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.
If I Had an Exorcism
Melvins Lyrics
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Like what you want more metal, heh!
Hangin' from your neck like
Feels too good to be real
Like somebody took a coat-hanger
Munched it and tore it from the sign
The lyrics of Melvins's song "If I Had an Exorcism" appear to be enigmatic and open to interpretation. The tone seems to alternate between aggressive and playful, with its thoughts veering from a sense of humor at times toward the depths of horror at others. In essence, this song expresses an inner struggle to break free from a constrictive, oppressive force or influence, perhaps even a metaphorical demon.
The opening lines "It's not like a you could feel just/ Like what you want more metal, heh!" may suggest that even if one may crave a certain experience, it doesn't always deliver what one expects or imagines. The lyrics then move on to describe various physical sensations, such as the feeling of a weight or a metal object hanging around one's neck. The imagery of a coat-hanger being munched and torn from a sign hints at some kind of violent or destructive process, as if the singer is ripping off something unwanted or oppressive.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout, features the singer proclaiming "I need an exorcism," suggesting that he is looking for a way to expel whatever is plaguing him. We can interpret the song as a kind of call for liberation, an expression of the desire to rid oneself of something that's holding them back. The lyrics' ambiguity allows for each listener to attach their own meanings and interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not like a you could feel just
The feeling is not something easily describable
Like what you want more metal, heh!
The desired level of intensity is high, maybe even surprising
Hangin' from your neck like
The feeling is overwhelming and all-encompassing
Feels too good to be real
It's hard to believe that something this good could happen
Like somebody took a coat-hanger
The feeling is intense and indescribable
Munched it and tore it from the sign
It's like something has been ripped away, leaving a sense of loss or longing
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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