MELVINS
A Senile Animal
Ipecac
· Stoners rejoice! The Melvins have another album, and this time they brought friends!
For their second release this year, prolific sludge pioneers the Melvins have decided to add a bit of twist to their sound. On A Senile Animal, guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover are joined by both members of noisy bass/drum duo Big Business.
I’ll admit the idea of two drummers made me a bit nervous, since the result can often be not much different from one drummer or as sloppy as a bunch of frying pans being thrown down a fire escape. Thankfully, the two percussionists know how to complement each other, creating polyrhythms and torrents of percussive chaos at all the right moments. It helps that the songs are both strong and diverse, ranging from druggy, plodding monsters like "The Hawk" to straightforward punk ravers like "A History of Drunks." Also, Big Business bassist Jared Warren has one of the sludgiest, gnarliest bass tones I’ve ever heard, and it’s great to hear him battle with Osborne’s guitar for sonic supremacy.
The Melvins have always been reliable, but if A Senile Animal is anything to go by, let’s hope they work with the Big Business boys again soon.
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