Melvins Lite

Like a fine wine, Melvins only get better with age: The sludge sweetens, the riffage gets blacker, and King Buzzo’s hair grows more frightening. And while many of the acts it’s influenced (like Nirvana, Tool, and Mastodon) remain more well-known than the band itself, the revitalized, four-man incarnation of Melvins has maintained a consistent output of low-down, scuzzy metal in the 21st century. Following 2010’s The Bride Screamed Murder (which debuted in Billboard's Top 200 at the No. 200 slot, the band's first album to chart) and this year’s The Bulls And The Bees EP, the incarnation known as “Melvins-Lite”—which features Mr. Bungles’ Trevor Dunn as the sole drummer—is touring behind its brand-new album, Freak Puke. Still, the main attraction remains the distorted trudge anchored by Buzzo and bassist Jared Warren.

Updated 06/27/2012