Dazzling Killmen was an American math rock band from the St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

area. Formed in 1990, the group issued four singles and two full-lengths before officially ending in 1995, with a majority of it released through the independent label Skin Graft Records. Taking influence from

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

and jazz music, the band has been noted by critics to have helped influence genres such as math rock and post-metal.

Biography

The group, named after a character from

Lucas Samaras Lucas Samaras (born 1936) is a Greek-American artist. Early life and education Samaras was born in Kastoria, Greece. He studied at Rutgers University on a scholarship, where he met Allan Kaprow and George Segal. Career Samaras participated in ...

' "Crude Delights", formed in 1990, and was composed of jazz students—drummer Blake Fleming, bassist Darin Gray, vocalist/guitarist Nick Sakes, and later on guitarist Tim Garrigan, who joined the group initially as a guest musician for the "Medicine Man" 7-inch single. Gray, Fleming, and Garrigan all previously performed in their school band in high school. The group has named bands such as Ultraman, Black Flag,

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

Big Black Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, and John Coltrane influences for their personal sound. With their early singles and 1992 debut LP ''

Dig Out the Switch ''Dig Out the Switch'' is the debut album of Dazzling Killmen, released in 1992 through Intellectual Convulsion. Track listing Personnel ;Dazzling Killmen *Blake Fleming – drums * Darin Gray – bass guitar *Nick Sakes – g ...

'', Dazzling Killmen caught the attention of the Chicago-based noise rock label Skin Graft Records, who proceeded to release the band's next few singles as well as their second and final full-length ''

Face of Collapse ''Face of Collapse'' is the second and final studio album by Dazzling Killmen, released on March 14, 1994 through Skin Graft Records. Since its initial release, the album has been noted by reviewers to of help influence the development of genres ...

''. The group would later break up in the fall of 1995, immediately prior to a planned tour of Japan with Jim O'Rourke. Today, its members are better-known for their later projects - Nick Sakes has been in bands

Colossamite Colossamite was an American math rock band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were one of the most prominent exponents of the genre. Colossamite's members included Nick Sakes (vocals, electric guitar), Ed Rodriguez (electric guitar), John ...

, Sicbay, and xaddax. Darin Gray was in You Fantastic!, Grand Ulena,

Brise-Glace Brise-Glace (French for " ice-breaker", as in the type of boat) was a 1990s instrumental avant-rock " supergroup" composed of Jim O'Rourke (guitar, organ, tape and "razor blade"), Darin Gray (bass guitar), Dylan Posa (guitar), and Thymme Jones (d ...

, and has performed and recorded with Jim O'Rourke and with Glenn Kotche in

On Fillmore On Fillmore is an American music duo consisting of Darin Gray and Glenn Kotche. The duo plays a style of jazz, alternative rock, post-rock, instrumental rock, and indie rock music. On Fillmore was established in Chicago, Illinois in 2000. The duo ...

. Blake Fleming was in Laddio Bolocko, The Mars Volta and Electric Turn to Me. Tim Garrigan, now based in Brooklyn, is in Skryptor and a solo artist.

Legacy

Dazzling Killmen has been cited as an influence by musicians such as Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Jes Steineger of

Coalesce Coalesce may refer to: *Coalesce (band), a metalcore band from Kansas City, Missouri, active from 1994 to 1999, 2005– **Coalesce discography, a list of Coalesce's albums and songs *COALESCE, an SQL function *Null coalescing operator, a binary op ...

, Mike Taylor of Pg. 99, KEN mode,

Knut Knut (Norwegian language, Norwegian and Swedish language, Swedish), Knud (Danish language, Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German language, German, and Dutch language, Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. ...

, and The Nation Blue. The group's music has been stated to of helped influence the development of multiple genres of music, with Brad Cohen writing for Clryvnt stating that the band "helped usher in myriad movements, including math rock, math metal and progcore, all the while defying classification." Robin Jahdi named ''Face of Collapse'' as one of the best post-metal albums ever released, also stating that Dazzling Killmen "were ostensibly

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

" and that they had left behind a "fantastic – if largely unknown – legacy in the form of 'Face of Collapse''" In 2013, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine named Blake Fleming as among the 100 best drummers in alternative music.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' CD/LP (1992, Intellectual Convulsion Records) *''

'' CD/LP (1994, Skin Graft Records)

Singles

*"Numb/Bottom Feeder" 7" (1990, Sawtooth Records) *"Torture/Ghost Limb" 7" (1991, Crime Life Records) *"Mother's Day Split" 7" (1991, Skin Graft/Sluggo Records) *"Medicine Me" / "Poptones" 7" + Comic Set (1993, Skin Graft Records)

Live albums

*''Lounge Ax'' CS (1993, Skin Graft Records)

Compilation albums

*'' Recuerda'' CD (1996, Skin Graft Records)

References

External links

Skin Graft Records Page for the Dazzling Killmen
*

Allmusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Musical groups from St. Louis Math rock groups American post-hardcore musical groups