Album Review: The Melvins with Napalm Death - Savage Imperial Death March
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
On the surface of it, stoner trio (the) Melvins and Godfathers of Grind Napalm Death should be worlds apart; but scratch a little beneath the surface and you’ll see a synchronicity between the bands, beyond their rabid fanbases and Dorian Grey-like longevity. The above are admittedly lazy labels that barely begin to define either band’s musical journeys, both of which started in the Eighties, and both of which are going strong to this day.
Named after two co-headlining tours, one in 2016 and again in 2025, Savage Imperial Death March is a true collaboration, the result of a coming together of alternative, experimental musicians, for whom boundaries are mere inconveniences and limits are meant to be broken.
Available previously only on the 2025 tour and in an abbreviated form, Savage Imperial… has now been expanded by twenty-five percent and made more readily available on digital, CD and four limited edition, variously coloured vinyl editions.
Of the previously available tracks, they exist closer to Melvin’s sensibilities rather than Napalm’s. Some Kind of Antichrist is the record’s longest tune, at almost ten-minutes, and starts with an upbeat sludge progression. Barney can be heard providing backing vocals, his growls a sharp contrast to Buzz’s clean delivery. A big low-end keeps everything anchored, but spiralling, screeching guitars allows the mid-section to take flight. At the halfway point, following a robotic, electronic section from Napalm’s vocalist, Some Kind… takes a very unexpected turn and heads off in an ethereal, almost Hawkwind cosmic jam, full of unnerving beeps, unsettling intersections and ghostly voices.
Closing track, Death Hour, follows the same path, though in a more succinct package, layering frenzied guitars atop a driving low end, giving way to ghoulish sounds and an overall jazzy, jamming vibe. As the record draws to its conclusion, we’re presented with a host of whispering voices, unintelligible, but certainly saying something that may be recognisable. Oh, and it ends with a few bars of Van Halen’s Jump played on a keyboard, before fading out.
Savage Imperial Death March begins with the only Napalm Death-sounding tune, reminiscent of the Brummie grinders’ more experimental ventures, such as Dear Slum Landlord or Inside the Torn Apart’s title tune, but with a more Melvins musicality. Tossing Coins into the Fountain of Fuck again incorporates a loose and sludgy riff over which Barney can bark.
As this is a true collaboration, there are points where the creativity of all artists concerned comes together. Rip the God crawls as guitars scream in tortured agony, never increasing its tempo, but ramping up the intensity with every repeat of the riff; Nine Days of Rain and Stealing Horses come with dual vocals courtesy of Buzz and Barney, Nine Days… offers a more straightforward, almost progressive approach, with infectious drums, while Stealing…, also employing a groove-laden rhythm, opts for a more upbeat sound.
The two additional tracks for this reissue are more Noise-oriented, with Awful Handwriting clocking in at just a couple of minutes, filled with beeps and grunts and growls; Comparison is the Thief of Joy takes its time and is a very capable piece of gothic-tinged electronic instrumentalism.
Savage Imperial Death March should appeal to those more open-minded music fans who have an interest in what a couple of inventive bands can do when they have like-minded musicians to bounce ideas off. It’s not perfect, there are times that the momentum drops, but they’re few a far between; the rest of the time, this collaboration is a breath of fresh air and could prove to be one of the most important records of the year.
