Dazzling Killmen
Dazzling Killmen and SKiN GRAFT Records are inexorably tied together (the label’s first release being a 7” split between Dazzling Killmen and Mother’s Day).
While the band and the label continued to work closely together during the relatively brief first life of the Post-Hardcore group, the debut Dazzling Killmen record Dig Out the Switch (engineered by Steve Albini with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy) was initially released on French label Intellectual Convulsion Records (before quickly going out of print).
Essentially unavailable for decades, SKiN GRAFT Records and Dazzling Killmen have now teamed up to release a newly-remastered version of Dig Out the Switch (handled by Andris Balins and the band’s own Blake Fleming) due for release on September 12th on vinyl, CD and digital download.
And with the album soon to be available in its entirety Ghost Cult is delighted to share an exclusive stream of the 58 second explosion that is “Reactor” taken from the forthcoming release.
DAZZLING KILLMEN – 1992 promo photo by Mark Buckheit
(pictured: Darin Gray, Nick Sakes, Blake Fleming)
Of the track, drummer Blake Fleming has the following to say, “We were always looking to the outer edges for inspiration in extreme places. “Reactor” was our version of Grindcore where the official term wasn’t blast-beat but “choppin’ steak”. And chop steak we did. Speed, entropy, collapse, rebirth. An intensive mini-course for fans of Hardcore, Grindcore, The Locust, Napalm Death and beyond.”
“This song lyrically speaking is about entropy – that everything in the universe is always falling apart,” adds vocalist and guitarist Nick Sakes. “Somehow we could receive this and convert it to a positive force, not a negative. Like a nuclear reactor is used to contain the energy produced from the fissure process, so could we gain energy from constant collapse.”
“It’s also a song about the symbol of the band,” continues Sakes. “Personal interpretations welcome! Musically it’s about urgency, panic, brevity. Probably all the usual hardcore punk references could be inserted here. Fast in n/ out. Face-smacking.”
That logo referenced by Sakes has achieved its own iconic status with SKiN GRAFT Records owner Mark Fischer reflecting, “Hardcore ushered in a real golden age of band logos. Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, D.R.I… There were so many great ones. I always felt that the best of them boiled the essence of each band down visually and could be copied into a high school notebook or spray painted on a wall or tattooed on a calf. Back in 1990, the band asked their friend, Miles Rutlin (R.I.P.) to design a symbol for the band. He came up with their “reactor” logo and I’d stack it up with any band logo around. It’s simple, sharp and intimidating. It’s perfect.”
In 1995 the original Dazzling Killmen lineup of Darin Gray, Nick Sakes and Blake Fleming (later joined by second guitarist Tim Garrigan) disbanded, with the various members going their separate ways.
Now 30 years later, and in support of the re-release of Dig Out the Switch, Sakes and Fleming will hit the stage once again as Dazzling Killmen—bringing on board Ben Greenberg and Evan Jagles for this latest iteration of the band.
Dig Out the Switch can be pre-ordered from SKiN GRAFT Records on bandcamp (the release including serpentarium green vinyl and a special bundle version):
https://skingraftrecords.bandcamp.com/
Meanwhile catch the Dazzling Killmen on tour on the dates below (with more shows potentially in the pipeline for 2026).
Sept. 23 Troy, NY – No Fun – with Sky Furrows and STROMA
Sept. 24 Brooklyn, NY – The Meadows with Couch Slut
Sept 25 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar – with Pageninetynine, Great Falls, Multicult
Sept. 26 Richmond, VA – Dark Days Bright Nights Fest with Uniform, Cherubs, Couch Slut, Crippling Alcoholism
Sept. 27 Philadelphia, PA – Foto Club with Eye Flys, My Wife Is An Angel, Nympho
Nov. 20 Minneapolis- Cloudland with Vaz and Arctic Universe
Nov. 21 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle with Dead Rider and Big’n
Nov. 22 St. Louis, MO – Red Flag with Ultraman and Ring, Cicada