NEW YORK--It's not often that a band can get a fresh start on a new label without actually leaving home, but that's exactly what the Melvins hope to do with "Stag," which will be released on Mammoth/Atlantic July 16.
"At first it looked like we were getting pawned off on a side label, but it didn't take long for me to see that we were going to be in a better situation," says Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne, whose band released its last two albums, "Stoner Witch" and "Houdini," on Atlantic proper. "Atlantic puts out about 3,000 records a week, and there were people who dug us there, but to Mammoth, we're genuinely a big deal."
Mammoth president Jay Faires echoes Osbourne's sentiments. Faires says that the band moved to the label after discussions he had with Melvins manager David Lefkowitz.
"This is a record that could benefit from having a little more care, a little more focus," says Faires, who also serves as an A&R VP at Atlantic. "We want to create an environment where Buzz is totally comfortable and where we can build on their fan base--which I believe we can double."
Faires says the band's last release, "Stoner Witch," sold approximately 50,000 units, with particularly strong sales in New York and Seattle, markets in which the label will concentrate its efforts for the new release.
"Stag," the trio's seventh album, will be released concurrently on EastWest Germany. In keeping with its tradition of using what Faires calls "the most appropriate indies in each territory," the label will release "Stag" in conjunction with Attic in Canada, Polystar in Japan, and Mushroom in Australia.
"They'll be touring in quite a number of territories, but Buzz is committed to doing three American tours before the end of the year," says Faires. The Melvins will set that plan in motion in mid-July, when they take over the headlining spot on Lollapalooza's second stage for the festival's final 13 dates.
Osbourne, a native of Aberdeen, Wash., founded the Melvins in the mid-'80s. The sludgy riffing that oozed from early releases, such as 1987's "Gluey Porch Treatments" and the following year's "Ozma," cemented the band's reputation for off-the-periodical-scale heaviness--a characteristic still present in the Melvins' physically punishing live shows.
"I've always been fascinated with power in general," says Osbourne. "People always bring up the Black Sabbath comparison, but I never wanted to be that obvious. I was more influenced by bands like Flipper and Swans, especially around the time they did `Raping A Slave.' You can put the needle down anywhere on that album, and it sounds exactly the same, which blew me away."
The trio, which also includes bassist Mark Deutrom and drummer Dale Clover, has moved away from that sort of inexorable force on "Stag." In addition to three solo pieces, which the members recorded individually on 4-track, there's even a foray into folk (of sorts) on "Black Bock," a song Osbourne says was inspired by an immersion in the music of Yippie rabble-rousers the Fugs.
"They always did these really nice little pop songs with totally off-the-wall lyrics," says Osbourne. "And that's what I wanted to do with this song, which is sort of about the metal kids in Scandinavia who are really into devil worship. They're really into it, but they all look so miserable. If you're so wrapped up in something like that, you should at least be having fun."
Faires sees radio as the missing piece to a full-fledged Melvins success story and says that Mammoth will focus carefully on both metal-skewing outlets (to which the label will promote "The Bit") and, most important, the developing active rock format, which will be pointed toward the official emphasis track, "Bar-X-The Rocking M."
"There are 40 or 50 important outlets playing aggressive bands like Filter, and I certainly think this fits in with that mix," says Faires. "They've toured with bands like White Zombie, Rage Against The Machine, and Nine Inch Nails and always gotten a response from that audience."
"Bar-X-The Rocking M" will be accompanied by a videoclip, leased by Osbourne's longtime friend Gregory Dark, who is well known for his work in adult films. "We're doing one version that will never get played on any television show," says Osbourne gleefully. "And then a G-rated version . . . well, maybe a PG-13."
Faires hopes that the unexpurgated clip will garner some play in clubs, which will be serviced with both versions, not to mention some additional attention in the press, la Nine Inch Nails' "Happiness In Slavery."
"I don't do anything just to fuck with people, although that seems to be the impression some people get," says Osbourne. " I just do what I enjoy, and a certain number of people seem to enjoy it, too. If people want easy entertainment, there's always going to be a Green Day or an Offspring to give it to them; that's not my job."
By DAVID SPRAGUE