he term “experimental” gets bandied about fairly haphazardly these days; it’s an overused and misappropriated term, much like “alternative” was circa 1994. I hear “experimental” used in reference to any number of bands whose songs are odd, eclectic or formless. It is a blanket term confounded people use to describe music that is, to them, undefinable.


I’m not saying the term is without worth; I just think it should be handled with care. By nature, experiments are unpredictable and prone to failure. Truly experimental music is the same way. An experimental artist is one who constantly pushes him/herself into uncharted musical territory, unsure of the results. The shape and quality of those results varies from release to release, making the careers of experimentalists impossible to summarize and often difficult to justify.


The Melvins are my favorite experimental band. Their albums aren’t festivals of spontaneity and their sound has rarely expanded beyond slow, art-damaged, bass heavy punk, but the Melvins are true scientists when it comes to creating albums. “What if we played slow, but kept the songs really short?” was the hypothesis behind the phenomenal Gluey Porch Treatments and Ozma albums. “What if we added some thrash?” led to Bullhead and The Maggot . “What if we signed to a major?” was the impetus behind the good-better-great run of Houdini , Stoner Witch and Stag . The Melvins challenge themselves with each turn in the studio, bringing with them a seemingly defined set of chemicals and beakers. The results of these experiments were amazing.


Others did not fair as well. Prick was a self-indulgent joke no one I know can sit through but which the Melvins themselves find hilarious. Several of the limited edition 7”s the band released on Amphetamine Reptile were little more than uninteresting leftovers. Even the band’s last full length, the guest star studded The Bootlicker was as hit and miss as it gets.


That’s the Melvins for you. Sometimes they slay, sometimes they stymie, and sometimes they suck, which is why Hostile Ambient Takeover just might be the quintessential Melvins album. As successful as it is tedious, H.A.T is the Melvins’ latest experiment: an attempt to finally reconcile their god-given ability to bludgeon with their love of the absurd. Zany sound effects and innumerable textures are stirred into post-Black Flag/Sabbath loudness. Let’s chart the results.


Things start off extremely well with the muscular, brisk, math-y hard rock of “Black Stooges”, which knocks the wind out of you much like a faster rendition of “The Bit” might. Discordant vocal and guitar overdubs add a welcomed ugliness to the track. “Black Stooges” is followed by “Dr. Geek”, the album’s strongest track. Lightning fast, undistorted, sinewy boogie rock, “Dr. Geek” may be what Nashville Pussy would sound like if they spent their formative years listening to Devo rather than fucking their cousins.


Things slow down on “Little Judas Chongo”, tempo-wise and creatively. The track is aggressive and strange and it contains both an amazing, sizzled bass tone and one of Buzz Osbourne’s finest vocal performances to date, but it breaks no ground. In fact, it’s at this point in the album when a rather disturbing fact comes to light. On H.A.T. , the Melvins are most effective as individuals. Osbourne’s vocals amaze throughout, bassist Kevin Rutmanis shines on “Foaming” and Dale Crover has never sounded more at one with his drums, but when the band is playing as one, the results are often far from stellar. “The Fool, The Meddling Idiot”, despite its brief heaviness toward the middle, is little more than a typical Melvins song whose most memorable movement is the cloying, silly keyboard outro. The aforementioned “Foaming” contains a nifty toy instrument break and some truly retarded vocal treatments, but the dry, repetitive ending ruins the song. Album closer “The Anti-Vermin Seed” contains a fantastic opening -- ten minutes of actual hostile ambience -- but the remaining five minutes of quiet, palm-muted strumming and unnecessary, uninspiring heaviness may find you, on subsequent listens, stopping the cd before it ends.


I’d be lying if I said I’m not disappointed by Hostile Ambient Takeover . Rather than being a consistent album loaded with confusing, awe-inspiring songs it’s a spotty record with a few instances of glorious success, some interesting inconclusiveness and one or two failures. If you find yourself shelling out for H.A.T. , it might even piss you off a little. From a Melvins standpoint, that might make this experiment a rousing success.