Search - Artist/Band: Melvins

• Band Name: Melvins
• Formed: 1985
• Originated From: Aberdeen, WA
• Decades Active: 1980,1990,2000
• Genre: Rock
• Styles: Alternative Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Grunge, Heavy Metal
• Moods: Unsettling, Angst-Ridden, Bleak, Brooding, Confrontational, Harsh, Hostile, Intense, Malevolent, Menacing, Thuggish, Uncompromising, Aggressive, Nihilistic, Visceral, Druggy

Title	Release
Chicken Switch W	09/29/2009
Nude with Boots WA	07/08/2008
A Senile Animal WA	10/10/2006
Mangled Demos from 1983 WA	05/31/2005
Pigs of the Roman Empire WA	08/24/2004
Melvinmania: The Best of the Atlantic Years 1993-1996 WA	09/16/2003
26 Songs WA	03/11/2003
Hostile Ambient Takeover WA	04/16/2002
Electroretard WA	02/06/2001
The Crybaby WA	02/08/2000
The Bootlicker WA	08/24/1999
The Maggot WA	05/18/1999
Singles 1-12 WA	08/26/1997
Honky WA	05/05/1997
Stag WA	07/15/1996
Stoner Witch WA	10/1994
Prick WA	08/05/1994
Houdini WA	09/21/1993
Bullhead WA	1991
Melvins WA	1991
Ozma WA	1989
Gluey Porch Treatments WA	1987
10 Songs WA	1986

The Melvins were the first post-punk band to revel in the slow, sludgy sounds of Black Sabbath. Their music is oppressively slow and heavy, only without any of the silly mystical lyrics or the indulgent guitar solos -- it's just one massive, oozing pile of dark slime. The Melvins' first record was released in 1987; they've released several albums since then, but it wasn't until 1993 that they went to a major label, thanks to their protégé, Kurt Cobain. While the Melvins can be dull and repetitious, their place in rock history is interesting, even if it is just a minor footnote. The band formed in Aberdeen, WA, the same town that produced Nirvana's Cobain and Krist Novoselic. For Nirvana and many other Seattle-area bands, the Melvins' sludge was inspirational; the younger bands took the Sabbath-styled heaviness of the Melvins, while adding an equally important pop song structure, which the group tended to lack. While all of their disciples became famous after Nirvana broke big in 1991 (including Mudhoney, who featured former Melvin bassist Matt Lukin), the Melvins only expanded their cult slightly. They did earn a major-label contract with Atlantic, but after releasing three records for the label, they were dropped in late 1996 and the group returned to indie status, landing with Amphetamine Reptile for 1998's Alive at the F*cker Club. The late '90s/early 21st century saw a flurry of releases by the band: The Maggot, The Bootlicker, The Crybaby, Electroretard, The Colossus of Destiny, Hostile Ambient Takeover, Pigs of the Roman Empire, Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust and Senile Animal, all of which (except for the fourth one) were issued on Mike Patton's Ipecac label. In addition to their Melvin activities, singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne joined Patton (and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn) for the experimental outfit Fantômas, resulting in a pair of releases (1999's self-titled debut and 2001's The Director's Cut), while the Melvins' latest bassist, Kevin Rutmanis, joined Patton in another side project, Tomahawk. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, All Music Guide