Melvins A Walk With Love And

Given the Melvins' long history, and their devotion to the tar-pit heaviness of '70s hard rock (in particular Black Sabbath), it seems odd that they've waited so long to deliver one of the standard benchmarks of a veteran rock band -- the thematically ambitious two-disc set. Billed as the first double album in the Melvins' three-plus-decade history, 2017's A Walk with Love & Death isn't so much an album long enough to require two discs as it is two albums that have been presented in one package, each with a very distinct aural personality. The first nine tracks of this package have been given the subtitle Death, and they sound very much like the Melvins, with plenty of crunchy downbeat guitar figures from King Buzzo, sharp and muscular drumming from Dale Crover, and thick, powerful basslines from Steven McDonald (who has adjusted well to full-time status after his part-time role with the band on 2016's Basses Loaded). "Black Heath" and "Sober-delic" are subtle by Melvins standards