Sludgy collection of pure weird

Melvins have been around for a very long time. Releasing their first album back in 1989, they have never ceased to create an eclectic collection of groovy rock, punk and sludge metal with a dash of thrash metal influence. Through their long history, they’ve generated traction as a rock/metal crossover act with their main attraction being 1993s Houdini.

This album name is a result of the contributions of Jeff Pinkus, the bassist for Butthole Surfers. Pinkus Abortion Technician is no doubt a play on words from the Butthole Surfers album, Locust Abortion Technician. This is also the first Melvins album to feature two bassists, as Steven McDonald fills the other bass role. Melvins also plans to take this two-bassist system on the road as well. In addition, the first song on the album “Stop Moving to Florida” is an aptly named medley of James Gang’s “Stop” and Butthole Surfer’s song “Moving to Florida.” 

Pinkus Abortion Technician tends to veer in the direction of rock while incorporating those trademark grunge and sludgy styles that made Melvins popular. Melvins do not sit still well on Pinkus Abortion Technician, which is a testament to how refined their ability to genre-flip has become. Though the distortion remains constant, the style is often unique for each song on this new LP.

The album gets underway with “Stop Moving to Florida,” which starts off as a traditional rock song. The track moves and grooves until about two minutes in, when the song takes an odd turn. Weird voice-overs, pauses and dispersed instrumentation plague the back half of the track, making the album somewhat lose its momentum. The nonsensical second part of a song is a slight turn-off and it doesn’t exactly pull the listener in for more.

Thankfully, “Stop Moving to Florida” is followed by the far more digestible album single “Embrace the Rub,” which sounds like a Rancid song in its punk nature. The single is a nice treat on the album, bringing a quick pace to the forefront and showing the diversity of Melvins. The sludgy sound, however, makes a return on “Don’t Forget to Breathe,” a haunting slow burn track. This is where Melvins are at home, and it shows through the entire creepy performance.

One of the most enjoyable songs on the short eight-track LP is “Flamboyant Duck,” which carries notes of Nirvana’s “Polly” at the beginning, with a grunge-influenced acoustic guitar intro. The song then takes on a slow rock feel and even incorporates some banjo in the last half. Another notable point on the album is a cover of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles. The cover itself is very stylized for Melvins, but the full track does not really translate well enough. The cover mostly falls flat because it sounds rather disorganized and out of place.

In total, Pinkus Abortion Technician is another extremely out there effort by Melvins. However, even at eight songs, the album becomes tiresome to listen to. There are not many catchy points on the album that encourage the listener to press on, and much of the work sounds disjointed. Melvins fans may appreciate that the unique style of the band shined through, but the music may not be up to par with the band’s intentions.