Rock guitar feels like it's going extinct, which is beyond irony in the age of Guitar Hero. But if anyone can save its six-stringed hide, it is The Melvins.
Specifically, the Pacific Northwest legend's newest effort Nude With Boots, which drops like a bunker-buster on Tuesday from Faith No More grad Mike Patton's hardy indie label Ipecac. Those of you who need earplugs might want to insert them...now.
this audio or video is no longer availableFrom front to back, The Melvins deliver another uncompromising dose of ax-grinding noise, a refreshing break from today's point-and-click rock recombinations. It has the feel of something very old, very borrowed but still very new: Check out the thunderous drums, acrobatic riffage and powerhouse vocals of the title track embedded at right for more on that score.
But it's one of many visceral jams on Nude With Boots. "Suicide in Progress" is a bracing burner that breaks down at the end, deteriorating into destablizing noise. The minute-and-a-half laugher "The Stupid Creep" is a reminder what hardcore punk can achieve when it doesn't take itself too seriously. "The Kicking Machine" sounds like Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" forced through a shredder. "Billy Fish" mixes and matches riffs like red and blue pills, all the way down the rabbit hole. The list goes on.
And on: The Melvins have been tearing rock apart since the mid-'80s, and motivating bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Tool and more into action. Kurt Cobain tried out for a spot on bass for them once, but was reportedly too nervous to close the deal. The band remains one of the most praised acts still flying beneath the mainstream radar, which is a good thing.
With the help of sturdy Ipecac, they may just end the first decade of the 21st century as the last unhinged rock lifers left alive.
Photo: Ipecac
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