Napalm Death / Melvins – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – May 22nd 2025

First Avenue presents Napalm Death, Melvins and The Hard-Ons

Review and photos by Jesse McKinney

The Hard-Ons with Poison Idea’s Jerry A

The Hard-Ons out of Sydney Australia are a punk rock band that has been going strong since 82. Due to the absence of vocalist Tim Rogers, for this leg of the tour the Hard-Ons were assisted by legendary punk vocalist Jerry Lang from Poison Idea. I had never heard of the Hard-Ons prior to the show but I was impressed how even after doing it for over 40 years, they clearly still love what they do and put everything they have into the show.

Melvins

Melvins is another band from the early 80’s that was pivotal to the early development of grunge and sludge metal. From the moment I noticed they had two drummers on stage I was locked in! Between the outfits, the wild and amazing hair of vocalist and lead guitar player Buzz Osborne, and all over the place stage presence, I couldn’t take my eyes away the entire set. Do yourself a favor and get to a Melvins show at least once. Fun fact, vocalist Buzz Osborne named the band after a supervisor named “Melvin” at the supermarket where he worked that he disliked.

Napalm Death

If you know grindcore, then you know Napalm Death. A Napalm Death show is a high-energy, intense and raw experience that starts from the moment they hit the stage and does not let up once. Napalm Death is fronted by vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway, and I don’t think I have ever seen a vocalist move as much as he does! I was also impressed by the crowd! The pit full of patches, denim, and black shirts went wild for the entire set! Napalm Death has songs that are most often under 90 seconds long but are pure relentless chaos from start to finish. I was most excited to hear the song “You Suffer” which is famous for being just 1.3 seconds long. Napalm Death are pioneers in pushing to the extreme and I can’t wait to witness the pure chaos of a Napalm Death show when they come through again.