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.

The Mechanical Bride
Melvins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We are undone
And all I could see
They listen to the world
They live upon the earth

Mother made man
And you're so crazy
And they would say we're sane

Kneel beside the blood

We are undone
Somewhere no one
As soon as it was born
Did love of where he stood

No lamb will live
And underrate this
We're staring at the sun
As many as I love

No water and a lie
Covered it over
No power in the house
And with it, they do harm

I can believe
That you're so crazy

And welcome to the end
You wish you were alone

Overall Meaning

The Mechanical Bride by Melvins is a song that is open to interpretation. The lyrics are somewhat cryptic and elusive, leaving room for a wide range of meanings. At first glance, the song seems to be about the state of humanity and its relationship with nature. The opening line, "We are undone," suggests that we have somehow failed in our attempts to coexist with the world around us. The lyrics that follow paint a picture of a society that has lost its connection to the earth and is now living in a state of disconnectedness.

The lyric "Mother made man" could be interpreted as a reference to creation or evolution, and the subsequent line "And you're so crazy" might be a commentary on human behavior. The line "No lamb will live" could be read as a reference to sacrifice or death, and "We're staring at the sun" suggests either a desire to understand or a kind of madness. The final line, "You wish you were alone," might be interpreted as a yearning for a simpler life or a more authentic connection with the world around us.

Overall, The Mechanical Bride is a song that is open to interpretation, but it is clear that it speaks to the state of humanity and our relationship to the natural world.

Line by Line Meaning

We are undone
We are at a loss

And all I could see
But all I see

They listen to the world
They heed the world

They live upon the earth
On earth, they exist

Mother made man
Humanity was born of woman

And you're so crazy
And it appears that you're insane

And they would say we're sane
Though others may think we're sensible

Kneel beside the blood
Take a knee next to the spilled blood

We are undone
We are at a loss

Somewhere no one
In a place known to none

As soon as it was born
At the moment of its birth