Melvins | |
|---|---|
 Melvins live atHellfest in June 2023. Left to right: Dale Crover, Buzz Osborne and Steven Shane McDonald. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Melvins |
| Origin | Montesano, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Fecal Matter |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
| Website | themelvins |
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Melvins (sometimesThe Melvins) are an Americanrock band formed in 1983[1] inMontesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of bothgrunge andsludge metal.[2] Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with either two drummers or two bassists. Since 1984, vocalist and guitaristBuzz Osborne and drummerDale Crover have been constant members.
The Melvins were formed in early 1983 byBuzz Osborne (guitar, vocals),Matt Lukin (bass), andMike Dillard (drums) who all went to Montesano Jr./Sr. High School in Montesano, Washington.[3] The band was named after a supervisor at aThriftway in Montesano, where Osborne also worked as aclerk; "Melvin" was disliked by other employees, and the band's members felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.[4]
In the beginning, they playedJimi Hendrix andWho covers,[5] and also began playing fasthardcore punk.[6] Dillard left the band in 1984 and was replaced by local drummerDale Crover. The band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents' house inAberdeen, Washington. Soon afterward, they started to play songs slower and "heavier" than nearly anyone else at the time. In 1985,C/Z Records was created to document theWashington music scene. The label releasedDeep Six, featuring four songs by the Melvins. In 1986, the band released their debut, theSix Songs EP, onC/Z Records (later releases expanded and retitled this as8 Songs,10 Songs, and eventually26 Songs in 2003 onIpecac Recordings). The album was recorded live to a two track at the now closed Ironwood Studio inSeattle on February 8, 1986.[7]
In October 1986, they recorded their first full-length album,Gluey Porch Treatments, at Studio D inSausalito, California. The album was released in 1987 onAlchemy Records.Gluey Porch Treatments was later coupled with their second albumOzma for theBoner Records CD release. It was expanded again for the 1999 re-release on Ipecac with some garage demos.
Crover played drums withNirvana (billed as "Ted Ed Fred") when they recorded a ten-song demo on January 23, 1988, in Seattle, which later formed part of their debut LPBleach, and played a live show inTacoma later that day. Osborne would later introduceKurt Cobain andKrist Novoselic toDave Grohl.[8] Later that year Osborne and Crover relocated toSan Francisco, California.[9] Lukin stayed and formed the bandMudhoney.Lori "Lorax" Black (daughter ofShirley Temple) replaced Lukin on bass. The band recordedOzma in May 1989, and released it later that year. The album was produced byMark Deutrom, who later joined the band on bass.
In 1990, the band recordedBullhead, which marked a slower, moredrone music style for the band. The band then toured Europe; their show of January 23, 1991 inAlzey, Germany was released byYour Choice Records asYour Choice Live Series Vol.12. When they returned to the U.S., they recorded theEggnog EP, which was released the same year onBoner Records.
Lorax left the band, and was replaced byJoe Preston. Preston appears on theSalad of a Thousand Delights (1992, Box Dog Video). Melvins then released three "solo" EPs,[10] following the concept and imitating the cover artwork inspired by the fourKiss members' solo albums released in 1978.King Buzzo,Dale Crover, andJoe Preston were all released in 1992 onBoner Records. Later in 1992, they released the full-length album,Lysol, which had to be renamedMelvins becauseLysol was a trademarked name. Preston departed from the band, and Lorax briefly rejoined.
When Nirvana'sNevermind became a massive and unexpected success, Melvins were one of many groups to benefit from Nirvana's support. Melvins were signed byAtlantic Records, and its first major label release, 1993'sHoudini, entered theBillboardHeatseekers chart at 29. Mark Deutrom replaced Lorax on bass shortly after the album's release.
Melvins released its second album for Atlantic in 1994,Stoner Witch. Due to its experimental nature, Melvins took its next album,Prick, toAmphetamine Reptile Records. Record label conflicts prevented the band from releasing any records under the name "Melvins", so the album was released with the band namewritten in mirror. The band returned to Atlantic one last time for 1996'sStag, which entered the Heatseekers chart at number 33. Melvins were dropped byAtlantic Records in 1997 after three albums.
The band signed with Amphetamine Reptile Records and released their next full-length album,Honky, in 1997. They recorded an August 1997 concert in Richmond,Melbourne, Australia asAlive at the Fucker Club in 1998. The same year, Melvins opened forTool. (A picture on the Tool website depicts the Melvins along with the words "Melvins say...Tool Sux!" spelled out inlunch meat.[11] The photo was taken while on tour with Tool in 2002 in Australia.) In 1998, Melvins played the second stage atOzzfest.
1999 saw the beginning of a partnership withMike Patton'sIpecac Recordings, which began remastering and reissuing much of the band's back catalog. The band also released three full-length albums dubbed (and later packaged together as)The Trilogy:The Maggot,The Bootlicker, andThe Crybaby. The latter featured a number of guest vocalists and musicians.Kevin Rutmanis, formerly ofThe Cows, was bassist during this era.
In 2001, the band returned to their experimental tendencies forColossus of Destiny, a live set of synthesizer and sampler experiments presented as two tracks (one clocking in at 59:23 and the other at five seconds). The album was described approvingly by one critic as "more likeavant-gardeelectro-acoustic than anything else."[12]
In 2002,Ipecac Recordings releasedHostile Ambient Takeover, a record that was not in fact ambient music at all. This album is the first instance of Melvins working with long time producer and engineerToshi Kasai.
In 2003,Atlantic Records (UK) releasedMelvinmania: The Best of the Atlantic Years 1993–1996, a compilation of recycled tracks from the band's three major label releases. This release was unsanctioned by the band who had no input into the track selection or (occasionally inaccurate) liner notes.
In 2004, Osborne and Crover toured to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and also released an art bookNeither Here Nor There. The book is a collection of art by creators of their cover art as well as friends of the band, and also contained retrospectives on the past twenty years of the Melvins. The book included a CD with selected tracks from their albums.
In 2004, Melvins collaborated with ambient artistLustmord forPigs of the Roman Empire and withDead Kennedys singerJello Biafra forNever Breathe What You Can't See andSieg Howdy! released in 2004 and 2005 respectively.Never Breathe What You Can't See was supported by a mini-tour withJello Biafra andAdam Jones fromTool. A planned European tour was canceled in early October 2004 reportedly due to unknown complications involving Rutmanis. Following the tour cancellation, Melvins finished the year playing a few shows withDavid Scott Stone[13] supporting the work of filmmaker Cameron Jamie in Europe and the United States.
When asked about Rutmanis and the canceled portion of the tour. Osborne and Crover stated that Rutmanis had "disappeared". Fans feared that Rutmanis had departed like so many bassists before him; however, Rutmanis returned temporarily in early 2005. In June 2005, Rutmanis officially left the band.[14] When Melvins toured with Jello Biafra in October and November 2005,David Scott Stone filled in on bass for both sets. David Scott Stone did not leave the live lineup on good terms, waiting until 9 days before a tour to back out and saying in an interview: "It was unprofessional and a betrayal of a friendship,"[13]
In early 2006, Crover confirmed rumors of both members of the bass-drums duoBig Business joining the Melvins. Commenting on adding another drummer, Crover said this about Big Business drummerCoady Willis: "He's left-handed, so we want to do this 'mirror image' type of thing. We've kind of fused our two drum sets together, and we're going to try and do some crazy thing with it. We're sharing these big toms in between us."[15][16]
The band toured the U.S. in the fall of 2006 in support of their album,(A) Senile Animal.[17] The Melvins also toured briefly the United Kingdom in mid-December 2006. Two new songs entitled "Suicide in Progress" and "Billy Fish" were played during the 2007 tour, and appear on their next albumNude With Boots.
On June 16 and 17, 2008, a lineup of Osborne, original drummer Mike Dillard, and Dale Crover (playing bass) played two shows at theGreat American Music Hall in San Francisco in honor ofJello Biafra's 50th birthday. Both sets were composed of songs from The Mangled Demos, a collection of early material released on theAlternative Tentacles record label in 2005.[18][19]
In July 2008, their new album entitledNude with Boots was released. In December 2008, along with Mike Patton, the Melvins co-curated an edition of theAll Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas festival. They chose half of the lineup and also performed themselves.
The long rumored (since 2003) remix CDChicken Switch was released on September 29, 2009, viaIpecac Recordings. Unlike usual remix CDs where the remixer is given a single track to work with, forChicken Switch each remixer was given a full album to work with and pull from to create their track. Melvins joined with New Orleans' super groupDown andWeedeater for a North American tour in the summer and fall of 2009. Melvins released their follow up toNude with Boots, entitledThe Bride Screamed Murder, on June 1, 2010.[20]
Melvins started 2011 with a series of unique shows. Four of the shows were every Friday atSpaceland in California. January 7 featured the current line-up playingColossus of Destiny,Lysol, andEggnog. Jan 14 featured a Melvins 1983 set followed by the band playingHoudini. Jan 21 featured a two-piece Melvins set followed by the current lineup playingBullhead. Jan 28 featured the band playing a normal set followed byStoner Witch.
In early 2011 the band was on tour first inChristchurch, New Zealand at the time of the February2011 Christchurch earthquake then inTokyo, Japan at the time of the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[21] Melvins supportedSlayer at theAll Tomorrow's Parties 'I'll Be Your Mirror' festival atAlexandra Palace, London in May 2012.[22] Melvins formed a lineup called Melvins Lite (Buzz, Dale, andTrevor Dunn) that toured through parts of 2011. This line-up released an album,Freak Puke, in June 2012 on Ipecac Recordings. The main four-piece lineup remains active as well and released a digital EP,The Bulls & the Bees, in March on Scion a/v.
In 2012, Melvins Lite completed a record-breaking[23] tour, having performed every night for 51 straight days, once in each of the 50 United States and once in theDistrict of Columbia. The tour started on September 5 inAnchorage, Alaska and ended inHonolulu, Hawaii on October 25, 2012.[24][25]
Everybody Loves Sausages, an album ofcover songs performed with special guests, was released by Ipecac on April 30, 2013.[26][27][28]
In 2013, Melvins marked 30 years as a band with an extensive summer tour supported byHonky,Die Kreuzen andNegative Approach. Grunge pioneersMudhoney also joined the band for two shows on the 30th anniversary tour.[29] Rutmanis reconciled with his former bandmates, appearing on the 2013 album,Everybody Loves Sausages and a 2014 7" single.
Melvins were featured on the 2013, Joyful Noise Recordings flexi-series.[30] On August 5, 2013, Melvins announced a new album,Tres Cabrones, featuring the "Melvins 1983" lineup with Osborne and Crover joined by the band's original drummer, Mike Dillard. Crover replaced Dillard in 1984 and plays bass on the album.Tres Cabrones was released on November 5, 2013, on the band's longtime label Ipecac.
Jeff Pinkus had aided the band in 2013 as a touring bassist, filling in for current member Jared Warren who was on paternity leave. Afterward Pinkus joined the Melvins full time to begin a collaboration with fellow Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The collaborative albumHold It In was released in October 2014. The lineup for this album was Osborne and Crover joined byPaul Leary and Jeff Pinkus of theButthole Surfers.[31]
A collaboration withgodheadSilo'sMike Kunka,Three Men and a Baby, was released in April 2016 throughSub Pop. The album, started in 1999 and shelved, was recently finished. Another album,Basses Loaded, was released in June 2016,[32] which features a rotating cast of bass players including regulars Dale Crover, Jared Warren, Jeff Pinkus and Trevor Dunn as well as Steven McDonald (ofRedd Kross), andKrist Novoselic (ofNirvana).[33]
In July 2017, the band released the double albumA Walk with Love & Death. One of the discs,Love, is a 14-song soundtrack to a short film of the same name, by Jesse Nieminen. The other disc,Death, is made up of standard Melvins songs.[34]
The band releasedPinkus Abortion Technician in April 2018.[35] The album features dual bassists, Melvins' regular bass playerSteven McDonald as well asButthole Surfers'Jeff Pinkus. The title of the album resembles the Butthole Surfers albumLocust Abortion Technician, and the album features a cover of the Butthole Surfers tune "Graveyard".
Melvins' 24th studio album,Working with God, was released on February 26, 2021, and once again includes the 1983 lineup of Osborne, Crover and Dillard reunited.[36][37]
On July 21, 2021, it was announced that Melvins' would release a 36-song acoustic double album titledFive Legged Dog later in the year, featuring acoustic versions of songs spanning their career.
Also in 2021, Melvins were featured in the 25th anniversary ofTapeOp with a feature interview.[38]
On August 21, 2022, the Melvins surprise released their 26th studio album, titledBad Mood Rising. The record was not announced beforehand and there were no singles, it just showed up on vinyl. The album arrived on streaming services on 30 September.[39]
In August 2023, it was announced that former second drummerCoady Willis would be returning to the band for their 2023 US Tour, filling in for Crover as he undergoes spinal surgery.
Melvins announced their 27th album, titledTarantula Heart, on February 6, 2024, with a release date of April 19. The lead single "Working the Ditch" was released that same day. The second single "Allergic to Food" was released on March 20.[40]
In November 2024, Melvins announced a co-headlining spring 2025 US tour withNapalm Death, as a successor/sequel to their 2016 Savage Imperial Death March Tour. This will also be their first tour since 2016 to feature both Dale Crover and Coady Willis on drums, as Crover had to sit out their previous tour due to spinal surgery. Support includes Napalm Death bassistShane Embury's side project Dark Sky Burial on all dates, as well as support fromWeedeater, Titan To Tachyons, andHard-Ons on select dates.[41] Both bands also announced a collaboration album also titledSavage Imperial Death March, which was released on February 16, 2025 to coincide with the tour.[42]
On February 17, 2025, Melvins released a single titled "Victory of the Pyramids" from their 28th studio albumThunderball. The album is their third to feature the Melvins 1983 lineup, the previous two beingTres Cabrones (2013) andWorking With God (2021). The album was released on April 18.[43]
The Melvins have been variously described as asludge metal,[44][45][46][47]grunge,[48][49][50][51]experimental rock,[52][53][54]alternative metal,[55][56][57][48][58] andalternative rock[59][60][61] band. Other genres the band has explored includenoise rock,[62]stoner rock,[63]doom metal,[64]dark ambient,noise,jazz-rock,avant-garde music,electroacoustic music, andpunk country.[65] Initially starting out as ahardcore punk act,[66] their sound eventually started to incorporate such influences asFlipper,Black Flag,Gang of Four,[67]David Bowie,Roxy Music,the Fugs,[68]Swans,Public Image Ltd,Meat Puppets,Venom,[69]Miles Davis, andthe Who.[70]
Since the 1990s, the band has occasionally touched on electronic music, as onPrick (1994),Colossus of Destiny (1998),Pigs of the Roman Empire (2004) – the latter a collaboration with dark ambient pioneerLustmord, andThrobbing Jazz Gristle Funk Hits (2023). Though the band are often compared toBlack Sabbath, Buzzo has stated that his guitar playing is more influenced byBlack Flag.[1]
Melvins' sludgy sound was an influence ongrunge music,[71] including bands such asNirvana,Soundgarden,Green River, and many other bands fromSeattle.[citation needed] They have also influenced artists outside the grunge scene, includingTool,[72] Mike Patton ofMr. Bungle andFaith No More,[73]Boris (who took their name from the title of a Melvins song),[74]Pig Destroyer,[75]Helmet,[76]Full of Hell,[77]Corey Taylor ofSlipknot,[78]Sleep,[79][80]Earth,[81]Sunn O))),[82]Lamb of God,[83]Mastodon,[84][85]Neurosis,[86]High on Fire,[87][88]Baroness,[89]Eyehategod[90] andIsis.[91]AllMusic wrote "their ability to combine punk with a strong Black Sabbath influence had a major impact on everything from grunge toalternative metal todoom metal andstoner rock."[71] In 2017,Metal Injection ranked Melvins at number 2 on their list of "10 Heaviest Grunge Bands".[92]
Current
Former
Touring
Studio albums
| Collaboration albums
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You know, Flipper, Black Flag, Gang of Four. Those are the ones that I'd be into, that I'd say were massive influences on us.
That's nothing new, as far as that's concerned. We did an album of all covers, (2013's)Everybody Loves Sausages, basically to clue people in on bands that were a big influence on us, that maybe they hadn't thought of, like Bowie orRoxy Music orthe Fugs.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The misanthropic sludge metal outfit Eyehategod was [...] heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, Black Flag, and the Melvins.
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