The rough-edged rendition of the American national anthem was a staple of their recent live shows, a bizarre interlude amidst the usual heavy as lead songs. It worked on stage but played on its own it falls flat on its face. The flip side to this single is a cover of my favourite Kiss song, “Detroit Rock City.” The influence of Kiss on the Melvins is legendary; they have covered Stanley et al. numerous times previously and one only has to look at the three solo EPs put out by the Melvins to see that these guys are obsessed. Despite all this, “Detroit Rock City” is a pedestrian attempt at the song. The guitar solos are too clinical, neither Buzz Osbourne nor guest guitarist Adam Jones (of Tool) sound like they are giving it their all.
This is a mediocre release from a group who are capable of much better. This single is purely of novelty value only; yet novelty value is highly prized amongst Melvins fans so no doubt this single will sell out for that reason alone. However, I will not be spinning this often.
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