If you’ve explored any of the Melvins vast discography, you’ve likely come across one of their splits or collaborative releases. Not only has Buzz Osbourne and company released album after album with different lineups and concepts, but they’ve brought in friends and tour mates over the years to shake things up even further. One band that Melvins have been on the road with a few times in the last decade or so is Napalm Death, so it makes sense that at some point they’d record material together. Originally released last year on vinyl and CD via Amphetamine Reptile and re-issued this year by Ipecac with two bonus tracks, Savage Imperial Death March brings together Buzz Osbourne and Dale Crover alongside three of Napalm Death’s members. The results are as weird and experimental as anything you can find from the Melvins with some of the added extremity from Napalm Death, adding further to the group’s sonic palette.
An important thing to note is the way this album is presented, as the artwork for both the original and expanded both release call this “The Melvins with Napalm Death”. This means that if you come in expecting that Melvins has suddenly gone grind or the tempos are faster than normal, you may walk away a bit disappointed. Instead, Savage Imperial Death March certainly sounds like Buzz and Dale took the lead and incorporated Napalm Death’s members into their jam sessions, which adds different textures to the group’s sound. Opener “Tossing Coins into the Fountain of Fuck” lurches forward with a noticeably heavy tone, letting the drums and bass thump you right in the chest while the guitars have a more rock ‘n roll energy to them. The first half of the track has a more methodical groove to it, but then it opens into a faster pace that has a bit more of a punk edge to it. Other numbers like “Rip the God” feel a bit closer to classic Melvins, letting big grooves drive things forward, while “Stealing Horses” is the closest to a full fusion between the two. “Stealing Horses” has more of a metallic sheen to it as well as noisier industrial sounds layered over the top, reminding me of both later Napalm Death as well as Shane Embury’s work with Blood From the Soul. Savage Imperial Death Marchwouldn’t be a Melvins release without some weirdness though, and you get that through the lengthy “Some Kind of Antichrist”, “Awful Handwriting”, “Comparison is the Thief of Joy”, and “Death Hour”. Here both sets of musicians let electronic elements take the spotlight, sometimes offering more nightmarish and industrial soundscapes while others come across like keyboard driven noise rock. This is where the album is a bit hit or miss for me, as “Some Kind of Antichrist” is a bit too long and some of the shorter experimental moments like “Awful Handwriting” feel filler-ish in between the heavy grooves and moodier instrumentation.
Buzz Osbourne and Barney Greenway have instantly recognizable vocal styles, so I was interested in hearing what their overlap would be like. Upon pressing play you’re immediately greeted with Barney’s distorted growls, which fit perfectly with the weight and cadence of the instrumentals. You don’t get too much of Buzz on the opener, but by “Some Kind of Antichrist” the dynamic has shifted and there’s a back and forth between the two that really drew me in. Buzz’s booming singing voice pairs nicely with the rougher edge of Barney’s growls, and while he does take over more as the album progresses I enjoyed whenever the harsher ranges came roaring back in. “Nine Days of Rain” reminds me the most of later period Napalm Death but with Buzz behind the mic, and it’s this type of mash-up that I enjoyed the most. As mentioned earlier, it wouldn’t be a Melvins release without some weirdness, and you get plenty of that on the vocal front as well. The second half of “Some Kind of Antichrist” has what sounds like pitch shifted and stretched out spoken word, while “Awful Handwriting” has repeating noises that have more of a surreal feel to them. It’s also worth noting that while Buzz and Barney are the most recognizable, there are contributions from everyone on the vocal front so there’s a bit more variety than you might initially expect.
While not every song fully clicked for me, where this collaboration really hit its stride was when it took the huge, lumbering riffs of Melvins and layered in some of the moodier atmosphere and soundscapes from some of the slower Napalm Death material. Expect a wild ride regardless though, as there’s plenty of the trademark weirdness and left field turns that has defined Melvins discography. Plus, the switch offs between Buzz and Barney really do a lot to make this one sound just a bit different from everything else in their discography to date. Savage Imperial Death March is available from Ipecac Recordings.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg