Melvins and Napalm Death have officially joined forces for a full-length collaborative album titled Savage Imperial Death March, set for release on April 10 via Ipecac Recordings.
While the title may be familiar to fans of the bands' legendary Savage Imperial Death March tours in 2016 and 2025, this marks the first-ever proper studio album credited jointly to both groups — not a split, but a genuine collaboration featuring members of each band writing and recording together.
The first taste of the album arrived yesterday, when the track "Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck" premiered via Jose Mangin on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal, immediately signaling the kind of abrasive, unfiltered chaos fans might expect from such a meeting of minds.
Recorded at the Melvins' Los Angeles studio, the sessions brought together Buzz Osborne (vocals/guitar) and Dale Crover (drums) with Napalm Death's Barney Greenway (vocals), Shane Embury (bass), and John Cooke (guitar). According to Embury, the collaboration was as organic as it was overdue.
"I have loved the Melvins forever and their outlook on music," Embury said. "A chance to make an album of eclectic musical madness with them was truly an honour and a whole lot of fun, which surely is the whole point! Let's do another one soon."
Osborne echoed the sentiment, emphasizing how evenly balanced the creative process was. "Napalm Death are one of my favorite bands ever," he said. "It was an absolute pleasure and a dream come true to do this collaboration with them. We wrote songs together… It was truly a 50/50 partnership."
For Greenway, the album also carried a deeply personal resonance. "Funny how life turns out sometimes… collecting hard-to-find Melvins 7-inches on Bleecker Street in 1989 and then touring twice and doing an album with them within the following 35 years," he reflected.
"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.'" He added that the sessions pushed him creatively: "I felt myself almost babbling lyrically during the recording, and that alone made for very fun recording times."
Savage Imperial Death March features eight tracks and will be released on CD, digital platforms, and four limited-edition vinyl variants. A stripped-down version of the album previously appeared as a hyper-limited vinyl/CD release during the bands' 2025 tour, but this full edition includes new artwork by Mackie Osborne and two additional tracks, "Awful Handwriting" and "Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy."
Pre-orders are available now, and for fans of uncompromising heavy music, Savage Imperial Death March promises a rare collision of two of the underground's most influential and fiercely independent forces.
