The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, U… Read Full Bio ↴The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, United States in 1983. The band currently consists of Buzz Osborne (vocals, guitar), Steven Shane McDonald (bass), and Dale Crover (drums). Osborne is the only remaining original member, although Crover has been a member since early in the band's career.

In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge, and doom metal. The Melvins' music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag's My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka "King Buzzo") and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. The Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.

The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.

Though the group has received mostly positive critical notice, Crover's drumming has been especially praised; Patrick Kennedy describes his work as "astonishing, powerful, and daring."

While never finding and most likely never even seeking great mainstream success, the Melvins maintain an impressive schedule of new albums and tours, including a collaboration with Fantômas in The Fantômas Melvins Big Band, two releases with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and in 2004 the Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire. In appreciation of their devoted fans, the Melvins have released various collectables through the years that have included two-headed dolls, an eight-track tape, and a plastic fetus in a jar.

Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs. Cobain maintained his relation with the band. Later he produced and played on some songs (guitar on "Sky Pup", percussion on "Spread Eagle Beagle") on the band's major label debut, Houdini. Dale Crover is also attributed as playing on the Nirvana debut album, Bleach, and on "Incesticide". In addition, Dave Grohl (ex-drummer for Nirvana) co-wrote and played drums for Isabella on Buzzo's Melvins solo album, King Buzzo.

As It Was
Melvins Lyrics

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Twist your holy opposition
Twist the twisted box of people like this
I guess you're better thinking of
You knew that, easy as it was
Come on in
Oh, give me something special, something I need
She makes a try, a simple lay-o
Gathered through the power set so

So I do hear your words
Peel the skin away from my eyes
And look in
She's all the things that you put away
But you are inside
They slip in
I can hardly mix in
Without it all, your little

Make the monkey crawl, my love
So you will let me know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Melvins's song As It Was talks about twisting the opposition that is supposed to be holy or sacred. The song shows the singer's frustration in trying to understand the people around him, who seem to have a twisted mentality. The lyrics suggest that the singer is searching for something special, something that he needs, but he can't seem to find it. The woman he mentions in the song is someone he desires, but she is complicated and hard to understand.

The lyrics are suggestive of a struggle that the singer is going through, with the world around him and with his inner self. The theme of the lyrics revolves around the fact that people are not what they seem, and they have hidden intentions and motivations.

Overall, the song is a description of a confusing and chaotic world, where things are not as they seem. The twisted box of people mentioned in the lyrics represents the complicated and intricate nature of human relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Twist your holy opposition
Challenge your deeply-rooted beliefs

Twist the twisted box of people like this
Challenge conventional thinking and encourage nonconformity

I guess you're better thinking of
Consider alternative perspectives

You knew that, easy as it was
Acknowledgment that changing ways of thought can be simple

Come on in
Invitation to new ideas

Oh, give me something special, something I need
Desire for new, thought-provoking ideas

She makes a try, a simple lay-o
A person attempting something new with an uncomplicated approach

Gathered through the power set so
Using one's knowledge and skill to excel

So I do hear your words
Acknowledging another person's viewpoint

Peel the skin away from my eyes
Encouragement to look past surface-level understanding

And look in
Further inspection of the subject at hand