The Melvins
A Walk With Love & Death
What can be said about a band like the Melvins at this point? With a catalog that’s as strange as it is expansive, plunging into this band’s music can seem like a daunting task. But, the more you do, the more you come to appreciate the Melvins’ greatness. You either get it or you don’t. As Krist Novoselic himself said (I believe), they’re the only band of their era still out there doing it. They’re the real deal.
Each new year brings us new Melvins music and experiments, and this past one was no different. A Walk with Love & Death is on par with the strangeness of past Melvins projects. Divided into two parts, Love and Death contain standard Melvins sludge fare and a score/soundtrack to a short film by Jesse Nieminen. The “proper” Melvins songs collected into the “Death” section are every bit as modern Melvins as you would imagine. There are only nine tracks here, but they bubble and sludge and ooze in the form of what can only be described as the pulsing metal that the band is known for. Imagine a thrash metal song played at half the speed. The sound is remarkable and undeniably Melvins.
The “Love” part is perplexing and every bit what one would expect from the Melvins. These songs are more like sounds, consisting of dialogue, noise, drones, and synthesizers. One wonders what the short film it’s scoring is actually about, and if this is the perfect soundtrack to our Halloween parties in the future.
The package for A Walk With Love and Death is another example of why the Melvins deserve to be collected on vinyl. Housed in a hardcover slipcase, this collection contacts two gatefold albums on colored vinyls and each with its complimentary artwork. It’s simply a cool as shit release that stands out in the modern Melvins catalog and begs to be part of your collection.
Get it from Ipecac.
