Description
Melvins – Basses Loaded – Compact Disc
If there’s a band that has never worried about doing things the conventional way, it’s Melvins. With Basses Loaded, released in 2016, the group leaned fully into that reputation by building an entire album around an unusual idea: bringing in a rotating lineup of bass players, many of whom had connections to the band’s long, unpredictable history.
The Melvins have always thrived on heavy, sludgy riffs and strange, off-kilter songwriting, and that foundation remains firmly in place here. Guitarist Buzz Osborne drives the record with thick, grinding guitar tones, while drummer Dale Crover locks the songs into rhythms that feel both lumbering and explosive. The twist comes from the shifting bass players, which gives each track a slightly different personality.
Among the contributors are musicians from across the alternative rock landscape, including Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Jeff Pinkus from Butthole Surfers. Each guest adds their own touch to the band’s already massive sound. Some tracks feel loose and chaotic, while others settle into crushing grooves that stretch out and simmer before detonating into noise.
The songs themselves bounce between Melvins’ trademark sludge metal weight and their more experimental side. One moment the band is pounding through distorted riffs that feel like they’re dragging the ground behind them; the next they’re veering into warped punk energy or psychedelic weirdness.
What makes Basses Loaded interesting isn’t just the guest list—it’s the way the album still sounds unmistakably like the Melvins despite the changing lineup. No matter who’s on bass, the core of the band remains intact: heavy, strange, unpredictable, and proudly unconcerned with fitting into anyone else’s expectations.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
The Decay Of Lying
Choco Plumbing
Beer Hippie
I Want To Tell You
Captain Come Down
Hideous Women
Shaving Cream
Planet Destructo
War Pussy
Maybe I’m Amused
Phylis Dillard
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
