Grand Guignol cover

Grand Guignol

Naked City · 1992

61 min · 41 tracks · jazz

A chaotic fusion of avant-garde jazz, extreme metal, and sonic experimentation that challenges conventional listening experiences.

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Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Grand Guignol — The album's title track serves as a sprawling centerpiece, showcasing the band's ability to blend improvisation with composed sections, creating a narrative arc throughout its lengthy duration.
  • →
    Thrash Jazz Assassin — This track exemplifies Naked City's frenetic style, merging swift tempos with intricate rhythms that paint a vivid picture of chaotic urban life.
  • →
    Blood Is Thin — In under a minute, this piece encapsulates the album's dark humor and intensity, serving as a striking interlude amid longer tracks while illustrating the band's unique sound.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
76 /100
Alpine
Higher than 98% of albums we've rated

This album's innovative genre fusion and complex compositions create a challenging yet rewarding listening experience.

What we noticed

  • The album features abrupt shifts in tempo and dynamics, with tracks often transitioning from chaotic bursts of sound to moments of silence or minimalism.
  • Incorporation of extreme metal elements is evident through aggressive guitar riffs and intense drumming, juxtaposed with jazz improvisation.
Composition 25% of the score
8/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
9/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
7/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
9/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
6/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Grand Guignol 17:54
  • 2 La cathédrale engloutie 6:26
  • 3 Three Preludes, op. 74: I. Douloureux, déchirant 1:21
  • 4 Three Preludes, op. 74: II. Très lent, contemplatif 1:43
  • 5 Three Preludes, op. 74: III. Allegro drammatico 0:50
  • 6 Prophetiae Sybillarum 1:52
  • 7 The Cage 2:03
  • 8 Louange à l’éternité de Jésus 7:23
  • 9 Blood Is Thin 1:03
  • 10 Thrash Jazz Assassin 0:48
  • 11 Dead Spot 0:35
  • 12 Bonehead 0:56
  • 13 Piledriver 0:37
  • 14 Shangkuan Ling‐Feng 1:18
  • 15 Numbskull 0:31
  • 16 Perfume of a Critic’s Burning Flesh 0:28
  • 17 Jazz Snob: Eat Shit 0:27
  • 18 The Prestidigitator 0:47
  • 19 No Reason to Believe 0:27
  • 20 Hellraiser 0:42
  • 21 Torture Garden 0:39
  • 22 Slan 0:26
  • 23 The Ways of Pain 0:36
  • 24 The Noose 0:12
  • 25 Sack of Shit 0:48
  • 26 Blunt Instrument 0:56
  • 27 Osaka Bondage 1:16
  • 28 Shallow Grave 0:44
  • 29 Kaoru 0:54
  • 30 Dead Dread 0:49
  • 31 Billy Liar 0:15
  • 32 Victims of Torture 0:26
  • 33 Speedfreaks 0:52
  • 34 New Jersey Scum Swamp 0:43
  • 35 S+M Sniper 0:16
  • 36 Pigfucker 0:26
  • 37 Cairo Chop Shop 0:24
  • 38 Facelifter 0:57
  • 39 Whiplash 0:23
  • 40 The Blade 0:43
  • 41 Gob of Spit 0:21

What to play next

Leng Tch'e
Listen next

Leng Tch'e

1992
Torture Garden
Go back to

Torture Garden

1990
Full Naked City discography Artists like Naked City
jazz

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata