FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.7.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_65-b17)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.65-b04, mixed mode)

FULL OS VERSION :
Linux  3.13.0-29-generic #53~precise1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jun 4 22:06:25 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux


A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
We found the bug with 1.7u65, but it appears also with 1.8u11. 1.7u60 and 1.8u5 don't have the issue. It has been reported by a Groovy user at http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GROOVY-6951 

The error message is there

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.VerifyError: Bad <init> method call from inside of a branch
Exception Details:
  Location:
    MyGroovyFile.<init>(Ljava/lang/String;)V @93: invokespecial
  Reason:
    Error exists in the bytecode

To be able to make calls to the super constructor for object initialization we have a lookupswitch with the actual invokespecial call in the branch. This seems not to be accepted anymore if stack map frames are activated. 

Disabling the split verifier prevents the error

THE PROBLEM WAS REPRODUCIBLE WITH -Xint FLAG: Yes

THE PROBLEM WAS REPRODUCIBLE WITH -server FLAG: Yes

REGRESSION.  Last worked in version 7u60

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
get Grovy 2.3.4 and execute this program 

public class ConstructorCallA {
    public ConstructorCallA() {
        this(19)               // call another constructor
        println "(1) no argument consructor"
    }

    public ConstructorCallA(String a) {
        println "(2) String value a = $a"
    }

    public ConstructorCallA(int a) {
        this("" + (a*a))       // call another constructor
        println "(3) int value a = $a"
    }
}

println "Testing for a class without call()"
def a1 = new ConstructorCallA("foo")
def a2 = new ConstructorCallA(9)
def a3 = new ConstructorCallA()

by putting it in a text file foo.groovy and execute it with "groovy --indy foo.groovy" (forces the selection of a bytecode level for jdk 1.7 and frames usage)

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
expected output:

Testing for a class without call()
(2) String value a = foo
(2) String value a = 81
(3) int value a = 9
(2) String value a = 361
(3) int value a = 19
(1) no argument consructor

actual:

fails with VerifyError
ERROR MESSAGES/STACK TRACES THAT OCCUR :
java.lang.VerifyError: Bad <init> method call from inside of a branch
Exception Details:
  Location:
    ConstructorCallA.<init>(I)V @76: invokespecial
  Reason:
    Error exists in the bytecode
  Bytecode:
    0000000: 04bd 0004 5903 125b 1b1b ba00 6800 00ba
    0000010: 006d 0000 5359 10ff 1202 b800 1e2a 5fab
    0000020: 0000 004c 0000 0003 aad3 b1ff 0000 0021
    0000030: 0000 9b75 0000 0033 0013 462e 0000 003c
    0000040: 5f5a 5903 32ba 002c 0000 5f57 b700 2fa7
    0000050: 0026 5f5a 57b7 0031 a700 1d5f 5a59 0332
    0000060: b800 375f 57b7 003a a700 0dbb 003c 5912
    0000070: 3eb7 003f bf57 2abb 0055 5904 bd00 0459
    0000080: 031b b800 1853 05bd 0057 5903 126f 5359
    0000090: 0412 5b53 b700 5eba 0061 0000 57b1     
  Stackmap Table:
    full_frame(@64,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@82,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@91,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@107,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@117,{Object[#2],Integer},{Object[#76]})

java.lang.VerifyError: Bad <init> method call from inside of a branch
Exception Details:
  Location:
    ConstructorCallA.<init>(I)V @76: invokespecial
  Reason:
    Error exists in the bytecode
  Bytecode:
    0000000: 04bd 0004 5903 125b 1b1b ba00 6800 00ba
    0000010: 006d 0000 5359 10ff 1202 b800 1e2a 5fab
    0000020: 0000 004c 0000 0003 aad3 b1ff 0000 0021
    0000030: 0000 9b75 0000 0033 0013 462e 0000 003c
    0000040: 5f5a 5903 32ba 002c 0000 5f57 b700 2fa7
    0000050: 0026 5f5a 57b7 0031 a700 1d5f 5a59 0332
    0000060: b800 375f 57b7 003a a700 0dbb 003c 5912
    0000070: 3eb7 003f bf57 2abb 0055 5904 bd00 0459
    0000080: 031b b800 1853 05bd 0057 5903 126f 5359
    0000090: 0412 5b53 b700 5eba 0061 0000 57b1     
  Stackmap Table:
    full_frame(@64,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@82,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@91,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@107,{UninitializedThis,Integer},{Object[#76],UninitializedThis})
    full_frame(@117,{Object[#2],Integer},{Object[#76]})

	at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors0(Native Method)
	at java.lang.Class.privateGetDeclaredConstructors(Class.java:2532)
	at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors(Class.java:1901)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedClass$2$1.run(CachedClass.java:69)
	at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedClass$2.initValue(CachedClass.java:66)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedClass$2.initValue(CachedClass.java:64)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.util.LazyReference.getLocked(LazyReference.java:46)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.util.LazyReference.get(LazyReference.java:33)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedClass.getConstructors(CachedClass.java:263)
	at groovy.lang.MetaClassImpl.<init>(MetaClassImpl.java:190)
	at groovy.lang.MetaClassImpl.<init>(MetaClassImpl.java:194)
	at groovy.lang.MetaClassRegistry$MetaClassCreationHandle.createNormalMetaClass(MetaClassRegistry.java:158)
	at groovy.lang.MetaClassRegistry$MetaClassCreationHandle.createWithCustomLookup(MetaClassRegistry.java:148)
	at groovy.lang.MetaClassRegistry$MetaClassCreationHandle.create(MetaClassRegistry.java:131)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.ClassInfo.getMetaClassUnderLock(ClassInfo.java:238)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.ClassInfo.getMetaClass(ClassInfo.java:270)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.metaclass.MetaClassRegistryImpl.getMetaClass(MetaClassRegistryImpl.java:255)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.vmplugin.v7.Selector$InitSelector.getMetaClass(Selector.java:360)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.vmplugin.v7.Selector$MethodSelector.setCallSiteTarget(Selector.java:942)
	at org.codehaus.groovy.vmplugin.v7.IndyInterface.selectMethod(IndyInterface.java:211)
	at test.run(test.groovy:1867)
	at groovy.lang.GroovyShell.runScriptOrMainOrTestOrRunnable(GroovyShell.java:258)
	at groovy.lang.GroovyShell.run(GroovyShell.java:502)
	at groovy.lang.GroovyShell.run(GroovyShell.java:491)
	at groovy.ui.GroovyMain.processOnce(GroovyMain.java:650)
	at groovy.ui.GroovyMain.run(GroovyMain.java:381)
	at groovy.ui.GroovyMain.process(GroovyMain.java:367)
	at groovy.ui.GroovyMain.processArgs(GroovyMain.java:126)
	at groovy.ui.GroovyMain.main(GroovyMain.java:106)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:57)
	at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
	at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:606)
	at com.intellij.rt.execution.application.AppMain.main(AppMain.java:134)

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
In JDK7 the splitverifier can be disabled, but for JDK8 this is not possible anymore. Otherwise the bytecodelevel must be set low enough to not use stack map frames. If invokedynamic is supposed to be used on JDK8, there is no workaround