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.

Pearl Bomb
Melvins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, cranium
Gives me the shakes
That's no surprise
'Cause I can feel both barrels of your eyes
Understand what I'm saying?
Just like a hole, beet red
You like the fire
You take a leg

You feel a nice turbine
It's fine, left dog
See big boy after
Your dirty little T who's sore with sin
My feet
I took a team of you
Your body
I left your bull
You're staid
Grey water like a shiv
Bet I'm right
I'll bet you're mine
Read about the steps of foamy decline
You're both lucky suckers

Yeah, I guess there's more at your home
Big cry like a dead dog bug

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Melvins' song "Pearl Bomb" are quite cryptic and may be difficult to understand at first. The overall tone of the song is aggressive and confrontational. The opening lines, "Oh, cranium gives me the shakes, that's no surprise 'cause I can feel both barrels of your eyes", suggest that the singer is intimidated by the listener's intense gaze. The lines, "You like the fire, you take a leg, you feel a nice turbine", could be interpreted as sexual innuendo or as a reference to someone who enjoys danger and excitement.

The next lines, "It's fine, left dog, see big boy after, your dirty little T who's sore with sin", are somewhat unclear but seem to imply some sort of betrayal or wrongdoing. The following lines, "My feet, I took a team of you, your body, I left your bull, you're staid, grey water like a shiv, bet I'm right, I'll bet you're mine", suggest that the singer has physically fought with the listener and has emerged victorious. The final lines, "Read about the steps of foamy decline, you're both lucky suckers, yeah, I guess there's more at your home, big cry like a dead dog bug", are difficult to interpret but seem to express a certain satisfaction with the singer's violent actions. Overall, the lyrics of "Pearl Bomb" are open to interpretation but seem to convey a sense of aggression and physical dominance.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, cranium
I'm addressing your head

Gives me the shakes
Your head is causing me to tremble

That's no surprise
I'm not shocked by my reaction

'Cause I can feel both barrels of your eyes
I feel the intense gaze of your eyes on me

Understand what I'm saying?
Do you comprehend my words?

Just like a hole, beet red
Your face is flushed like an open wound

You like the fire
You enjoy causing pain and destruction

You take a leg
You cripple your victims

You feel a nice turbine
You experience pleasure from the chaos you create

It's fine, left dog
It's alright, abandoned one

See big boy after
Take care of business later