Recuerda gathers singles, a couple studio tracks, and a live set recorded by
the Jesus Lizard's David William Sims, but it plays much more like a coherent album than a collection of songs.
Dazzling Killmen was not your average hardcore band; three-fourths of the
Killmen were schooled jazz musicians, which means they actually played their instruments rather than shredded them. The shredding was left to the vocals of guitarist Nick Sakes. It's hard to make out what Sakes is screaming about -- his voice sounds more like another instrument in the mix than a singing voice -- but that adds to, rather than detracts from, the thrilling mystery of the music. Nevertheless, song titles such as "My Lacerations," "Torture," and "Code Blue" should give some indication of Sakes' lyrical obsessions. This is aggressive, angry music, sounding like a machine propelling forward. Recuerda is filled with complex rhythms, foreboding chords, and quick tempo changes. Exhilarating stuff. ~ Stanton Swihart