The Melvins ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’ Review

The Melvins ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’ Review: The masters of heavy get heavier by doubling down on their bottom end.

[rating=3.5]

In 2016, The Melvins released Basses Loaded, an album featuring every bassist that has graced their lineup over the years, giving each their chance to shine.

Their latest album, Pinkus Abortion Technician, takes a new approach: using two bassists on each song.

Frontman and guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka King Buzzo) says in the band’s press release that “We’ve never had two bass players. We’ve had two drummers and two guitar players so it makes total sense to now have two bass players.”

And it’s this extra bottom end approach that make one of the heaviest bands in the world even heavier, and works to weird and wonderful effect.

The fourstring twosome in question are frequent collaborators Redd Kross’s Steve Macdonald and Butthole Surfers’ Jeff Pinkus (the album title is a play on words of that band’s classic album Locust Abortion Technician).

So what happens when you combine McDonald’s power pop background and Pinkus’s experimental roots with Osborne and drummer Dale Crover’s seismic sonics?A unique mix that takes the Melvin’s sound into new territory, including several unorthodox covers.

Take the oddball opener Stop Moving To Florida which melds the James Gang’s Stop with Butthole Surfers’ Moving To Florida, or the thick as molasses riffage of The Beatles’ I Want To Hold Your Hand.

Elsewhere the group conjure classic rock bombast on Break Bread, while Embrace the Rub is an engaging punk throwback.

The best track, however, is an exercise in restraint–Don’t Forget To Breathe is a low-key stunner, alternately hypnotizing and unnerving.

Pinkus Abortion Technician may not qualify as one of the band’s most seminal releases, but it’s definitely a good time-a groove laden, ground shaking affair that diehards will nod along to happily.

Tour dates:

April 26  San Diego, CA  Casbah

April 27  Tucson, AZ  The Rock

April 29  Dallas, TX  Tree’s

April 30  Austin, TX  Mohawk

May 1  Houston, TX  White Oak Music Hall

May 3  Baton Rouge, LA  Spanish Moon

May 4  Birmingham, AL  Zydeco

May 5  Atlanta, GA  Masquerade

May 6  Charlotte, NC  Visulite Theater

May 7  Carrboro, NC  Cat’s Cradle

May 9  Baltimore, MD  Ottobar

May 10  Philadelphia, PA  Underground Arts

May 11  Brooklyn, NY  Warsaw

May 12  Hamden, CT  Space Ballroom

May 13  Boston, MA  Paradise Rock Club

May 14  Montreal, QC  Corona Theatre

May 16  Toronto, ON  Velvet Underground

May 18  Cleveland, OH  Grog Shop

May 19  Pittsburgh, PA  Rex Theater

May 20  Louisville, KY  Headliner’s Music Hall

May 22  Nashville, TN  3rd & Lindsley

May 23  Memphis, TN  Hi-Tone

May 24  St. Louis, MO  The Ready Room

May 25  Kansas City, MO  Record Bar

May 26  Tulsa, OK  Cain’s Ballroom

May 27  Norman, OK  Opolis

May 29  Santa Fe, NM  Meow Wolf

May 30  Flagstaff, AZ  The Green Room

May 31  Phoenix, AZ  Crescent Ballroom

July 12  Santa Ana, CA  The Observatory

July 13  Los Angeles, CA  Troubadour

July 14  Fresno, CA  Strummer’s

July 16  San Francisco, CA  Great American Music Hall

July 17  Sacramento, CA  Holy Diver

July 19  Seattle, WA  Neumo’s

July 20  Portland, OR  Wonder Ballroom

July 21  Vancouver, BC  Venue Nightclub

July 24  Edmonton, AB  Union Hall

July 25  Calgary, AB  Marquee Room

July 27  Winnipeg, MB  Pyramid Cabaret

July 28  Fargo, ND  The Aquarium (Dempsey’s Upstairs)

July 29  Minneapolis, MN  First Avenue

July 30  Madison, WI  High Noon Saloon

July 31  Chicago, IL  Park West

August 2  Grand Rapids, MI  The Pyramid Scheme

August 3  Detroit, MI  El Club

August 4  Columbus, OH  A&R Music Bar

August 5  Indianapolis, IN  The Vogue Theatre

August 6  Rock Island, IL  Rock Island Brewing Company

August 7  Des Moines, IA  Wooly’s

August 8  Omaha, NE  The Waiting Room

August 10  Englewood, CO  Gothic Theatre

August 11  Ft. Collins, CO  Aggie Theatre

August 13  Salt Lake City, UT  Urban Lounge

August 14  Las Vegas, NV  The Bunkhouse Saloon

August 16  Los Angeles, CA  The Echo

Ipecac Recordings

20 April 2018

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