The Melvins are an American rock band that formed sometime in the early 1980s. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne (occasionally known as King Buzzo) and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members. They have made contributions to creating grunge music and sludge metal. The band was named after a supervisor at a Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne also worked as a clerk. "Melvin" was despised by other employees, and the band's members felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.
Originally formed as a hardcore punk band, Melvins' music is influenced by Black Flag's mix of punk and metal on their album My War, and other slow punk acts like Swans and Flipper; however, their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Osborne has also stated that his guitar playing is more influenced by Black Flag than Black Sabbath, whom they are often compared to. They often favor very slow tempos, and their sludgy sound was a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound. Melvins have also influenced many bands, including Tool, who are personal friends with the band; Crowbar, Mastodon and Eyehategod, who participated in a Melvins tribute album, and Boris, who took their name from the title of a Melvins song.
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