Melvins – Tarantula Heart
Release Date: 19th April 2024
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Sludge Metal, Stoner, Alternative Metal.
FFO: Big Business, Kyuss, Weedeater, Tad.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
Not many artists who have been around for 40 years can say they have a catalogue of music that is as wild, weird, and wonderful as what Melvins have created. Nor can they say they have done it on their own terms, regardless of how they thought it might be received by others. Love them or hate them, you have to respect Buzz Osborne and company on that ethos alone. During my teen years, grunge came into the spotlight and I vaguely recall hearing of Houdini, but at the time it just didn’t find its way into my world. It wasn’t until I met my husband, Mike, that I finally gave Melvins a whirl. You see, when we first got together he made me several books of burned CDs (remember those?). This was, in my opinion, one of the best courting moves ever. I put on the album (a) Senile Animal and my mind was blown; how could I have passed up on listening to this band during my youth?! I proceeded to journey through their work up until that point and was surprised by a few things. Their sound was so interesting, their works had such a variety which meant I couldn’t get behind everything I was hearing, but yet I could care less. From that point on it has been incredibly satisfying to hear a new release; I just don’t know what to expect and regardless of whether or not I like it, I respect it.
This album features the current line-up of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, and Steven McDonald along with Ministry drummer Roy Mayorga. After everything was tracked, they brought in We Are The Asteroid guitar player Gary Chester and allowed him to add a bit of the ol’ razzle dazzle. According to Osborne, “The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins’ album…I had Dale and Roy Mayorga 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!” Bassist McDonald quipped that Tarantula Heart is “An album so magical, I helped create it without knowing it was happening. It’s definitely the weirdest album I’ve ever been a part of.”
A 19-minute behemoth of a track, Pain Equals Funny, takes listeners on a wild ride. Big, warm riffs kick everything off and shift into a calm, psychedelic experience when the vocals come in, and this dynamic goes back and forth for some time. From there, the track ends up being stripped down drums and transitions into a sinister sound which is slow and rhythm driven. The whole song reminds me of a sort of awful and fantastic journey. I would liken it to the dynamic of the boat ride on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; Gene Wilder wanted to make sure you had the experience of a lifetime, but to remind you that even something magical can be scary as hell.
Where do you go from that type of opening? And especially when there are only 5 tracks overall? Apparently you just continue on a path of all that is dark and strange. Working the Ditch is an ominous sounding beast of a song; it is sludgy even down to how the vocals are tracked. It just feels so hopeless and confusing. From there we are hit with the interesting and melodic riffs of She’s Got Weird Arms; this track features one of my favourite aspects of the Melvins: odd and unique song structure. There are some really fantastic little percussive elements hiding below the surface of this track as well. Allergic to Food showcases the ability of the band to shred and rip shit up; so many enjoyable riffs and the dual drumming is on point. The album finishes out with Smiler, which is also a nice nod to heavy and sludgy dynamics. With this track, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Melvins do what they do best.
This is a unique gem amongst the discography of Melvins. It easily ranks as one of my best loved works of theirs, and I wasn’t expecting that prior to giving it a listen. At this point I should know better than to have any certain expectation for a Melvins album. The only criticism I can bring forth is that I wish the album was longer, but then again, there is something to be said for keeping something short and sweet.
(5 / 5)
