Guts of a Virgin
| Guts of a Virgin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1991 | |||
| Recorded | April 1991 at Greenpoint, Brooklyn | |||
| Genre | Jazzcore, grindcore, avant-garde metal | |||
| Length | 24:15 | |||
| Label | Toy's Factory Earache[1] | |||
| Producer | John Zorn | |||
| Painkiller chronology | ||||
| ||||
| John Zorn chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 5/10[4] |
Guts of a Virgin is the first album by American band Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Mick Harris.[5][6] It contains twelve tracks and was released in 1991 on Toy's Factory in Japan and Earache Records in England.
Artwork
[edit]The cover art, which features a bald woman with her insides exposed, was censored, seized and destroyed the first shipment in the UK for violating the Obscene Publications Act.[7]
Critical reception
[edit]The Quietus called the album "intense but still something you could call 'rock.'"[8] Trouser Press called it an "exposition of versatile thrash jazz," writing that "each instrument occupies its own sonic terrain, combining in a sprawl of unanticipated death metal."[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scud Attack" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Deadly Obstacle Collage" | 0:21 |
| 3. | "Damage to the Mask" | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Guts of a Virgin" | 1:19 |
| 5. | "Handjob" | 0:10 |
| 6. | "Portent" | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Hostage" | 2:24 |
| 8. | "Lathe of God" | 0:56 |
| 9. | "Dr. Phibes" | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Purgatory of Fiery Vulvas" | 0:26 |
| 11. | "Warhead" | 1:12 |
| 12. | "Devil's Eye" | 4:37 |
Personnel
[edit]- John Zorn – alto saxophone, vocals
- Bill Laswell – bass
- Mick Harris – drums, vocals
Production
- Wes Naprstek – engineering
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Oz Fritz – mixing
- Lisa Wells – photography
- Tanaka Tomoyo, Anthony Lee – design
Publishing
- M.P.O – pressing
- Earache, Theater of Musical Optics, Nation Music – publishing
References
[edit]- ^ Shteamer, Hank (June 22, 2020). "'He Made the World Bigger': Inside John Zorn's Jazz-Metal Multiverse". Rolling Stone.
- ^ AllMusic album entry accessed July 22, 2011
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 877.
- ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 450.
- ^ Jenkins, Todd S. (December 7, 2004). Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313333149 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hoffmann, Frank (November 12, 2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. ISBN 9781135949501 – via Google Books.
- ^ Potts, K. Sacred Dub: the music and projects of Bill Laswell website accessed July 16, 2008.
- ^ "The Quietus | Reviews | Painkiller". The Quietus.
- ^ "Painkiller". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
