10 Albums That Created Grunge Music
2. Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments
If grunge’s defining emotion was angst, Melvins dwelled in downright doom. Their later albums, especially those released on major labels due to their association with the biggest acts in alt-rock, have a slightly more polished sound. Their 1987 debut, though, might just be their most important and performative.
The riffs and guitars are slow, heavy, portentous, and rumbling. “Big As A Mountain”, a relatively uptempo track, is built entirely around a grinding riff comprising a handful of notes and some shrieking harmonics. While lasting under a minute, it reverberates through the likes of early Nirvana and Soundgarden.
Perhaps the most obvious descendent, though, is Alice In Chains. Not just in terms of the downtuned riffage - “Heaviness Of The Load” is a thick highlight - but the sense of overwhelming claustrophobia that Melvins generate at will. Buzz Osborne’s vocals are hilariously performative, too. He growls his lyrics as though he’s mocking metal while simultaneously leading it in a new direction.
Melvins would later take their own cues from grunge, and are even occasionally lumped into the scene (though their theatricality sets them apart), but the genre would likely never have existed without this record.