Review: Melvins – The Bulls & The Bees EP [9 out of 10]

By Andrew Bansal

After the Magrudergrind, Enslaved, Wormrot and Immolation releases, the Scion A/V label is adding further to their impressive metal catalog with the latest offering, the Melvins EP titled “The Bulls & The Bees”. Just like previous Scion releases, this one is also available for free download, and the 23-minute EP presents five original tracks, the first since the 2010 full-length release “The Bride Screamed Murder”. The Melvins incorporated some weird experimentation into that album, and proved to be a departure from albums like “(A) Senile Animal” and “Nude With Boots”. But this new EP sees the Melvins return to more familiar territory, and will go down well with most fans, if not all.

Sludge, stoner, doom, or whatever else you might want to call it, this set of tunes has a sense of calmness about it, but is raw, noisy and random at the same time. In essence, it’s uniquely Melvins. Having said that, you don’t really need to be a Melvins fan to appreciate this release, and the fact that it’s free to download certainly helps, doesn’t it? “The War On Wisdom” starts out the EP in typical Melvins style, with some sweet guitar work backed by a heavy, sludgy rhythm section. Needless to say, Buzz Osborne’s vocals are as solid as ever, and as usual, his band mates contribute with equally solid backing vocals.

“We Are Doomed” is the next track, and the title says it all. It’s a beautiful change-up from the opening tune, and most definitely will be savored by doom metal fans. Without doubt, it’s my favorite tune, a composition that stands out from the rest of this EP. The band then goes into experimentation mode on “Friends Before Larry” and “A Really Long Wait”, before ending the EP with another amazing doom-laden track “National Hamster”.

 

Overall, “The Bulls & The Bees” is another feather in the Melvins’ cap, another positive step in their prolific musical career, and with a string of tour dates imminent, the band is expected to perform these tunes live, which will further elevate the impact of this EP on fans of heavy music.

Rating: 9/10

Record Label: Scion A/V
Release Date: March 13th 2012

Track Listing:
1.  The War On Wisdom
2.  We Are Doomed
3.  Friends Before Larry
4.  A Really Long Wait
5.  National Hamster

EP Download Link:
http://scionav.com/index#!collection/917/The-Melvins—The-Bulls–The-Bees

Other Links:
http://scionav.com
http://www.facebook.com/scionavmetal
http://twitter.com/scionav
www.themelvins.net
www.facebook.com/melvinsarmy

Comments

comments