Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying the considerable influence the Melvins have had on modern rock. The Melvins’ influence stems from their decision to play music at a crawling pace at a time when their peers were still playing at breakneck speeds; this move that was heavily inspired by Black Flag’s ‘My War’. This change in style went on to influence many of the bands that later became a part of the extremely successful Seattle music scene in the early 1990s. Kim Thayil of Soundgarden summed it up in an interview with Guitar World: “I was blown away- the Melvins went from being the fastest band in town to the slowest band in town. It was a pretty amazing and courageous move. Everyone was trying to be punk rock…and the Melvins decided to be the heaviest band in the world.”

“Lysol” (sometimes referred to as a self titled album due to copyright issues) was released in 1992. In addition to the ‘sludge’ and ‘grunge’ styles of previous albums, “Lysol” adds drone to the mix. “Hung Bunny”, the album’s opening track, is the most prominent example of this; the track is made up of waves of down-tuned guitars that build up until they’re eventually joined by a driving drum beat that leads into “Roman Dog Bird”. “Sacrifice” opens with a crushing bassline before blasts of guitar and King Buzzo’s frenzied vocals are added to the mix making this an instant highlight. The albums peaks with “The Ballad of Dwight Fry”, an Alice Cooper cover that is by far the most listener friendly track on the album. This track is uncharacteristicall y laid back for the Melvins, but they definitely make it work.

“Lysol” undoubtedly ranks amongst the best of the Melvins’ catalogue and is another example of how influential they truly are, as this album’s down tuned drone introduction and format appear to have influenced bands like Boris. Outside of the intro, which may throw some off, I think this is some of their most accessible work and is a great starting point for anyone who is new to the Melvins. Enjoy!

by Kyle