Gift of Sacrifice

Six years after the last man anyone ever expected to make an acoustic album went and made an acoustic album, King Buzzo (aka Buzz Osborne of the Melvins) has gone and done it again. You cant say Buzzo hasnt learned from experience; while 2014s This Machine Kills Artists was a bit too spare for its own good, 2020s Gift of Sacrifice sees him bring in bassist Trevor Dunn, a co-founder of Mr. Bungle who previously worked with Osborne in Mike Pattons alternative metal project Fantomas, to fill out the arrangements. Like This Machine Kills Artists, most of the time Gift of Sacrifice bears a strong resemblance to the melodic and structural template of Osbornes work in the Melvins, sounding suitably doomstruck and downtuned, and the thick strum of his acoustic guitar plays bigger than expected, though it still lacks the authoritative muscle he brings with his electric. Dunns upright bass, however, gives the music a sturdy foundation that restores some of the heft the acoustic guitar lacks. Sometimes using a bow, he can add effects resembling an angry cello, as well as plucking out patterns that recall vintage metal while possessing the rubbery flexibility and range of jazz. (The latter is not surprising, given Dunns rich experience in free jazz and experimental music.) Buzzo and Dunn also throw in some electronic flourishes that add to the creative dissonance, as Bird Animal concludes with a volley of bleeps and static, and drone-like patterns swim through the finale of Science in Modern America. This Machine Kills Artists felt as much like a tongue-in-cheek prank as an actual album; Gift of Sacrifice, in comparison, is noticeably more accomplished and better thought out, and Dunns presence as a collaborator certainly helps Osborne make this into something memorable, though if hes smart he wont get rid of his amplifiers just yet. ~ Mark Deming