Honky is the ninth studio album by the Melvins, released in May 5, 1997 through Amphetamine Reptile Records. Joe Barresi was the engineer on the album. It is widely considered to be the band’s most experimental album. Their first studio album after being dropped from Atlantic, it contains a mixture of traditional Melvins-sounding rock, experiments with drones and soundscapes, and some rather uncharacteristic electronic pieces. A video was made for “Mombius Hibachi”. The final track, “In the Freaktose the Bugs are Dying”, concludes with more than 25 minutes of silence. As of 2024, the album has not been added to streaming services. Whether this involves the poor reviews the album received is unknown.
In an interview, frontman Buzz Osborne said that album cost $3,000 to make, three days rehearsal, and six days recording. The project was an attempt to plug the gap after the major release of the previous album Stag under the Atlantic label.
The album’s eight-minute plus opening track “They All Must Be Slaughtered” features co-lead vocals from Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland. This is the last album to feature bassist Mark Deutrom.
Tracklist:
- They All Must Be Slaughtered
- Mombius Hibachi
- Lovely Butterfly
- Pitfalls in Serving Warrants
- Air Breather Deep in the Arms of Morphius
- Laughing with Lucifer at Satan’s Sideshow
- HOW –++–
- Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick Tree
- Grin
- In the Freaktose the Bugs Are Dying (4:20 without lacuna)
The Melvins
King Buzzo: guitar, vocals
Mark D: bass, guitar
Dale C: drums
Additional
Katherine Bjelland: additional vocals (track 1)
Mac Mann: piano, bell and synthesizer
David Scott Stone: bowed cymbal and oscillators
Additional personnel
Joe Barresi: producer, engineer, mixing
Ryan Boesch: assistance
Mackie O: art and Polaroids
