REVIEW: The Melvins 'Freak Puke'

How do we feel about a little grunge today, boys and girls? Pretty good, right? Lucky that we here at PURPLE SNEAKERS were lucky enough to get our grubby mits on THE MELVINS' new album, Freak Puke. 

Yes, this month is 'listening to old dudes who still rule' month, in line with our post about that garage bastard, J. Mascis new project, Heavy Blanket. And in the case of this album, it really is some fresh freaky puke (in a good way) coming from the mouths of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn; oh and the bile that comes out looks a bit like sludge.

Two minutes of weird noises, violins, frightening atmospheric shit that transports you into a horror flick and we get into the thick of track one, 'Mr. Rip Off.'  Osborne snarls over the top of yawning, distorted guitars. 'Inner Ear Rupture' continues with the sinister undertones of two minutes of pure violin, flowing easily into 'Baby, Won't You Weird Me Out.' Metal harmonies are the best kind of harmonies and they're showcased throughout this album.

'Worm Farm Waltz' includes growling vocals as well as chanting harmonies, talking about fire and forgiveness in the best kind of metal way.  The songs throughout Freak Puke grind, propelled by chugging riffs and meandering basslines. It's their slow tempo that heavily influenced seminal grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden.Sludge sludge sludge. Sludge that is too heavy for the human ear, however, may cause earthquakes- they were in town in 2011 for the Christchurch earthquakes, and in Tokyo at the time of the Tokuku earthquake and tsunami. Bad omens.

The album chugs long, leaving fans with no doubt that the rest of the tracks, including one 10-minute metal masterpiece, will flow right into one another: a cacophony of grimy sound. Here's a highlight:

But I mean really, who doesn't love listening to sludge metal in the afternoon?

Words by Hannah Story.