The Melvins have offered more to the development of alternative rock than most. From influencing a young Kurt Cobain (he even wanted to join the Melvins prior to starting up Nirvana) to providing the impetus for Sunn 0))) (who initially came together to jam out Melvins riffs at the sort of volume that induces ear-bleeds) their warped humour, sludge-blasted riffs and insane approach to vocals can be found lurking in the dark heart of many an alternative rock band despite the fact that they have successfully remained a resolutely underground prospect even after briefly flirting with a major label (who dropped them with remarkable alacrity yet didn’t balk at releasing a ‘best of’ when they realised a quick buck could be made). However it is not the Melvins influence that is remarkable so much as the fact that they are still releasing innovative and exciting releases after all this time which brings us to their latest opus – ‘The bride screamed murder’ which grabs you by the proverbial appendage from the off with a massive-sounding sludge riff that suddenly and inexplicably dissolves into a terrace chant that wouldn’t sound out of place in a football stadium; why? Only the Melvins know and it seems unlikely that they’ll share that knowledge any time soon – not that it matters because it sounds awesome and as is usually the case things only get better from there.
‘Evil new war god’ (track 2) opens with light drumming before a MASSIVE sounding riff slams you into submission; Buzz’s vocals sound even more unhinged than ever, while Dale’s drumming pushes you ever closer to the conclusion that the man has at least one extra arm hidden in there somewhere. It’s an awesome, doom-laden track that simply crushes the opposition under its brutal, sonic boot. ‘Pig house’ has a more organic feel to it – almost as if the band are jamming through the recording as much as they are consciously recording an album. Random percussion gives way to an unusual riff that has a staccato groove to it before the tune proper kicks in and the Melvins slip ever closer towards the evil sonic malevolence of Fantomas with their massed vocals and insane time signatures. ‘I’ll finish you off’ has the best sludge riff since Soundgarden wrote ‘mailman’ – heavy but avant-garde at the same time and topped off with some deliciously incongruous vocals. It possibly won’t finish me off, but the album might as ‘electric flower’ blooms into a crazed, jazzy exploration courtesy of Dale’s increasingly demented drumming and the strangely nursery-rhyme-esque guitars that slither over the rhythm section in a serpentine fashion.
‘Hospital up’ is (gasp) an almost straight-forward track that is as close to the mid-nineties grunge of the Melvins’ followers as the band themselves have ever got, with the Beach Boys-on-acid vocals backed by distorted, yet mellow guitars sounding reminiscent of Soundgarden and Screaming trees jamming on Nirvana tunes (well up until the totally mental vocal exertions that appear about two minutes in, anyway). ‘Inhumanity and death’ has a sweet bass-led groove that flowers into a full on thrashy track with an assorted cast of cartoon characters apparently providing the vocals. Totally bizarre, the brilliantly unrecognisable cover of ‘my generation’ almost comes as sweet relief. Final track ‘pg x 3’ opens with the strains of, yep – you guessed it – a harmonica just to totally remove any remaining threads of sanity you may have been holding on to, before a gorgeous vocal harmony provides an ending that belongs on a folk album and you’re obliged to check, just in case, that you really are listening to the right CD, something that even the final, simple, distorted guitar solo can’t quite convince you of.
You probably know already whether you like the Melvins or not. If you do then you already want (or perhaps even own this album) If you don’t, then this will not change your stance on them. However if you are one of the unlucky few who have yet to hear this band then get down to your local record emporium and demand a copy from the friendly shop-keep who resides within, as it offers a glimpse into the twisted minds of four men who are living legends and whose contribution to modern music cannot be underestimated. Melvins albums are always an exciting experience because you truly can’t tell what to expect (much like their live shows) but here they have a winner that can sit high in their already proud back catalogue. Long may they continue to warp the fragile little minds of rockers the world over.
