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Melvins
artist

Melvins

Melvins is a sludge metal artist from United States formed in 1982. 77 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Sludge Metal · United States · Best sludge metal albums

77
Releases
1986–2026
Active years
1982
Formed

Discography

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The Crybaby cover

Most popular

The Crybaby

2000 · 11 tracks

Singles & EPs

35

Live & compilations

1

Videos

4

Collaborators

3

Upcoming shows

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Past shows

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Community

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About

The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne (also known as King Buzzo) and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's ongoing members. The band was named after a supervisor at a Thriftway in Montesano, Washington, where Osborne also worked as a clerk. "Melvin" was despised by other employees, and the band's members felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name. The Melvins' music is influenced by Black Flag's mix of punk and metal on their album My War, and other slow punk acts like Swans, Flipper and Wipers, but also by some hard rock and metal bands such as Kiss and Alice Cooper; however, their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Buzzo has also stated that his guitar playing is more influenced by Black Flag than Black Sabbath, with whom they are often compared.

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They often favor very slow tempos, and their sludgy sound was a strong influence on music, especially Nirvana, Soundgarden, Green River, and many other bands from Seattle. These bands, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound. Melvins have also influenced many bands outside the Seattle grunge scene, including Tool (who are personal friends with the band), Boris (who took their name from the title of a Melvins song), Mastodon, Neurosis, Eyehategod, and Isis.

Melvins in brief

How many Melvins releases are on Riffiter?
77 releases are catalogued, spanning 1986 to 2026.
When was Melvins formed?
Melvins formed in 1982, in United States.
What genre is Melvins?
Melvins is catalogued under Sludge Metal.
What is the most recent Melvins release on Riffiter?
Savage Imperial Death March, released in 2026.

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