St. Louis, Missouri’s Dazzling Killmen emerged in 1990 and were named after a character in Lucas Samaras‘ Crude Delights. They managed two full-length albums and four singles before splitting in 1995. 

Dig Out The Switch (SKiN GRAFT Records), the Killmen’s 1992 full-length debut, was originally put out by French label Intellectual Convulsion, and was out of print and unavailable for over a quarter of a century. The line-up here consists of Nick Sakes – Vocals/Guitar Darin Gray – Electric Bass, and Blake Fleming on Drums, while surprisingly, Jeff Tweedy of Uncle Tupelo/Wilco handles production duties. For a band who are due to play live for the first time in decades, the time feels right to revisit their catalogue.

If you thought Converge and Deadguy had the last word in Metalcore, think again. “Serpentarium” is there to quickly dispel you of that notion. The track is surprisingly aggressive and is akin to John Brannon (Negative Approach) fronting a heavier Minutemen, a remarkable opener. “Dig The Hole” showcases the band’s Jazzier tendencies with both incredible bass work and rhythmic patterns. As with Death-Metallers Atheist, they demonstrate how its possible to incorporate Jazz Fusion flavours without compromising their artistic vision. “Captain Is Dead” has a manic sensibility reminiscent of legendary outfits as Blind Idiot God, particularly their SST S/T debut, and if you liked Husker Du’s Land Speed Record and Everything Falls Apart, then you may also appreciate what’s being presented here. There’s some serious Oxbow vibes on “Bottom Feeder”, anguished Eugene Robinson vocal turns accompany sludge-laden Noise-Rock and the kind of slap bass which would see Flea turn green with envy. 

“Here Comes Mr. Big Face” is an instrumental that is Progressive in the best sense of the word and falls into the King Crimson arena from around the time of Lark’s Tongue at Aspic. “Spiral Mirror” crackles with tension and excitement, think the Muscular Post-Hardcore of Henry Rollins era Black Flag, while at a mere minute long, “Reactor” is blasting warp speed Hardcore that could easily rival the likes of D.R.I. in the tempo stakes. “No” shows no mercy whatsoever (Slayer pun intended), offering up some Thrashy goodness, the type of which Metallica used to serve up before fame and wealth beckoned. The melodic parts tip their hat to Articles of Faith and frontman Vic Bondi with an passionate, urgent delivery. “Premonition” subverts the quiet-loud dynamic by alternating between introspective, mellow passages and a more robust musical attack from which Engine Kid were surely taking notes. 

“Torture” while decent, is significant for having supposedly inspired Mark Fischer and Rob Syers to form Skin Graft, so that’s certainly something to be ever grateful for. Post-Rock comes to the fore again on “Ghost Limb” showing how the band were true pioneers of the genre alongside Slint. It’s more organic and grounded than Mogwai. Lovely stuff to quote Alan Partridge. “Numb” is pretty decent Post-Hardcore fare with Emo(ish) touches, pre-dating At The Drive-In by quite some distance, one of the record’s slower numbers but no less powerful for it. “Code Blue”, (no, not the TSOL track of the same name), is an epic at well over 12 minutes, which Math-Rock fans will definitely dig, see Shellac’s Terraform and Craw’s Bodies for Strontium 90 for reference points. An intriguing conclusion to the album. 

General consensus is that Face of Collapse is the essential record in the band’s catalogue, and that’s true. However, overlook Dig Out The Switch at your peril; it has its own unique charms and appeal. 

Buy the album here:
https://dazzlingkillmen.bandcamp.com/album/dig-out-the-switch

8 / 10
REZA MILLS
Follow his work here: