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.
Blood Witch
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe it's alive
'Cause it's loaded
Worse on their own
Bottom of the world
But they mean it
We have learned to think
'Cause it might be
The nose and the knees
How will we breathe?
And they like it
The lyrics of the song Blood Witch by Melvins are cryptic and open to interpretation. The lines "Right in the blood, maybe it's alive, 'cause it's loaded" suggest the presence of something potentially dangerous or toxic that is present in the bloodstream of the subject. This could be interpreted metaphorically, as a representation of a toxic relationship or a damaging addiction that the person cannot escape from. The following lines "Worse on their own, bottom of the world but they mean it, nothing will be worse, we have learned to think 'cause it might be" suggest that the subject is aware of their situation but cannot escape it because they have learned to accept it.
The lyrics then take a more physical turn with "the nose and the knees, how will we breathe? and they like it." This could be interpreted as a reference to drug use, where the nose is a common place to snort drugs and the knees are often weakened by drug use. The line "they like it" could refer to the siren call of addiction that the subject cannot ignore. Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone who is trapped in a dangerous situation that they cannot escape from, whether it be a toxic relationship or a damaging addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Right in the blood
Directly in the center of our being
Maybe it's alive
There's a chance that it possesses life
'Cause it's loaded
Because it's imbued with some sort of power
Worse on their own
They fare poorly in isolation
Bottom of the world
At the very edge of society
But they mean it
Despite their circumstances, they are genuine in their beliefs and intentions
Nothing will be worse
There is no conceivable scenario that could be more dire
We have learned to think
We've acquired the ability to be rational and logical
'Cause it might be
Because there's a potential for something to happen
The nose and the knees
Two seemingly disparate body parts
How will we breathe?
In what ways can we sustain ourselves
And they like it
They derive pleasure from an unusual or unconventional situation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind