Buzz Osborne Says Melvins Are Not Afraid To Try Different Music Genres

Melvins’ Buzz Osborne recently spoke to Full Metal Jackie and revealed Melvins are eager to try various genres and musical styles.

Formed in 1983, Melvins is a crucial figure in developing grunge and sludge metal, with Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover as constant members. They influenced various artists from the Seattle grunge scene and others like Tool, Faith No More, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Lamb Of God, and Mastodon.

Although their music style has been described as sludge metal, grunge, experimental rock, doom metal, and alternative metal, Melvins members have also experimented with other music styles throughout their career, including noise rock, jazz-rock, punk, and avant-garde music.

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie, Melvins’ Buzz Osborne touched upon Melvins’ ability to experiment with other genres. The musician said they have a broad-minded approach because they aren’t scared of trying different things. 

Osborne then argued that recording and playing live are different things, and Melvins’ approach to playing live combines different styles. According to the musician, their way of performing onstage crosses into several things like humor, Judas Priest, Throbbing Gristle, Captain Beefheart, and birthday parties.

Speaking to Full Metal Jackie, Buzz Osborne said the following:

We’re not really afraid to do lots of different stuff. I view the recording and playing live as two different things. You approach recording differently, and we kind of approach playing live like heavy metal crossed with a Captain Beefheart Broadway musical. That’s the best way to put it!

I’ve never really been afraid to do lots of different things like that and live; it tends to cross into a lot of things that we like — humor, Throbbing Gristle, Captain Beefheart, Judas Priest, and birthday parties. That’s a good combo.”

So, Buzz Osborne believes that their eagerness to try new things stems from their bravery to experiment with different styles and genres. Moreover, Osborne says Melvins members approach their live shows and recordings differently, and they act freely while performing on stage.