Melvins has always been a weird band, but this new record might be their strangest to date. Mostly because nobody in the band knew what it sounded like, even while it was being recorded.
Melvins will release Tarantula Heart – featuring We Are The Asteroid guitarist Gary Chester and drummer Roy Mayorga (Ministry, ex-Stone Sour, etc.) – on April 19, and is now streaming "Working The Ditch" alongside a Jesse Nieminen-created video.
"The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins' album," said frontman Buzz Osborne. "I had Dale and Roy Mayorga come in and play along with Steven and I to some riffs, then I took those sessions and figured out what parts would work and wrote new music to fit. This isn't a studio approach we've ever taken. Usually we have the songs written BEFORE we start recording!"
"The majority of Tarantula Heart has dual drum parts," adds long-time Melvins drummer Dale Crover. "Roy is an amazing drummer. We would discuss what we would do pattern wise, then we'd just go for it. Improvising riffs and trading off on drum fills."
On everyone finally hearing what he was up to, Osborne added: "When the rest of the band heard these songs I'd created from the sessions, they were blown away. These were fully developed new songs that they'd never heard before that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Presto!"
Tarantula Heart pre-orders are available here. You can also catch Melvins at one of the dates below.
3/3 Auckland, NZ Auckland Town Hall
3/6 Melbourne, AUS Festival Hall
3/7 Adelaide, AUS Hindley Street Music Hall
3/9 Sydney, AUS Hordern Pavilion
3/10 Brisbane, AUS Fortitude Music Hall
3/12 Perth, AUS Metro City
3/17 Osaka, JP Music Club Janus
3/19 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X
3/20 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X
