This spring, two long-running, influential heavy-music institutions will head out on tour together. After joining forces for their 2016 Savage Imperial Death March tour, Melvins and Napalm Death are crossing North America together once again. The two bands have also gotten together to release a new collaborative six-song LP called Savage Imperial Death March, but it's vinyl-only, and it's already sold out.
The Melvins and Napalm Death recently released their vinyl-only Savage Imperial Death March, which has both bands playing on every song. Maybe they'll sell more copies at their tour dates, or maybe it'll eventually turn up on streaming. But that's not the only new Melvins record that's coming out this year. The band, which switches up lineups all the time, recently announced Thunderball, a new album from their Melvins 1983 incarnation.
Buzz Osbourne started the Melvins in 1983 with his friends Matt Lukin and Mike Dillard; longtime drummer Dale Crover didn't join up until 1984. Every once in a while, Mike Dillard rejoins the band, and they release a record under the Melvins 1983 banner. This spring, they'll release the five-song, 34-minute LP Thunderball. Osbourne says, "Thunderball is the third Melvins 1983 record we’ve made together, and I wanted it to be bombastic. I think we achieved that. 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."
Melvins have shared the single "Victory Of The Pyramids," a multi-part crusher that lasts nearly 10 minutes. Below, check out that song, the tracklists for both new Melvins records, and the band's upcoming tour dates. This time around, the Melvins' touring lineup is Buzz Osbourne, Dale Crover, Redd Kross' Steven McDonald, and Big Business' Coady Willis.
Savage Imperial Death March:
01 "Tossing Coins Into The Fountain of Fuck"
02 "Some Kind Of Antichrist"
03 "Nine Days Of Rain"
04 "Rip The God"
05 "Stealing Horses"
06 "Death Hour"
Thunderball:
01 "King Of Rome"
02 "Vomit Of Clarity"
03 "Short Hair With A Wig"
04 "Victory Of The Pyramids"
05 "Venus Blood"
TOUR DATES:
3/01 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Nile Theater ^
3/02 - Fresno, CA @ Strummer’s ^
3/03 - Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post ^
3/04 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium ^
3/05 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew Rock ^
3/07 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s ^
4/04 - San Diego, CA @ Music Box *#
4/05 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory *#
4/07 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *#
4/08 - San Jose, CA @ The Ritz *#
4/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco *#
4/12 - Las Vegas, NV @ Swan Dive *#
4/13 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *#
4/14 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre *#
4/15 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace *#
4/17 - Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall *#
4/18 - Austin, TX @ Emo’s *#
4/19 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall – Downstairs *#
4/20 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live *#
4/21 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues New Orleans *#
4/23 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *#
4/24 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room *#
4/25 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham *#
4/26 - Savannah, GA @ District Live *#
4/27 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Heaven Stage *#
4/28 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn *#
4/29 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club *#
5/01 - Charlotte, NC @ The Underground – Charlotte *#
5/02 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *#
5/03 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation 27 *#
5/04 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage *#
5/05 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *#
5/06 - Allentown, PA @ Archer Music Hall *#
5/07 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw*#
5/08 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *#
5/10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s *#
5/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron *#
5/12 - Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall *#
5/13 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection *#
5/15 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s *#
5/16 - Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom *#
5/17 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville *#
5/18 - St. Louis, MO @ Red Flag *#
5/19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro *#
5/20 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave II *#
5/22 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *$
5/23 - Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s *$
5/24 - Kansas City, MO @ Madrid Theatre *$
5/25 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room *$
5/27 - Denver, CO @ Summit *$
5/29 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *$
5/31 - Bozeman, MT @ The ELM *$
6/01 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory *$
6/02 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *$
6/03 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall *$
6/04 - Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre *$
6/06 - Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse *$
6/07 - Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone Berkeley *$
^ with CNTS & Desslok
* with Napalm Death & Shane Embury's Dark Sky Burial
# with Weedeater
% with Titans To Tachyons
$ with the Hards-Ons (featuring Poison Idea's Jerry A)
Thunderball is out 4/18 on Ipecac.
