Melvins and Napalm Death announced Savage Imperial Death March, a collaborative album arriving April 10 via Ipecac Recordings. The project pulls its name from the bands’ joint tours in 2016 and 2025 but marks their first full-length studio collaboration, with members of both bands writing and recording together rather than splitting the release.The first track, Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck, premiered yesterday on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal with Jose Mangin. The album was recorded at the Melvins’ Los Angeles studio with Buzz Osborne on vocals and guitar, Dale Crover on drums, Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway on vocals, Shane Embury on bass, and John Cooke on guitar. Osborne described the sessions as immediate, with both bands writing riffs and learning them on the spot. “We wrote songs together. I would write a riff and we would learn it and record it right there. They wrote stuff and we would learn it immediately as well. It was truly a 50/50 partnership.”
Embury called the collaboration “eclectic musical madness” and said working with the Melvins was “truly an honour and a whole lot of fun.” Greenway referenced collecting hard-to-find Melvins seven-inches on Bleecker Street in 1989, adding, “Had a great time with it all, and nice to work with fellow travellers in the Melvins who also couldn’t care about pandering to ‘demographics.'”
The eight-song album will be released on CD, digitally, and across four limited-edition vinyl variants: Black As Your Soul, Indie Exclusive Obnoxious Orchid, Ipecac Exclusive Absurd Aqua, and Revolver Exclusive Neon Coral. An abbreviated version of the album was released during the bands’ 2025 tour as a hyper-limited vinyl and CD edition. This version features new artwork by Mackie Osborne and two additional tracks, Awful Handwriting and Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy.
The Melvins play Sick New World this spring with California headlining dates surrounding the festival appearance. Napalm Death are currently touring Europe ahead of their North American trek later this spring. Pre-orders for Savage Imperial Death March are available now.
Tracklist
- 1. Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck
- 2. Some Kind Of Antichrist
- 3. Awful Handwriting
- 4. Nine Days Of Rain
- 5. Rip The God
- 6. Stealing Horses
- 7. Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy
- 8. Death Hour
