The Fantomas Melvins Big Band - Millennium Monsterwork
(Ipecac Recordings)
3.5 Stars (out of 5 stars)
Reviewed: April 10, 2002
By Tom Schulte
Throw any Melvins recording into the fray this year without their prior discography and you see an excellent example of evil post-grunge art-rock. But, the fact that The Melvins largely inspired the entire Seattle grunge scene through such pale imitators as Nirvana goes to show how ahead of the curve they are. Ipecac Recordings got these challenging creators together with the label's other first band, label co-founder Mike Patton's Fantomas. (This group also feature King Buzzo of Melvins on guitar.) Released timed to celebrate Ipecac's third anniversary, Millennium Monsterwork by The Fantomas Melvins Big Band is an out-sized aural assault of noise and post-rock recorded live on New Years Eve 2000 by this rare assembly or angry rock deconstructionists.
Melvins - Hostile Ambient Takeover
(Ipecac Recordings)
4 Stars (out of 5 stars)
Reviewed: April 10, 2002
By Tom Schulte
Meanwhile, Melvins soldier on and the 18th release is Hostile Ambient Takeover. There's nothing ambient here, but there's a lot that's hostile. The sound is great on this recording made at Hook Studios. Interestingly, Hook Studios is known for their impressive array of vintage microphones and successful use of them. It's point to wonder about; did such antique equipment contribute to the success of this recording where not a single nuance of Melvins orchestrated cacophony is lost? Melvins sublime sludge and portentous post-Black Sabbath hard rock fused with a smatter of electronic effects is the foundation for the group's trademark Seattle sound-inspiring vocals on this sampling of distilled hostility from the Pacific Northwest's seminal heroes of the harsh art.