Dazzling Killmen "Dig Out the Switch" [“Serpentarium” Green Vinyl]

Originally released in 1992, “Dig Out the Switch” captures Dazzling Killmen in their formative state: raw, volatile, and pushing hardcore to the brink of musical combustion. Engineered by Steve Albini (rest in power) and produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy (that’s not a typo), the album is equal parts pensive and panicked.

There’s more space here than on 1994’s genre-defining “Face of Collapse” - longer silences, stranger structures - but the DNA is unmistakable. Darin Gray’s bass anchors the chaos with geometric slabs of melody. Blake Fleming’s drumming rolls and twitches like an oncoming panic attack. And Nick Sakes’ guitar is pure sheets-of-sound clanging - the perfect foil to the vocal cords he pushes past the pain threshold on tracks like “Serpentarium” and “Bottom Feeder.” The rhythm section’s jazz schooling is evident, but thanks to Sakes’ untrained attack, so is the post-punk impulse to destroy what you’ve just built.

Fully remastered and repackaged, this edition of “Dig Out the Switch” brings a landmark album back into focus - restoring the tension, grime, and urgency that influenced a generation of math rock, noise, and experimental hardcore acts to come.

Essential for fans of Craw, Shellac, Blind Idiot God, and the parts of your record collection you don’t show to strangers.