The Return of PainKiller: A Journey Through Sound
In the spring of 1991, the innovative composer and saxophonist John Zorn stepped into a cab outside his East Village apartment, unknowingly embarking on a journey that would intertwine jazz avant-garde with the raw intensity of underground rock. Inside the cab was Mick Harris, a young and pioneering drummer from Britain. Harris was visiting the city and was well-known for his role in Napalm Death, a band that had emerged as a leading force in the grindcore genre—an aggressive fusion of punk and metal.
Their destination was Greenpoint Studios, the Brooklyn hub of prolific bassist and producer Bill Laswell, a close friend and collaborator of Zorn. In an extraordinary burst of creativity, the trio came together to record an entirely improvised album within a single day. This record showcased Zorn’s frenetic alto saxophone interwoven with Laswell and Harris’s dynamic rhythms—an explosive mix of blasting beats and heavy grooves, enhanced by the visceral vocal contributions from both Zorn and Harris. The result was a groundbreaking new connection between the realms of avant-garde jazz and the extreme edges of underground rock.
Fast forward to this Friday, when Zorn’s label, Tzadik, is set to release “Samsara,” marking the first studio recording featuring the original lineup of PainKiller in three decades. While the trio remains intact, much has changed since those early days.
One major difference is that the musicians did not share the same physical space during the recording of this new album. Harris, who has transitioned to electronic music over the years and no longer drums since PainKiller disbanded in 1998, contributed synthetic beats crafted in his home studio in England. Zorn, in turn, recorded his saxophone parts at Orange Music, a New Jersey studio where Laswell has been based since the late ’90s. Finally, Laswell added his bass lines last, utilizing a makeshift mobile studio that his longtime engineer, James Dellatacoma, set up in his Upper Manhattan apartment.
This distance was not only a matter of convenience but also a necessity for Laswell, who has faced significant personal health challenges since 2022. Alongside managing diabetes and high blood pressure, he has battled a severe blood infection, along with complications affecting his heart, kidneys, and lungs. These struggles have led to frequent hospital visits, difficulty walking, and intense pain in his fingers, which has limited his ability to play. Additionally, he and his team have been working diligently to prevent a potential eviction from Orange Music.
Despite these challenges, “Samsara” features eight tracks that are rich in immersive, textured beatscapes, layered with Zorn’s explosive saxophone lines. The album resonates with the unmistakable essence of PainKiller, continuing the legacy of their earlier work, including “Execution Ground” from 1994, where the trio explored long-form dub and surreal ambience that lingered in the mind long after the music faded.
