Melvins – Thunderball
Release Date: 18th April 2025
Label: Ipecac
Bandcamp
Genre: Sludge Metal
FFO: Big Business, Boris, Helmet.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
Almost a year ago to the day we were graced with a new Melvins album, and here we are again. But are we, though? Kinda sorta. This is Melvins 1983, which is one of several versions that always have Buzzo, most have Dale, and then a cast of other characters that include the boys of the mighty Big Business, Steve McDonald, JD Pinkus, and more. Melvins 1983 features Buzz on guitar/vox, Dale on bass, and Mike Dillard on drums. Just a bit of a history lesson for those who don’t know, but do care: Dillard was the original drummer and replaced by Dale in 1984. Bass duties were initially handled by Matt Lukin (also of Mudhoney), but his time in the group ended on a not so great note so hence Dale taking over. This is the third Melvins 1983 album, and also appearing are noise artists Void Manes and Ni Maîtres. Of this collaboration, Buzz states “I’ve been wanting to do something with Void Manes and Ni Maîtres for a long time. Both of them are exceptional talents and were a joy to work with. Their out-of-the-box use of electronics pushed Thunderball beyond my expectations.” It’s always nice to hear that an artist is pleased as punch about their collabs, and it adds to the excitement surrounding a new release. So how does this all stack up? Let’s check it out.
Five tracks is all Thunderball offers, but it packs a lot of punch. This little gem opens with a real banger, King of Rome; punky, short and sweet, it grabs you by the throat and won’t ease its grip. There is a tone that is reminiscent of another killer track from days gone by, Revolve. Vomit of Clarity is a noise interlude that wasn’t quite expected, but welcome. Short Hair with a Wig features a slow, plodding rhythm typical for the Melvins with the magic of Buzz’s solo work. At times the guitar line sounds like it could have been played by a violin. From there we go to Victory of the Pyramids. This track boasts a strong and driving intro which dips into a Melvins influenced 50s rock song a la Chuck Berry, transitioning into bass and drum with vocals and some periodic slow burn guitar riffs. This is all undergirded by circuit bent electronic noise. The outro is Venus Blood, which is another molasses track with some Kiss influenced flourishes. It feels like these are riffs Buzz has been sitting on since the Boner Records era of the band. Since Buzz is known to write a multitude of songs and hoard them, much like Prince with his vault, this may be the case.
Overall, Thunderball is aces from a musical standpoint. Having said that, it is a bit of a mixed bag of an album for me. The high points are the more upbeat tempos as well as the inclusion of the noise elements. There are some portions in which the pace and meticulous nature of some tracks didn’t always jive with me, and this really was dependent on what type of mood I was in at the time of the listen. Some days you want to hear a slow burn type of jam, other times maybe not so much. No matter, though-it is still a fantastic addition to the expansive catalogue of work put out into the universe by a band that has lasted decades and continues to do what they do well and on their terms.
(4 / 5)
