r/melvins

A lot of metal/sludge bands try to look as heavy as they sound.

Melvins often do the exact opposite.

Some of their covers look goofy, artsy, surreal, ugly on purpose, or like forgotten alternative rock albums from the 90s… and then you press play and get hit by riffs that sound like a bulldozer falling down the stairs.

That contrast is part of what makes them special to me.

They never needed the stereotypical “evil metal” aesthetic to sound crushing.

It’s like they understood that true heaviness doesn’t need to dress heavy.

Honestly, I think that anti-metal aesthetic is one of the reasons Melvins aged so well compared to a lot of bands from the same era.

What Melvins cover best represents that contrast for you?

Apparently the label did not condone this design due to the copyright infringement. Incredible live band, just saw them on tour with Napalm Death and I was completely blown away. Buzz is a rare human being, I recommend seeing them live if you have not already.

With Ten turning 35 this year, I've been thinking a lot about this conversation I recorded with Jeff Ament for my podcast — specifically this clip where he unpacks his relationship with the word "grunge" in real time.

A few things in here that I didn't expect:

• He's pretty clear that "grunge" always felt like a Sub Pop/Mudhoney/Melvins term to him — not Pearl Jam's. He was in Green River with Mark Arm, so he felt connected to it, but he and Stone always wanted to push further out the moment a sound started to define them.
• He knew Chris Novoselic five years before Nevermind existed. The way he frames the scene isn't nostalgia — it's more like a neighborhood he grew up in.
• The part that actually stopped me: he talks about the people who are gone now — Kurt, Layne, Mark Lanegan — and how the resentment of being grouped together has flipped into something closer to wanting to champion them. Hard not to feel that.
• He calls it "the last real scene" and then immediately asks if I'd seen Meet Me in the Bathroom — which says something about how he's still measuring it.

Short clip, about two and a half minutes. Felt like the right moment to share it given the anniversary.

I think this record's pretty cool but I like the faster punk songs a little more than the slower stuff. Cool to hear the first couple releases though. What do all of you think of this album?

I have two prints from two of the livestreams that Melvins did during the lockdown era, and I would like to give them to you. They both measure 16” x 20”, and they are both FREE! Strong preference to find one person who will take both!

I am located in Portland, OR, USA.

The situation is that I have recently moved into a pretty cramped apartment, and I’m letting go of belongings that I can do without. I’d like to find a local fan, coordinate a meeting spot (in public), hand these to you, and voila! You have some swanky new art for your walls. Again, FREE, including the frames.

Made Buzz into a Mii.

Went to go leave and saw it resting up against the house!

I do fanmade "remaster" of some of my favorite albums that need a little boost. Its a fun way to practice mixing/mastering skills.

Here is a bass boosted version of KARP's Self Titled LP