Melvins - Thunderball (Album Review)

Release Date: April 18th 2025. Record Label: Ipecac Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Thunderball - Tracklisting

1.King of Rome 

2.Vomit of Clarity

3.Short Hair With A Wig

4.Victory of the Pyramids 

5.Venus Blood

Members:

Buzz Osborne

Mike Dillard

Void Manes

Ni Maîtres

Review

Thunderball is the new album from the legendary metallers MELVINS and this record features the core 1983 line-up of King Buzzo (Guitar/Vocals) and Mike Dillard on drumming duties. The record features five tracks that showcases some of the most riff-fuelled sound the band have made in quite some time but one that also sees them delve into Electronica experimentation thanks to the great work created by Void Manes and Ni Maîtres.

Opening track King Of Rome is a Punk, Grunge and Sludge Metal monster with MELVINS using their short running time to create a slightly commercial and offbeat sound. The song has a bass heavy atmosphere that allows the Psychedelic and Electronica beats that manifests into a hallucinogenic and psychedelic wonderland. The screeching guitars adds a level of seedy grit and Buzz Osborne’s dominant guitars and impressive vocals adds a Classic Hard Rock sound that only the MELVINS can deliver.

Second track Vomit Of Clarity is an experimental based Drone/Glitch/Psych/Electronic offering which is a stark contrast to the brilliant opening track. This has a sparse environment for Void Manes and Ni Maîtres to fully flesh out with intricate trippy beats. The song lasts over two minutes and can be quite Post-Rock based that reminds me of their fellow Sludge Metallers LOWFLYINGHAWKS at times that other members of The Melvins family have collaborated on multiple occasions.

Third song Short Hair With A Wig marries up the sonic experimentation of the previous track with that classic long drawn out progressive energy that Melvins are highly fond of. The bass heavy guitar allows the Electronica beats to weave a dark tale of mistrust before the song finally transforms into a heavy SLUDGE monster with KIng Buzzo’s pounding guitars and Mike Dillard’s intelligent and effortless drumming that builds up one hell of a racket. The drone elements are subtle and overlap with the familiar riff-centric style with precise determination and allows MELVINS 83 to form and function as one cohesive unit which makes you want to hear when the epic eleven minutes run time is finally over.

Fourth track Victory Of The Pyramids follows the same riff-fuelled pattern of the opening track King Of Rome but with a longer and progressive style of Hard Rock, Psych Rock and Grunge that is perhaps my favourite track on the whole album. The sound seems quite comforting and warm-hearted at first with the subtle and almost radio-friendly Psychedelic instrumental beats but this is THE MELVINS we’re talking about where they experiment yet again before transforming this track into a sinister blend of Noise Rock and Punk Rock. This is the closest track we ever get to the modern day line-up of MELVINS and perhaps the reason why it’s my favourite track. The lyrics are playful with King Buzzo in superb form. The stripped back approach allows the band plenty of opportunity to play different strands of Hard Rock and Metal with a jazz delivery within the quieter moments. The final moments are powered by a nightmarish style of heavy electronics leading the creative charge.

The final track Venus Blood is MELVINS at their most gloomiest and doomiest with a creepy sound merging from the subtle Sludgy guitars. Howling noises only add a sense of the OCCULT into the mix before the Electronic sounds levels everything out for another pulsating style of harsh environments. The song does have a wicked STOP / START and SLOW / FAST approach with the band using everything with nuanced sounds to great effect.

Thunderball is on the short side running under thirty five minutes but it’s what’s contained within that short running time that allows MELVINS to create another classic sounding album to their legendary discography. This is also perhaps their most fun and offbeat record in years. This is another ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender for the band and I’m looking forward to the next creative chapter from this truly ICONIC band.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo.

Tarantula Heart will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ipecac Recordings from April 18th 2024.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Melvins - Tarantula Heart (Album Review)

Release Date: April 19th 2024. Record Label: Ipecac Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Tarantula Heart - Tracklisting

1.Pain Equals Funny

2.Working The Ditch 

3.She's Got Weird Arms

4.Allergic To Food 

5.Smiler

Members

 

King Buzzo on guitar, vocals and electronic noise

Dale Crover on drums/vocals

Steven McDonald on bass/vocals

Special Guest Musicians 

Roy Mayorga on drums/synthesizers

Gary Chester on extra guitar.

Review

Tarantula Heart is the new album from the legendary Melvins who are joined by Roy Mayorga ( Drums/Synths) and Gary Chester (Guitar) for this delightfully creepy ride that can only be created and provided by this iconic band. The album is quite a different sounding album with the band employing a different recording process which King Buzzo explains below:

“The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins’ album,” Buzz Osborne explained upon the album announcement. “I had Dale and Roy come in and play along with Steven and I to some riffs, then I took those sessions and figured out what parts would work and wrote new music to fit. This isn’t a studio approach we’ve ever taken. Usually we have the songs written BEFORE we start recording!”

The album opens with a nineteen minute epic song Pain Equals Funny which starts off with bittersweet melodies that transform into a Psychedelic Rock and slightly Grungy direction from the band. You begin to wonder if the band are starting to mellow out with this almost “POP” baked offering. However, give the track a few moments and the real MELVINS appear with distorted guitars, fractured drum structures and sludgy rhythms that turn into a surreal nightmare of experimental noises which will keep their legion of die-hard fans extremely happy. The vocals and lyrics are brilliantly surreal with a twisted “KOOKINESS” to them. The song is perhaps the standout track on the album with some of the most straightforward and experimental sounds contained on the whole album.

Second track Working The Ditch continues with the surreal and drowned out sounds which includes trippy soundbytes before a cool sounding groove appears with that familiar Melvins sludgy beat becoming quite distinct and progressive with some ferocious drumming to match. The vocals and lyrics are in fine nihilistic form with droned out textures and passages appearing within the music. Layered vocals and synths are another major part of this track and for the whole album with Tarantula Heart fastly becoming another essential release from the Melvins. 

Third track She’s Got Weird Arms is classic Melvins through and through with a short running time of under four minutes with the band offering another sweet natured track full of off-kilter Noise/Grunge surreal hooks and twisted melodies. The song can be quite fractured and broken with Melvins playing jagged sounds with a classy “stop/start” approach which only they can fully deliver.

The final two tracks of Allergic To Food and Smiler offers the Melvins classic twisted sense of humour and even more experimental Sludge Metal grooves with the added bonus of twisted Noise Rock distortion that appears within both tracks with perhaps Allergic To Food being another one of the albums standout tracks both from a musical and creative view.

Tarantula Heart has a sense of urgency with this perhaps being some of the fastest and aggressive sounding I’ve heard from the Melvins in quite some time. The album isn’t going to be for everyone but for the band’s dedicated loyal fan-base, they wouldn’t have it any other way. The Melvins never make the same album twice and everything they’ve released sounds different to each other and Tarantula Heart is no exception.

This is a first rate adventure from one of the iconic bands from the Sludge Metal scene and the Melvins have delivered the goods yet again. Awesome. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo.

Tarantula Heart will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ipecac Recordings from April 19th 2024.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

ALAIN JOHANNES RELEASES HUM ON JULY 31 VIA IPECAC RECORDINGS

ALAIN JOHANNES RELEASES HUM ON JULY 31 VIA IPECAC RECORDINGS

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR THE TITLE TRACK

“For over three decades, Alain Johannes has been the unsung guitar hero behind some of the biggest acts in rock, whether he's tearing up his trademark Jazzmaster with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures and Chris Cornell, or lending a trusted ear when producing the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Brody Dalle and Mark Lanegan.” – Guitar World

Alain Johannes, co-creator of the highly influential ‘90s alternative rock band Eleven as well as a key contributor on releases from Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures and Chris Cornell, releases Hum, his third solo album, on July 31 via Ipecac Recordings.

“It’s more about me than probably any album I’ve ever done,” says Johannes about the collection that follows a period of tragic loss, extreme illness and rebirth. “It was something I was striving for and needed to communicate. Coming out of a difficult period, I was liberated. I had lost people who were very close to me. I went through struggles with my own health. There’s a personal energy behind the way it was recorded and the feel of the songs. It’s a document of my life right now.”

Johannes is seen playing the album’s title track in a video released this morning (https://youtu.be/n_9ua-IjRzk). The clip, which showcases Johannes performing the song in the woods near his Los Angeles home, was shot by Frank McDonough and edited by Felo Foncea. 

“You can think of the album title, Hum, a few ways,” adds Johannes. “Of course, there’s a musical hum. There’s an electrical hum. To me, it suggests a sense of mystery. When you stop and listen to silence in nature, the hum is underneath the threshold of hearing. It’s a mysterious and magical sense of something existing, beautiful, and alive. It’s a blanket word for the sound of the ether—something that’s always been there, always will be there, and everything comes from it. It’s the common connection to everything.” Album pre-orders, which include an instant download of “Hum” are available now: https://lnkfi.re/AJHum.

Hum track list:

1. Mermaids’ Scream

2. Hum

3. Hallowed Bones

4. Someone

5. If Morning Comes

6. Free

7. Sealed

8. Here In The Silence

9. Nine

10. Finis

Alain Johannes first came to international prominence with Eleven, a trio that featured Jack Irons (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and with Johannes’ beloved late wife, Natasha Shneider. Eleven released five albums between 1991 and 2003. Johannes and Shneider became sought out contributors, working with Chris Cornell on his celebrated 1999 solo debut, Euphoria Morning—which the couple co-wrote, co-produced, and toured in support of. They also lent their talents to Queens of the Stone Age’s chart-topping 2005 Lullabies To Paralyze and the subsequent two-year touring cycle that followed its release.  Along the way, Alain either wrote, produced, or engineered projects for No Doubt, Mark Lanegan, Jimmy Eat World, Brody Dalle, and Arctic Monkeys, to name a few. Not to mention, he performed in PJ Harvey’s live band as well as Them Crooked Vultures where he shared stages worldwide with Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones. A sought-after composer for film, television, and video games, he has penned music for HBO’s Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) as well as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands and Breakpoint. Plus, Grohl enlisted him as part of the Sound City Players, co-writing and performing various cuts on the soundtrack for Sound City. Following Natasha’s passing, he unveiled his first solo effort, Spark, in 2010 before delivering the follow-up Fragments and Wholes, Vol. 1 three years later. 

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