UMUR
"Hold It In" is the 22nd full-length studio album by US sludge/stoner rock/metal act the Melvins. The album was released through Ipecac Recordings in October 2014. Melvins have been quite busy in the last couple of years releasing multible albums with different lineups. On this album the lineup consists of the usual suspects Buzz Osborne (Guitars, Vocals) and Dale Crover (Drums), and the two new guys Jeff Pinkus (Bass) and Paul Leary (Guitars).
The music on most Melvins releases is varied and occasionally a bit odd and experimental, and that description also holds true on "Hold It In". The basis is hard rocking heavy riffs, an organic playing rhythm section, and Buzz Osborne´s distinct sounding vocal delivery and idiosyncratic lyrics. Song titles like "Brass Cupcake", "Onions Make the Milk Taste Bad", and "Piss Pisstopherson" pretty much tell the story of the lyrical content. It´s all a bit silly, but as always Melvins makes it work to their advantage.
Other than the noise type track "Barcelonian Horseshoe Pit", the material on the album is pretty interesting, and you´ll be exposed to both hard rockers like "Bride of Crakenstein", and "Piss Pisstopherson", more lighthearted material like "You Can Make Me Wait" and "Eyes on You" (which is an infectiously catchy track), and more experimental tracks like "The Bunk Up" and "House of Gasoline". So as mentioned above "Hold It In" is a very varied release.
The whole thing is packed in an organic sounding production which suits the music perfectly, and all in all "Hold It In" is another good quality release by the Melvins. I wouldn´t rank it as one of their best, but to my ears it´s a step up from their last couple of album releases, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is well deserved.