by James Ballinger
The Melvins have come a long way since the inception of the band in 1983. In that time the band has changed drummers once, added a second drummer in 2006, and cycled through around five different bass players. As of 1984, the core foundation of Buzz and Dale has seen just about all the music industry as a giant can provide, and how doing things independently can have its payoffs. The Melvins are a band of eras. The music has always remained fresh, unique, and ever evolving. They have never been afraid to try something new, and each Melvins record has a distinct feel around it. With the Melvins latest release Freak Puke the band is yet again changing things up, adding Lite to the name and dropping second drummer Coady Willis and bassist Jared Warren for the release. Coady and Jared will still be active members, and have recently released “The Bulls and the Bees” EP for free in March (available athttp://www.scionav.com/collectiohttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2748908737506855961n/917 ).
For the Lite line-up, they have added mad bassist mastermind Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk) after a few California dates as the Melvins Lite last year. Freak Puke will be released on June 5th by Ipecac Recordings, the bands home since 1999. The record is rumored to have more of the lean, yet off-the-wall sounds the Atlantic era releases are known for. To me it sounds more like some of the recent Melvins offerings, and even elements of the Hostile Ambient Takeover record from 2002. Check out the first released track, “Leon Vs. the Revolution,” here (http://www.spin.com/articles/hear-first-taste-melvins-lites-freak-puke-leon-vs-revolution ).
http://www.seattlerockguy.com/2012/05/melvins-lite-to-release-freak-puke-on.html
