Houdini

Released in 1993, Houdini served as the Melvins' major-label debut on Atlantic Records, a move facilitated by the massive commercial success of their friends and disciples in Nirvana. Despite the corporate backing, the album is famously uncompromising. It features production contributions from Kurt Cobain, though his involvement is shrouded in band lore regarding his actual productivity during the sessions. Sonically, the album is a cornerstone of sludge metal, blending the slow-burn crawl of Black Sabbath with the abrasive edge of hardcore punk. Tracks like 'Hooch' and 'Honey Bucket' showcase the band's ability to pivot between tectonic shifts and high-speed thrash. The album also features a cover of KISS's 'Going Blind,' highlighting the band's penchant for reinterpreting classic rock through a distorted lens. It remains their most commercially successful and critically cited work, bridging the gap between the underground and the 90s alternative explosion.