SilentScream213 It’s not really Drone Metal, it’s more like Sludge Metal and Drone for the most part kept separate. Anyway, aside from adding 10 minute feedback sections to their album, it sounds like what Melvins have been doing for a while now; monotonous, generic Sludge Metal. I will say there are times where the guitars die down and the bass provides some nice undertones, but most of it is quite boring. The 10 minute drone section is also entirely a chore, with nothing interesting going on at any time.

Melvins continue to make abrasive, experimental albums that are simply not for me.

UMUR "Outtakes from 1st 7" 1986" is as the title suggests an EP/single release by US heavy rock/metal act the Melvins, featuring outtakes from the sessions for the band´s first EP release from 1986 (often refered to as either "Six Songs" or just "Melvins"). "Outtakes from 1st 7" 1986" was released through Do the Right Thing in 1989. The 3 tracks from this release are also available on the 2003 compilation album "26 Songs".

Naturally the music style on the 3 track, 9:24 minutes long release is in the same raw, hard rocking, and crushingly heavy rock/metal style with an angry sounding Buzz Osborne in front, as the material featured on the 1986 EP. Recorded at the same sessions, anything else would have been odd. Of course knowing the eclectic nature of Melvins output, it wouldn´t have been as surprising as it would have been with other artists, but in the early days Melvins weren´t quite as diverse as they would be later on in their career.

The quality of the recordings is decent enough, and to those who enjoy the early part of Melvins discography, this release will sit well with them. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Six Songs" or just "Melvins" is the first EP release by US heavy rock/metal act the Melvins. The pre-album EP was released through C/Z Records in 1986. The EP features 6 tracks and a total playing time of 12:44 minutes. The material on the EP has been re-released in various forms over the years. Some versions of Melvins debut full-length studio album "Gluey Porch Treatments (1987)", feature the 6 tracks from the EP as bonus material, and the tracks from the EP also appear on the two compilation albums "10 Songs" from 1991 and "26 Songs" from 2003.

Stylistically the music is raw, hard rocking, and crushingly heavy rock/metal with an angry sounding Buzz Osborne in front. It´s fairly stripped-down guitar, bass, drums, and vocal trio music, with a gritty authentic "garage" sound. Melvins are obviously influenced by both the heavy doom rock/metal of Black Sabbath and the early- to mid eighties US punk/hardcore scene.

The EP is almost over before it began, but it´s still long enough to give a good impression of what early Melvins are about. Raw and organic rhythmic playing, aggression, ultra heavy riffs, and burst of adventurous creativity. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "10 Songs" is a compilation release by US heavy rock/metal act the Melvins. The compilation was released through C/Z Records in 1991. The release consists of the 6 tracks from the 1986 self-titled EP, and some unreleased bonus tracks. So it is basically a re-release of the 1986 self-titled EP with some additional material.

Stylistically it´s raw, heavy, and feedback laden heavy rock/metal with a raw shouting vocalist in front. King Buzzo sounded a lot more raw and aggressive in those days, than his more odd sounding vocals on later releases. Early Melvins is a pretty savage listening experience with an authentic "garage" sound, and crushingly heavy tracks like "Grinding Process" and "At a Crawl" are sure to please most fans of really heavy music. A bit more sophistication in the songwriting department and a bit more variation between tracks could have made the material on "10 Songs" a little more interesting, but if you like them as raw and hard rocking as they come, it´s a recommeded release.

"10 Songs" features a raw and noisy sound production, which suits the material pretty well, so all in all it´s a decent quality release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "26 Songs" is a compilation album release by US heavy rock/metal act the Melvins. The compilation was released through Ipecac Recordings in March 2003. The album features 25 tracks and a full playing time of 70:53 minutes. Tracks 1-10 are culled from the "10 Songs" EP from 1991, which was actually itself a compilation/re-release of the band´s 1986 pre-album 6 track EP. The 6 tracks from the latter mentioned release are tracks number 11-16 on "26 Songs" (the versions of the tracks are different, from the ones which appear on the "10 Songs" EP from 1991). Tracks number 17-19 are outtakes from the 1986 EP sessions. Tracks 20-24 are unreleased tracks and some demo versions of tracks which appear on the 1986 EP. Track number 25 titled "Ever Since My Accident" is taken from the various artists 1991 "Kill Rock Stars" compilation. So all tracks originally appeared on limited edition releases. While some tracks appear in 3 different versions on this compilation, all versions are different enough to be a worthwhile listen.

Stylistically this is unmistakably the sound of early Melvins. Raw, noisy, sludgy heavy rock played with great conviction and skill, and featuring a great organic groove. So it´s the fans of the first two Melvins albums that´ll enjoy this the most. The sound production varies a bit as the tracks are culled from different sessions, but all tracks are listenable and powerful sounding. The demo recordings are for example among some of the best sounding tracks on the compilation.

Upon conclusion "26 Songs" is a nice collection of early recordings by the Melvins, which will appeal primarily to fans of the early part of their career, but also more broadly to fans of raw, organic, and heavy rock/metal with a live "garage" atmosphere. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.