Melvins

About Melvins

The Melvins have been making people uncomfortable since 1983, which is exactly the point. Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover started the band in Aberdeen, Washington, the same logging town that produced Nirvana a few years later. Kurt Cobain actually roadied for them before anyone cared about grunge. But while their peers chased mainstream success in the early 90s, the Melvins went in the opposite direction, getting slower, heavier, and weirder.

Their early stuff like "Gluey Porch Treatments" laid groundwork for what sludge metal would become. But 1991's "Bullhead" is where they really found their sound: glacially paced riffs, hostile song structures, and Buzz's voice somewhere between a bark and a sneer. Nothing about it was designed to make you feel good. "Lizzy" moves like tar. The whole album feels like it's collapsing in on itself.

Atlantic Records signed them in 1993, which remains one of the more baffling major label decisions of that era. They released three albums on Atlantic, including "Houdini" and "Stoner Witch," which are about as accessible as the Melvins get. "Honey Bucket" even got some MTV play. But accessibility is relative. These were still abrasive, confrontational records that actively rejected radio-friendly conventions. Atlantic eventually let them go, probably with some relief on both sides.

What's kept the Melvins interesting for four decades is their refusal to repeat themselves. They've released over 30 studio albums, and you never quite know what you're getting. Sometimes it's punishing sludge, sometimes it's noisy punk, sometimes it's genuinely experimental. They added a second drummer for a while. They've collaborated with Lustmord. They recorded an album with two different bass players. "A Senile Animal" from 2006 with their double-drum setup is legitimately great, proof they still had ideas two decades in.

Buzz Osborne is the constant. He's been the primary songwriter and guitarist through every lineup change, and his guitar tone is one of the most distinctive in heavy music: thick, distorted, utterly crushing. Dale Crover has been there almost as long, and he's one of the best drummers in rock, period. His work on "Houdini" influenced an entire generation of metal drummers.

The band never broke up, never had a reunion tour, never apologized for anything. They just kept going. Steven McDonald from Redd Kross has been on bass since 2015, and they're still releasing albums at a pace that would exhaust bands half their age. 2021's "Working with God" came out with zero fanfare and zero compromise.

They've influenced everyone from Tool to Mastodon to Boris, but they've never gotten the recognition their peers received. Which is probably fine with them. The Melvins don't seem interested in legacy. They're interested in the next deliberately difficult thing they can make.

Melvins shows are a proper endurance test. People stand still and stare, which sounds boring but feels oppressive in the best way. The riffs move like continental drift. Expect someone to complain about the volume. Expect to feel it in your ribs for three days.

Known for Honey Bucket, Boris, Hag Me, Lizzy, A History of Bad Men

See Melvins Live