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 since been known to perform with Hamid Drake or Ruins' Yoshida Tatsuya on drums.