Reviewing re-issues isn’t something I do very often. One reason to take a look at the debut album “The Silent Treatment” from ex-Melvins bassist Mark Deutrom is that I love (the) Melvins. Granted they go thru bassists like Spinal Tap went through drummers. But the period that Deutrom was in the band is still my favorite. I missed out on this album when it was first released in 2000 so this was a good chance to see what I missed.

One thing is for certain. Deutrom was a perfect fit for his former band. “The Silent Treatment” sounds very much like a Melvins album. It goes pretty much every direction imaginable and does it all pretty damn well. Whether it’s the fuzzed out rock of “The Hobnail Paisley” which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Queens of the Stone Age album, or the oddball “Chihuahua” which does sound like a Melvins outtake, or the weird drone of “Coffinmakers Complaint,” there’s no telling what Deutrom will do song to song.

Other than QotSA or Melvins, I also hear a bit of Masters of Reality in songs like “Borehole” and being fans of all of those bands, as a whole the album works for me. Yes it does sound a bit all over the place at times, but not to the point of being chaotic. Granted I was expecting the possibility of complete chaos when I started listening to it. It does make me want to seek out more of what Mark D has been upto since this album was originally released.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. Toshiro Mifune
2. The Hobnail Paisley
3. El Morocco
4. One Thousand Delights
5. Chihuahua
6. Coffinmaker’s Complaint
7. Fat Hamlet
8. The Hottentot Venus
9. Borehole
10. Your Necklace
11. Revelator
12. A Catastrophe
13. Honey Drop
14. Gateau d’Amour
15. Van Diemen’s Land
16. Candlelight and Wisteria

Label: Season of Mist
Release Date for Reissue: 9 February, 2018
Facebook: www.facebook.com/markdeutrom