Dazzling Killmen

In the mid-'90s the Dazzling Killmen stood among the Midwest's most aggressive outfits, yet the quartet from St. Louis never matched the stature achieved by their aptly titled second album, Face of Collapse. Issued in February 1994, the record earned Alternative Press's declaration as the "number one heavy record of the decade," an accolade that nevertheless signaled the group's impending dissolution; they split before they could undertake a scheduled tour of Japan.

The band embodied the artistic direction of vocalist and guitarist Nick Sakes, who assembled the original lineup of Darin Gray and Blake Fleming. Following months of refinement, the trio issued its debut single, "Numb" b/w "Bottom Feeder," on Sakes' own Sawtooth imprint. Their follow-up, "Torture" b/w "Ghost Limb," appeared on the Crume Life label and attracted the attention of Mark Fischer and Rob Syers, the punk-oriented proprietors of Skin Graft Comex. The pair promptly established the Skin Graft production company to document the band's work, enabling rapid progress. After placing a third single with the modest local Sluggo label, the Dazzling Killmen tracked their first full-length, Dig out the Switch, for the French noise imprint Intellectual Convulsion.

With the addition of second guitarist Tim Garrigan, the group cultivated a wider audience for its abrasive style. A cassette capturing select live performances circulated exclusively through shows and mail order. Not long after the Dazzling Killmen's demise, Fischer and Syers assembled the singles anthology Recuerdo. Darin Gray and Tim Garrigan next collaborated in the anti-band You Fantastic, while Blake Fleming started Laddio Bolocko. Relocating to Minneapolis, Sakes formed the stylistically kindred Colossamite; as of 2002 he was active with Sicbay.