Melvins Albums (22)
What The Critics Say
As outlandish as Melvins records tend to be, Chicken Switch surpasses expectations. As if remixing the grunge pioneers' baritone vocals and chunky guitar isn't a bizarre notion to begin with, the chosen contributors weren't taken from the typical pool of electronic DJs (no Justice or Girl Talk here!). These are the guitar-slinging, experimental/noise variety of remixers, with Matmos, Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, the Boredoms' Yamatsuka Eye, Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makota, and noise icon Merzbow doing the cutting and tweaking. Stranger still is the fact that these artists aren't reworking particular songs, but instead are each using a full album's worth of material (or more) to deconstruct and rework into a single track. Usually the material is warped beyond recognition. It's difficult to tell what album spawned Merzbow's song, since it's rendered indecipherable by a wall of trebly distortion and static. Meanwhile, for "Prick Concrète/Revolution M," onetime Melvin David Scott Stone elongates a bassy Buzzo a cappella into three minutes of whale-like throat singing. Lee Ranaldo's "Eggnog Trilogy" is one of the few tracks that actual feels like a real song with an actual backbeat -- although, like the rest of the album and most of the Melvins' back catalog, it's disturbingly choppy and at times frightening. Chicken Switch is a punishing, twisted mess -- and in that aspect, it remains true to the warped Melvins aesthetic, and fans will probably eat it up. Even diehards may find it hard to decipher the source material, but the wealth of creativity on board is highly admirable. ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As indicated by the "Good Times Bad Times"/"Moby Dick"-esque drum-and-guitar power jam that blasts off the opening song, "Kicking Machine," the majority of Nude with Boots showcases the Zeppelin meets Sabbath in a dark alley, classic rock side of the Melvins. Rather than toying with excruciating sonic noise like some of their more experimental discs (Pigs of the Roman Empire, Colossus of Destiny), or continuing down their road of deconstructed doomsday drones -- a sound they pioneered, setting the pace for bands like Boris and Sunn 0))) -- they stick to frank, bludgeoning stoner rock. The result is yet another crushing platter in their extensive discography that's meant to be cranked to the max. On the second album to feature founder Buzz Osborne and cofounder Dale Crover alongside Big Business bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis, a newfound energy permeates and drives the band, often resulting in enthusiastic tempos and a sense of velocity. This is a drastic change for a group that built a foundation on trudging doggedly, like sneakers stuck in rubber cement. Along with the newly acquired taste for speed and brevity, even more notable is the interplay between the group members. The newcomers mirror the movements of the veterans, with drummers Crover and Willis hammering heavy beats in synchronicity, while Warren acts as the lil' Buzzo to King Buzzo, intricately layering cloned vocal screams and sneers while strumming basslines in tandem with the guitar riffs. Loudly. Osborne has coined their sound as a hideous cacophony of melody, which is not too far off, but there are some glimpses of tuneful pop sensibilities here as the melodies sneak through more than ever before -- and this is the sound of a band moving forward. As with most endeavors in uncharted territory, some songs miss the mark (an unnecessary ambient keyboard instrumental "Flush," for instance), but the straightforward beasts like "Billy Fish," "The Smiling Cobra," and the majestic title song "Nude with Boots" showcase the Melvins at the top of their game, while the lumbering brutality of "It Tastes Better Than the Truth" and "The Savage Hippy" shows that their warped sensibilities are still intact and that they're far from softening, even after almost 25 years in the game. ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Melvins have long been considered one of hard rock/metal's most powerful/monolithic-sounding bands, despite only consisting of three members. So, imagine what the group would sound like with two drummers. Well, imagine no more. The Melvins' second release of 2006, A Senile Animal, sees longtime members -- guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover -- joined by both members of noise duo Big Business (bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis). Unlike some bands that have two drummers but do not sound that remarkably different than if they had a single one, the "new look" Melvins puts the extra pair of sticks to good use, as evidenced by the drum march breakdown of the album opening "The Talking Horse," the onslaught of "You've Never Been Right," and "Civilized Worm," which ends in an absolute landslide of percussion. Although they started out primarily as a punk band that slowed down the riffs, the Melvins have also always mixed in prog rock-like bits, such as the tricky rhythms of "Blood Witch" and the King Crimson/Tool-ish "The Hawk." The album also contains some of the group's most straightforward compositions in some time, including the metallic/new wave-ish ditty "A History of Drunks." The transfusion of new blood has made one of rock's gnarliest beats even -- gnarlier! ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust'
Release Date 5/16/2006
Tracks 13
Label Ipecac
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Despite quite a few so-called "grunge" albums rocketing to the top of the charts in the early '90s, there were several releases that somehow managed to slip through the cracks. Case in point, the Melvins' 1993 classic Houdini. Despite the album being one of their most succinct from a songwriting/playing point of view -- and not to mention parts being produced by old pal Kurt Cobain -- the fine Houdini never managed to receive the attention it deserved at the time of its release. But subsequently, an "appreciation cult" has appeared to form around the release, resulting in Buzz and Dale deciding to re-air the album in its entirety in 2005. The end result, Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust (which sees Trevor Dunn momentarily occupy the ever-rotating Melvins bass spot) is every bit as deliciously heavy as its original -- maybe even more so in this live setting. As far as heavy, dense riffing goes, few albums scaled the same heights as Houdini, and the live version doesn't disappoint, as evidenced by a cover of Kiss' "Going Blind," as well as "Hooch" and "Set Me Straight," the latter of which is combined together with a fierce punk rocker, "DCH." Despite it not being a "career spanner," the Melvins just may have issued their definitive live album with Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Pigs of the Roman Empire'
Release Date 8/24/2004
Tracks 9
Label Ipecac
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This time out, the Melvins have tapped noise and mood specialist Lustmord, and his presence is felt right from the beginning. Drawing a death's-head card from Lustmord solo efforts like 2000's Purifying Fire, Pigs of the Roman Empire begins with the creepy, crawly "III." Ambient bumps in the night punctuate the severe bottom end as a hissing waver builds with horribly steady precision -- it's like being caught in a bear trap as the machete-wielding maniac trudges closer and closer. The eventual "Bloated Pope" is much more the Melvins', er, speed. Though it's grounded in whip-smart rhythmic clarity and includes a soupy fog breakdown, it's still a choking, stuttering gigantor headed by a classicist King Buzzo vocal ("Insect from the crawling Mother!") and squalid wails of electric guitar. (Tool's Adam Jones is again part of the proceedings for Pigs.) The title track is a straight duet of Melvins' slime and Lustmord spook. It begins as an exercise in the latter's penchant for moody gloom. The fearsome, buttressed trickling space he builds suggests train stations surrendered to neglect, and knights in black satin. But that early passage gradually gives ground to a deliberate, tonal guitar solo, which is then swallowed by more dead starship moaning. This interplay continues throughout the track's latter half -- since it pushes past the twenty-minute mark, there's plenty of time to match the distortion sludge to cavernous spatial howling. Still, as arresting as Lustmord's soundscapes are, Pigs of the Roman Empire could've been louder. While the pounding stoner psychoses of "Pink Bat" and "Safety Third" are strong and great, their energy is sucked mightily into collapsed Lustmordian stars like "Idolatrous Apostate," or the untitled hidden track. The solution is probably to look at Pigs as an exploratory effort along the lines of Sunn 0))), whose own path led from churning metal freakery to haunting middle-earth alchemy. Either that, or the Melvins have given us a batch of field recordings made on the River Styx's wharf. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Hostile Ambient Takeover'
Release Date 4/16/2002
Tracks 8
Label Ipecac Recordings
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Considering their long history of continuous releases and touring, one would think that their 16th (or 17th depending on how you view their catalog) full length album would show a significant decline in quality. But like few other acts before them, they have managed to maintain their bizarre and endearing sound for almost 20 years. Hostile Ambient Takeover continues their expansion into various musical styles, a habit they developed after signing to infamous genre hopper Mike Patton's Ipecac label. They exercise their rockabilly chops on the complicated and harsh "Little Judas Congo", a song that goes to prove how amazing Dale Crover can be on the drums. "The Fool, the Meddling Idiot" is a thick grunge crawl that brings to mind their Houdini-era material. "The Brain Center at Whipples" is one of their epic slow burners that showcases the rich vocals of Buzz Osbourne as the song creeps to a dance pop ending that can't help but take the listener by surprise. They sound more soulful in general here, adding 70's rock touches and allowing actual non-aggressive emotions to come across in their performances. But nothing prepares listeners for "The Anti-Vermin Seed", the 16 minute monster that ends the album with a tense and ugly portrait of a very unhappy Buzz Osbourne. His delicate vocals travel over the ungodly slow bassline and bursts of chugging guitar like some acid-drenched caveman trying to make sense of his surroundings. The song is the only one on the disc to live up to the title and be a hostile yet ambient song that ranks among their headiest experiments. The Melvins have yet to live up to their incredible hot streak in the early 90's, but like Motorhead before them they have managed to find endless variations on a likable sound that is distinctly theirs. Fans will probably love it, but to the uninitiated this might be a little too steeped in their traditional weirdness to appeal to non-adventurous listeners. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
'The Colossus of Destiny'
Release Date 4/3/2001
Tracks 2
Label Ipecac Recordings
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Post-metal, post-industrial, and post-grunge before there was grunge, Melvins are among the most advanced and most challenging of underground artists. The Colossus of Destiny is a two-track escapade of live, noisy experimentation. More like avant-garde electro-acoustic than anything else, this abrasive collage of bleeps and samples is the segment of Melvins' live shows that sends the merely curious out of the room and draw the dedicated close to the stage. ~ Tom Schulte, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Their first release since the intense and ambitious Bootlicker/Maggot/Crybaby trilogy, the Melvins' Electroretard feels like a playful reward after a successful but laborious delivery. With the exception of the introductory "Shit Storm," four minutes of noise that sounds like a Melvins track recorded backwards, this album is comprised entirely of covers and revisions of older Melvins tracks. As the album's title suggests, the new versions have been completely re-recorded with a powerful emphasis on electronic effects. The revision of "Revolve," for example, which first appeared on Stoner Witch, replaces the chorus' impassioned vocals and driving power chords with a barrage of staccato electronic tones. In addition to electronic tinkering, King Buzzo's vocals are consistently more sedate on the revisions, as his impassioned and enraged primal screams are replaced with an equally emotional but more somber delivery. This difference is perhaps most pronounced in "Gluey Porch Treatments" (a revision, in fact, of "Bitten Into Sympathy" rather than Gluey Porch Treatments' title track). On the remainder of the album, the Melvins put their distinct signature on tunes originally recorded by Pink Floyd, the Wipers, and the Cows (bassist Kevin Rutmanis' alma mater), with tremendous results in every case. The Wiper's anthem "Youth of America" is particularly driving and maniacal in the Melvins' hands, while the Cows' "I'm Missing" (simply titled "Missing" on this album) is rendered somewhat haunting by King Buzzo's sedated vocals and the conspicuous absence of guitar feedback that was so prominent in the original. Those who have remained intrigued with the Melvins' tortuous stylistic experiments will find Electroretard rewarding, but those who find them at their best with the crushing onslaught delivered by an album like Stoner Witch may find themselves somewhat dismayed. While the revisions at times disappoint when contrasted with the originals, King Buzzo's vocal stylings on this album add yet another dimension to a band that's constantly refashioning itself. The electronic experimentation, on the other hand, is intrusive and difficult to assimilate at first, but easily becomes an organic part of the songs on subsequent listens. "Youth of America" practically makes this disc a worthwhile investment on its own, for seasoned Melvins fans and new listeners alike. ~ Rich Goldman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Melvins' The Crybaby, the final volume in their Ipecac Recordings trilogy, applies their uncompromisingly dense sound and irreverence to a collection of covers and original material. A motley crew of guest artists, including Tool, Foetus' Jim Thirlwell, the Pain Teens' Bliss Blood, the eclectic New York City rockers Skeleton Key, and Brutal Truth's Kevin Sharpe, assist them -- and the results are predictably unpredictable. Helmet's Henry Bogner and Hank Williams III team up with the group on drastic reworkings of two country classics, Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" and Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee." The Jesus Lizard's David Yow joins the Melvins on a cover of the Lizard's "Blockbuster" and "Dry Drunk," which also features the surf-jazz band Godzik Pink. "G.I. Joe" showcases the vocal talents of Ipecac founder Mike Patton, and in one of The Crybaby's most inspired turns, '70s teen-dream Leif Garrett sings on the band's surprisingly faithful rendition of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." One of their most creative albums, The Crybaby reaffirms the Melvins' ability to venture outside of their trademark style while still remaining quintessentially Melvins. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bootlicker, the second installment of the Melvins' 1999 trilogy of albums, displays the lighter, more melodic side of the group's sound. Unlike its predecessor, The Maggot, there are clean and distorted guitar tones and a relatively laid-back feel, as on the song "Let It All Be." While not quite as eclectic as Stag, Bootlicker reaffirms the sonic twists and turns the Melvins have at their disposal. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
