Melvins Lite - "Freak Puke" album

Adding Tomahawk/Fantomas bassist Trevor Dunn to the duo of Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, this incarnation of the Melvins (deemed "Lite" because they are a trio, rather than the band's normal 4-piece) creates a wildly disparate din of avante-garde noise and dirty classic rock. In short, it's another fine Melvins album. Beginning with the spooky strings of "Mr. Rip Off", the album runs the gamut, from the disturbing cinematic textures of "Inner Ear Rupture" to the thick stoner rock of "A Growing Disgust". "Leon Vs. The Revolution" is a big, spliffy Sabbath-style riff-rocker, and the closing cut, "Tommy Goes Beserk" is a weird collision of "pop" elements and driving lysergia, as close to melodic as these guys choose to get. Fine, weird, and heavy sounds for the adventurous. (Ipecac) Melvins site

Philm - "Harmonic" CD

Featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (of Slayer and Fantomas fame), this new power trio is, as expected, pretty heavy-duty stuff. Philm, which pairs Lombardo with friends from the bands War and Civil Defiance, is a raw, stripped-down, and organic beast, with tracks pulling from metal, punk, and even a small amount of jazz (however slight). "Area" combines a melodic side with fairly brutal and tight metal/punk, whereas "Way Down" even gets bluesy near the end. Other cuts, like "Sex Amp", remind me of a punchier Prong, namely due to Gerry Nestler's vocals. "Mezzanine" jams it out for a spaced-out psychedelic vibe, while "Meditation", the closer, is anything but. "Harmonic", all told, is a lengthy set of playful and taut heavy rockers that showcase Lombardo and company's diverse tastes and talents. (Ipecac)

Retox - "Ugly Animals" CD

11 songs in 13 minutes, and fronted by Justin Pearson (The Locust), you know what to expect here. Yes, it's an earful of clotted punk/grindcore madness. You get screaming, nihilistic hardcore, abrasive post-punk, and more of the same. It's feral, anarchic, and primitive. "Ugly Animals" is an exercise in catharsis, pure and simple. Enjoyable. (Ipecac Recordings)

Retox site