Coleman, and Davis, jazz should forsake convention for innovation (even at the risk of becoming contemporary).

2.) Jazz should NOT employ vocals of any kind (certain exceptions arise, as is the case with Painkiller, where vocals add to the disquiet with shrieks and bellows).

And 3.) Tread the path of improvisation, meandering and energetic, whilst maintaining that baffling human ability to formulate and attain cohesion amidst chaos.

Alto saxophonist John Zorn formed the Painkiller project in the early ‘90s with ambient sage Bill Laswell on bass, and Napalm Death’s Mick Harris on drums. Zorn is so badass and prolific. Since creating his own label, Tzadik (the Hebrew word for "righteous one"), he has released numerous other sub-kultural sound artists along with his own Naked City (close in style to Painkiller, but more urban than concentration camp), Masada (proggy jazz), and the Filmworks series, among so many others. Over ten years on, the Tzadik catalogue is sizable, diverse, and growing.

Painkiller’s intial releases, Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets, took on a lot of controversy because of their graphic covers (one showing a gutted, naked female). Those recordings were very similar in style to Napalm Death, in their song brevity, seemingly random shrieks, and grind fever.

Execution Ground treads a bit heavier with deeper ambience, more effects, and increased focus on the dark maw of life. The songs are much longer than before, averaging about 15 minutes each (but with constant gear shifting that keeps the journey unpredictable). The first track, "Parish of Tama (Ossuary Dub)" explodes with violence from the outset, then glides down into an elegant jam-out between Laswell’s subterranean bass, Harris’s battery (subtle when it needs to be), and Zorn’s sax (and human) wails. Drenched with reverb and sweat, the effect is darkly grim sounding, like a slaughterhouse in November.

"Morning of Balachaturdasi" (got to love these titles) resembles progressive jazz ‘n’ hell more closely. Harris begins with a deceptively soothing beat, then Laswell pops stationary major chord abuse, and Zorn’s chromatic scales play off atonal overdubbing. They lay off the abuse for a little bit, then LFO’s seethe along like sirens; but by far, the coolest stuff plays ten minutes in: Zorn just plays the highest, horrid, most anguished note for as long as he can, as Laswell octave shifts even HIGHER than that and Harris pounds his kit with the randomness of ack-ack fire.

"Pashupatinath" is the psychadelic piece, building out of one melodic line and filling the air with the sounds of strangled agony. Indeed, this one may be the best example of what DARK JAZZ is about. In places, the song resembles that Bay Area multimedia staple, Neurosis, in the best way: performance as shared experience.

Ah . . . so now then. Disc two. Ambient.

First track, Painkiller extends "Pashupatinath" into even more troubled realms, but syncopation is minimized (or sent further down in the mix). Samples also abound here, most of which are unsettling and well-suited to this sonic abyss. When dark ambient is spot-on, emptiness is made to sound HUGE.

Second and final, "Parish of Tama – Ambeint," drones for nearly 20 minutes with very accurate waiting room tones. Then, the strangled imp voice resurfaces obscenely, and the band wails at their tools from way, way afar. This is the spirit of charred ruin, suffocating vapor, and sad eyes.

Execution Ground is sublime audio hatred, folks. Not the only brand — that would really suck ass, if we were limited to just one — but it’s mandatory even for non-jazz fans. Painkiller is not fist in the air music, and most assuredly not metal. The project transcended brutality, and helped shape it into a bigger threat. Painkiller laid the soundscape of black cancers we harbor, and nurture, within. But to speculate on Zorn’s intention is even more troubling: is this material supposed to encourage those cancers to surface, or warn us of their latency?

in before..."I was hoping this way about pills"

but yeah Painkiller ruled. I had an two cd collection by them...but it was stolen.

Fuck Logging In said:

Fuck Logging In said:

what fukkorz. I was searching high and low for Execution Ground for a long time but persistence paid off. Lemme know if you ever need a burn.

Hell yeah! Painkiller was great, my favorite was "Guts of a Virgin". So drugged out and brutal. The only thing that Laswell did that was really extreme.

John Zorn's a scary genius.

Thought this was gonna be about Priest, anyway.

i thought this would be about the priest album

Larissa's writing is so good, I almost feel like I should listen to that band even though such styles are not my cup of tea.