Melvins(Lite) - Freak Puke

Melvins(Lite) - Freak Puke
Genre: Metal/Alternative
Rating: 5/10

The Melvins were spawned way back 1983. Since then the band have never ceased working hard, putting out albums and constantly touring. In their long career they have been championed by hundreds of more commercially successful bands as a huge influence and some have even claimed they are partly responsible for the creation of "Grunge" and "Sludge". In more recent years after firing yet another bassist the Melvins amalgamated with two man metal powerhouse Big Business taking on Jared Warren on bass and Coady Willis as 2nd drummer. This partnership saw the Melvins release some of their most celebrated works to date, however with Big Business still remaining an active independent project it was only a matter of time before a scheduling clash. Melvins(Lite) then is the combination of King Buzzo, Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn on bass.

The first thing that long term Melvins fans will realise when they listen to Freak Puke is the use of stand up bass in place of electric bass guitar. As a result of this the whole album has more of a soft sound than usually employed with Crover's usual frantic mindmelting drums taking on a much more conservative style. Similarly King Buzzo's guitar work is more ambient and toned down throughout the record to give the bass a helping hand to stand out in the mix. The end result is a very quiet but tightly calculated album with a lot of imagination something that can only really be compared to the bands work on previous experimental album The Bootlicker. Whilst this release definitely shows the band are still capable of fresh ideas you can't help but feel that something is missing somehow. Whilst the guitar work is still solid throughout the album it feels so restrained at points it can become quite frustrating and you're left wondering why they had to trade off big vicious riffs for a quirkier bass sound. It's not all bad though and there are still a handful of listenable tracks like the subdued  "A Growing Disgust" which see's the Melvins on perfect form with slow reverby guitars and interesting drums. Other highlights include "Leon Versus The Revolution" which see's King Buzzo's mean riffs and sneering vocals drowning out the silly standing bass noodlings which mar the record somewhat. Whilst Freak Puke is not the Melvins worst album it is definitely a step back from the quality of their work in recent years.

Overall Freak Puke is a fairly mediocre album from a band capable of better. Whilst there are a handful of nice tracks the majority of the record is dogged by the need to allow the bass to stand out. Definitely a record you should try before you spend your hard earned cash on it.

Download: "A Growing Disgust" "Leon Versus The Revolution"