Melvins 'Allergic To Food' (Visualizer)

Tarantula Heart is available on a trio of vinyl variants (black, indie exclusive Silver Streak and Ipecac Recordings’ 25th Anniversary Puke Green), featuring a 12-page booklet, as well as on CD and digitally.

“An album so magical, I helped create it without knowing it was happening. It’s definitely the weirdest album I’ve ever been a part of.” - Steven McDonald

The Melvins latest opus, Tarantula Heart , is quite possibly the band’s most unconventional and imaginative work yet, but also some of their catchiest, continuing a legacy celebrated for its eccentric and extraordinary output.

“The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins’ album,” explains Buzz Osborne. “I had Dale and Roy Mayorga come in and play along with Steven and I to some riffs, then I took those sessions and figured out what parts would work and wrote new music to fit. This isn’t a studio approach we’ve ever taken. Usually we have the songs written BEFORE we start recording!”

“The majority of Tarantula Heart has dual drum parts,” adds long-time Melvins drummer Dale Crover. “Roy is an amazing drummer. We would discuss what we would do pattern wise, then we’d just go for it. Improvising riffs and trading off on drum fills.”

Recorded, mixed and co-produced by longtime Melvins’ collaborator Toshi Kasai, the album also features We Are The Asteroid guitar player Gary Chester. Gary and the Melvins’ history goes back to their days on Boner Records, with the guitar player formerly having been a part of the legendary band, Ed Hall.

Tarantula Heart cover, artwork by Mackie Osborne

Tarantula Heart track list:
1. Pain Equals Funny
2. Working the Ditch
3. She’s Got Weird Arms
4. Allergic to Food
5. Smiler

The Melvins are one of modern music’s most influential bands. Having formed in 1983 Montesano, Washington, the group founded by singer/guitar player Buzz Osborne (with stalwart drummer Dale Crover joining the following year), has been credited with merging the worlds of punk rock and heavy music, forming a new subgenre all its own. Over the band’s 40-plus-year history, they’ve released over 30 original albums, numerous live full-lengths and far too many to count singles and rarities. Recent releases include 2021’s 36-track acoustic collection Five Legged Dog, featuring reinterpretations of some of the band’s heaviest songs as well as covers from their favorite artists. In the course of their discography, they've partnered with Jello Biafra, Mudhoney, and Fantômas for individual releases and toured the world many times over. In fact, the band had the misfortune to be in both Christchurch and Tokyo for their 2011 earthquakes. In 2012, the Melvins completed the “51 States in 51 Days” (50 states +DC) tour, which was chronicled in the film “Across The USA in 51 Days.” The current incarnation of the band is Osborne, Crover, and Steven McDonald (Redd Kross). Previous line-ups include a pairing of Osborne and Crover with Big Business band members Jared Warren and Coady Willis, a four-piece featuring the current trio plus Butthole Surfers’ Jeff Pinkus, as well as Melvins Lite, which partners Osborne and Crover with Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn. Sometimes, if you’re extra lucky, one version of the Melvins will open for the Melvins.

[AllofJudea]

I'm just glad the Melvins have calmed down a little after all this time.

[sonsabiscuiteaters]

Awesome, my family will get to hear new Melvins this Easter, whether they like it or not.

[richardgroovy]

The dancing skeletons kept me company while i had a seizure. Groovy noisy good!

[__iconoclast]

Happy to hear them doing some freaky weirder stuff again.

[Thegrungegeek]

This is the most melviniest thing to ever melvin on a melvins song

[BrotherJPSP]

I'm blown away by the number of records the Melvins have put out over the years and continue to release. I found a cool doc on them from around 2016 called The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale. It's worth a watch for sure.

[willrichtor]

First we get 100 tons of sludge with Working the Ditch, now we get this Jello-y, Lardy sounding track of pure chaos?

I have to admit the Crover/ Mcdonald era has become my favourite Melvins rhythm section and overall lineup. Steven is such a character, he's a blast to watch play, and his weirdness is such a stark contrast to Buzzo's weirdness that it makes an awesome mix.

[ImTheSlime]

Sonically my mind is melting and dripping out my nose holes

[ahelleneauthor]

The Melvins always have the best song titles I swear.

[TipeONegatyve]

Most underrated band ever. There I said it.

[sams.]

If I hadn't seen the title of this video, I'd have guessed this was the Circus Devils. I love that Melvins cannot be pigeonholed.

[motorheadbanger]

This is, coincidentally, exactly what I visualize when I hear this song...

[leovlogslife]

I didn't blink when watching this

[michaelehrhart]

EXCELLENT! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! The Melvins KICK!

[AwfulKnoffel]

So fucking stoked to hear new Melvins at all, let alone hear them still killing it. Been a shitty month and this is breaking up the suck nicely.

[MISTERJOHNNYTRUMPET]

2:30 to 2:54This part reminds me of someone gets so angry so they coulden’t take it anymore, so they became enraged and began screaming at people.

[Casey_Jones]

How can they still write riffs this good after so many albums? Amazing stuff!

[devolta]

If you didn't have epilepsy you do now.

[DasIstDerMars]

This is - as Working the Ditch was as well - Melvins at its best. This makes me very happy and I can't wait to listen to Tarantula Heart.

[anthonymartinS.A.]

Just saw em play with Mr bungle in Adelaide..they were on fire...so damned good.managed to hear sound check as well. Love the energy of this song🔥