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.
Sterilized
Melvins Lyrics
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Play try us alone
To the place in sideways
Gone
Ape fry distending
Black maker every sign
Each very condescending
Makes me all vine
Hiding finding more
Please take inside you
Black stain on floor
He raises hammer downward
Takes aim let's it sign
The prophet sounding proverb
We sterilize
The lyrics to Melvins's song Sterilized are incredibly mysterious and open to interpretation. The song seems to revolve around the concept of sterilization, with the singer referencing people and objects being sterilized multiple times throughout the song. The opening line, "Remain will to follow," could potentially be interpreted as a plea for people to continue following the sterilization process, while "Gone/Ape fry distending" could be a reference to the effects of sterilization on both living creatures and inanimate objects.
The middle section of the song contains some of the most enigmatic lyrics, with the singer referencing a "black maker every sign" and "each very condescending." It's unclear who or what these lines are referring to, but they could potentially be interpreted as a commentary on the sterilization process and how it can sometimes feel oppressive and stifling. The following lines, "Take my that's in you/Hiding finding more/Please take inside you/Black stain on floor," could be interpreted as a warning against the dangers of sterilization, with the singer suggesting that something valuable is being lost in the process.
The final section of the song is where things really start to get ominous. The line "He raises hammer downward/Takes aim let's it sign" seems to suggest that someone is about to deliver a final blow or act of violence, possibly in the name of sterilization or some other cause. The closing line, "The prophet sounding proverb/We sterilize," could be interpreted as a warning that this violent act is justified or necessary in order to maintain some sort of prophesied ideal.
Line by Line Meaning
Remain will to follow
Continue to blindly conform to societal expectations
Play try us alone
Attempt to overcome obstacles through solo efforts
To the place in sideways
Travel through unconventional means
Gone
Lost or without direction
Ape fry distending
Primitive instincts causing a bloated sense of self-importance
Black maker every sign
Pessimistic viewpoint perceiving negativity in all facets of life
Each very condescending
Treating others with disdain and superiority
Makes me all vine
Causing feelings of entanglement and suffocation
Take my that's in you
Steal the essence of one's identity
Hiding finding more
Discovering deeper layers of fear and insecurity when attempting to bury them
Please take inside you
Absorb and internalize negative emotions
Black stain on floor
Evidence of immoral activities
He raises hammer downward
Using violence to exert power and control
Takes aim let's it sign
Targeting a specific individual or group for destruction
The prophet sounding proverb
Spewing false prophesies as a means of manipulation
We sterilize
Attempting to eradicate any form of opposition or differing opinions
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DALE CROVER, MARK DEUTROM, ROGER OSBORNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind