Tarantula Heart
| Tarantula Heart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A robed skeleton holding a heart with rain falling and mathematical equations in the background | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 19, 2024 | |||
| Genre | Doom metal | |||
| Length | 39:46 | |||
| Label | Ipecac | |||
| Producer |
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| The Melvins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tarantula Heart | ||||
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Tarantula Heart is the 27th studio album by the American rock band the Melvins, released on April 19, 2024, via Ipecac Recordings. The first session took place in May 2022 with drummer / synthesist Roy Mayorga, and the second happened in January 2023 with guitarist Gary Chester.
The album uses dual drum parts, and, according to vocalist Buzz Osborne, was approached "different than any other Melvins album".[1] A press release surrounding the album opined that "the LP is quite possibly the band's most unconventional, catchiest and imaginative work yet, continuing a legacy celebrated for its eccentric and extraordinary output".[2]
Recording
[edit | edit source]According to vocalist Buzz Osborne,
"The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins album. I had Dale [Crover] 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!"
Crover stated that "The majority of Tarantula Heart has dual drum parts. 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."[3]
Release and Reception
[edit | edit source]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[6] |
Tarantula Heart was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 80, based on 6 reviews.[4]
Track listing
[edit | edit source]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pain Equals Funny" | 19:08 |
| 2. | "Working the Ditch" | 6:32 |
| 3. | "She's Got Weird Arms" | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Allergic to Food" | 5:37 |
| 5. | "Smiler" | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 39:46 | |
Personnel
[edit | edit source]- Buzz Osborne – guitar, vocals
- Dale Crover – drums
- Roy Mayorga – drums
- Gary Chester – guitar
- Steven Shane McDonald – bass
Charts
[edit | edit source]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[7] | 33 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[8] | 50 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[9] | 15 |
References
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- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
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