Melvins – (A) Senile Animal

There’s loads of Melvins albums to choose from, but I like this album. There’s a couple they did where they got the guys from Big Business in and they had two drummers, and I like that. Knowing Buzz [Osbourne, Melvins frontman] a little bit, I like the fact that those guys just do whatever they want. You never know what you’re going to get from them, it’s always generally good and always interesting, and it always just seemed like they were really big fans of music, which I can relate to. I was playing this one yesterday and I thought I’d pick this one as they really emphasise the drums, bring them to the forefront, more so than some records.

Is the double rhythm section an idea you could see yourself ever exploring with Napalm Death?

I get a little bit frustrated sometimes, it would be nice to do something really left-field with Napalm. We are moving in different directions musically but I’m still really good friends with a lot of the older members, we all talk about different stuff and, I don’t know, it would be really good to do a set of shows or a record where it’s not the norm. I mean, Napalm has moved to some degree, but it hasn’t moved enough for me really! That’s what I love about the Melvins, they constantly challenge people, they challenge their fans, even if their fans just adore everything they do, they constantly challenge what you’d expect. I went to see the Melvins recently with my friend Nic Bullen who actually formed Napalm Death back in the day, and we were talking about how every time you see the Melvins, it’s a completely different set. You never know what you’re going to get. This one was really heavy, really loud, and the time before was more laid-back, and I think that’s almost the point of a band in some ways. You know, you’re aware you’ve got a fanbase, etcetera etcetera, but you’ve also got to do stuff for yourself, and try and find a balance, and I think the Melvins do that really well.