Painkiller was formed in 1991 and featured saxophonist John Zorn, bassist Bill Laswell and Napalm Death drummer and Scorn founder Mick Harris on drums. The band began performing a mix of avantgarde jazz and grindcore, though later incorporated ambient and dub elements.
Mick Harris left the group in 1995 to devote himself to his electronic projects, the band has then occasionally performed with Hamid Drake or Ruins' Yoshida Tatsuya on drums. Still Mick Harris returned to the band for live sets in 2008 and should be considered a true and active member of the band.
Last lineup: John Zorn – saxophone (1991–1995, 2003, 2004–2006, 2008) Bill Laswell – bass guitar (1991–1995, 2003, 2004–2006, 2008) Mick Harris – drums (1991–1995, 2008)
Former members: Hamid Drake – drums (2003) Yoshida Tatsuya – drums (2004–2006)
Alto Saxophone [Alto Sax], Vocals – John Zorn Bass – Bill Laswell Created By – Laswell, Zorn, Harris, PainKiller Design [Designed By] – Tomoyo T.L., Anthony Lee Drums, Vocals – Mick Harris Engineer [Brookly Assistant Engineer] – Imad Mansour Mastered By – Howie Weinberg Photography By [Photo Typesetting] – Lisa Wells Recorded By, Mixed By – Oz Fritz
Альбом Buried Secrets (1992) является самой яркой работой проекта. Последующие релизы группы были не такими выразительными, без участия Mick Harris, с другими барабанщиками.
По некоторым данным этого года, из соцсети, John Zorn готовит новый альбом проекта и вновь приглашает Mick Harris принять участие.