Guts of a Virgin is the first album by American band Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Mick Harris. It contains twelve tracks and was released in 1991 on Toy's Factory in Japan and Earache Records in England.
Harris later recalled the album was recorded during a three-hour session in New York City, and all the songs were entirely improvised and composed in the studio. This recording session also led to Harris's departure from Napalm Death, as working with Zorn and Laswell made him realize he wanted to explore different genres of music.https://thequietus.com/interviews/mick-harris-interview-scorn-napalm-death/
Artwork The first shipment of the album's cover art, which features a woman with her insides exposed, was censored, seized, and destroyed in the UK for violating the Obscene Publications Act.Potts, K. Sacred Dub: the music and projects of Bill Laswell website accessed July 16, 2008.
Critical reception The Quietus called the album "intense but still something you could call 'rock.'" 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."
Track listing
Personnel 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