Melvins Lead Singer Buzz Osborne Is Always Three Steps Ahead

There’s a certain stereotype that can develop with rock stars: over-seriousness about the recording process and long gaps between studio releases and tours. Such is the way of the rock star, endlessly building to a greater spectacle.

But Buzz Osborne isn’t like most rock stars. He’s been the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of influential grunge/metal band Melvins since the ‘80s, with a self-imposed brutal touring and recording schedule all along the way. Known informally in rock circles as “King Buzzo,” his slow, sludgy style of heavy rock songwriting, often set to offbeat tempos, has garnered the band a loyal cult following.

In the 2020s alone, the band has had four studio releases, with a fifth, Thunderball, on the way for April 18. The night before the release, the band will visit the Echo Lounge while on tour with Napalm Death. This will be their third Dallas show in three years. In 2023, they played at the Granada Theater, and in 2022, Amplified.

If you’re not getting it, Osborne and his band simply do not slow down. The 61-year-old estimates that he’s written and recorded nearly 500 songs in his career, and even on tour, he’s working on new material.

“I do this little thing at soundchecks,” he says. "I set up my gear, and then while everybody else is setting up, I’ll play really low so I can barely hear it. I’ll see if I can write a song, even if it’s not good. In 15 minutes up there, I usually can come up with something.”

Of Osborne’s endless catalog of riffs and lyrics, only five new cuts are featured on Thunderball. So far, two have already been released as singles, “King Of Rome,” a thumping thrasher reminiscent of Helmet, and “Victory of the Pyramids,” a nearly 10-minute track with a far cleaner, smoother sound than what a Melvins fan would have grown used to, in a good way.
“I finished that record last fall,” Osborne says. “So by the time it comes out in April, I will have already been living with it for six plus months, plus everything else before that. I'm already thinking of our next record.”

Those tracks, along with a methodically selected crop of old Melvins tracks, will be played on the tour. Osborne likens the setlist creation process to crafting a Broadway show, but with the breakneck energy that a rock show provides.

“With albums, the pressure is kind of off,” Osborne says. “Live, you don’t know what’s gonna happen. If I break a string or something in the studio, I just restring it. I can’t do that live.”

Osborne continued, further expounding the excitement of a concert.

“That’s the juice of playing live,” he says. “The thing that you're never gonna be able to get on a record or on the internet is the human contact with your audience. No matter how sophisticated they get with them, live videos or recording, it's not gonna be the same as seeing it in person.”

Melvins previously toured with Napalm Death in 2016, performing in Dallas at Trees. For this tour, he’s joined by bassist Steven McDonald who joined in 2015, and drummer Dale Crover, who’s been in the band since 1984 but sat out on the 2023 tour. A Melvins tour is not like other tours, to be sure.

“If what you want is to go to a Taylor Swift show or some arena show, knock yourself out,” Osborne says, “Not everybody is going to be satisfied with that. The people that aren’t satisfied will look for something that has a little more substance to it.”

For the substance in question, Osborne only trusts his instincts.

“I just make records that I would like,” he says. “Thinking that since I have good taste, there'll be other people in the world that will also like it. It probably won't be millions, but it will be enough.”

There are times when Osborne’s attitude can appear cynical. But at his core, his mentality is really how we want most artists to feel. For decades, he’s resided squarely in his own lane, and comfortably so. Dallas fans of his have had the opportunity to see him on a near-annual basis, with new music released each year, too. Even after the band’s upcoming show and album release, we’re positive we can expect the Melvins to return sooner rather than later. And when they do, they will rock.

“We're a weird band,” Osborne says. “It's not really commercial at all. I would stand us next to any band on a musical level. As far as our ability to play music, there's nobody out there that I say rivaled us. I think there are some that might be as good as us, but on a good night, I think we're the best band in the world.”