Release – Melvins 1983, the raw and unfiltered incarnation of the legendary band featuring Buzz Osborne and original Melvins drummer, Mike Dillard, return with “Thunderball” – their first full-length album in four years, out April 18 via Ipecac Recordings.
“Thunderball is the third Melvins 1983 record we’ve made together, and I wanted it to be bombastic – I think we achieved that,” Osborne said. “I also wanted to do something with electronic artists Void Manes and Ni Maîtres for a long time. Both of them are exceptional talents. Their out-of-the-box use of electronics pushed Thunderball beyond my expectations.”
A preview of the five-song, 34-minute album is out now, with today’s release of “Victory of the Pyramids.” Driven by Dillard’s cadence, the song opens with an almost deceptively poppy feel before spiraling into the crushing, sludgy depths that have long defined the Melvins’ sound. As Dillard said, it’s “a lovely blend of beautiful noise and gut-busting grooves.” The album was recorded by Toshi Kasai at Sound of Sirens Studios.
Album pre-orders are available here. with “Thunderball” available on trio of vinyl variants including an indie exclusive “Smoke Is A Color” variant and an Ipecac webstore-only “Special Mustard Gas.” The collection is also available on CD and all digital formats.
After a short run of California dates in March (“The Spring Break Tour”), the band will embark on a massive nine-week, nationwide co-headlining trek with Napalm Death. The Napalm Death/Melvins outing is the follow-up to the legendary bands’ 2016 joint outing, dubbed the “Savage Imperial Death March” tour. Both “The Spring Break Tour” and the co-headlining shows with Napalm Death will feature Osborne, Dale Crover, Steven McDonald and Coady Willis. Tickets are available now via Ipecac.com/tours.