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.
The Horn Bearer
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smiling sky under
Under black leading
Leading God halfway
Halfway God under
Under sea soldier
Soldier lie losing
Losing law hiding
Finding strong cleaning
The lyrics of Melvins' song The Horn Bearer are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. However, one thing is clear: the song seems to be about a person who is searching for something or someone they have lost. The mention of a "Leading God" and a "smiling sky" could be interpreted as spiritual or divine forces that are guiding the person on their journey. The "halfway God under" and "under sea soldier" lines could suggest that this journey takes the person to some unusual or unexpected places, perhaps even underwater.
The lyrics also mention "losing law hiding" which could be interpreted as the person running away from something or someone they fear, such as the law or a person seeking to harm them. However, in this search for what they've lost, the person eventually finds strength and a sense of renewal, as suggested by the final line "finding strong cleaning". The song overall seems to be a philosophical look at the journey of life, with all its twists and turns, and the search for meaning and purpose that ultimately leads to a sense of self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Leading God hired
God who leads and controls everything hired someone for a specific task
Smiling sky under
The sky looked happy and calm, situated below something else
Under black leading
Being led by something dark and ominous
Leading God halfway
God who leads everything only helped until a certain point
Halfway God under
After only being helped halfway, the situation became negatively overwhelming
Under sea soldier
A soldier hiding or fighting underwater
Soldier lie losing
A soldier who has lied and is experiencing a loss because of it
Losing law hiding
Breaking the law and trying to hide from the consequences of those actions
Hiding me finding
Attempting to hide oneself only to ultimately reveal their location to others
Finding strong cleaning
Discovering a way to become stronger and purify oneself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Buzz Osborne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind