Napalm Death, Melvins, Hard-Ons
- Hectic
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
June 7, 2025
Cornerstone
Berkeley, CA
The Cornerstone was crowded early for this sold out show, the 52nd and final show of the Napalm Death and Melvins “Savage Imperial Death March Part II" tour. The beer line snaked across the width of the restaurant side of the venue, with a mixture of punk, metal and harder to categorize (Melvins?) fans of all ages in attendance.
I had seen the show exactly 2 months earlier on April 7 at the Great American Music Hall, but wanted to catch them a second time, especially with the Hard-Ons being the 3rd and final opener of the tour.
Dark Sky Burial didn't start the show, as apparently Shane Embury has been out ill for the last couple weeks of the tour. I missed their set back in April, so I was a bit disappointed he wasn’t still on the tour, but glad it was able to continue in his absence.
The Hard-Ons from Australia were the support band on this last part of the tour. This was my first time seeing them, but I’ve long enjoyed their first record, 1988’s wonderfully titled Dickcheese. Think Ramones but with an Australian attitude, melodic fast punk love songs and other silliness.
This isn't a punk rock website but I do admit to a fondness for Australian punk – the Cosmic Psychos are my favorite punk band. It was an entertaining set by these old punk dudes in the Hard-Ons, who were clearly psyched to be along for the ride on the final run of the tour alongside the Melvins and Napalm Death. The Hard-Ons singer for this tour was Jerry A from legendary Portland punk band Poison Idea, who was great but kept looking at his watch multiple times in between each song – not very punk rock!
The Melvins are always a great time, I try to catch them every time they come through, which traditionally was once a year, but recently has been pretty frequent. If you aren’t familiar, the Melvins are a bit hard to categorize – a weird heavy band that isn’t metal, isn’t punk, isn’t noise rock, isn’t grunge (though they partied with Cobain back in 90s Seattle) – they are kind of just the Melvins.
Suffice it to say any live music fan will usually enjoy a Melvins performance tremendously, regardless of what genre of music that fan typically listens to. They are a unique and entertaining band. And this version of the Melvins was the super heavy double drummer version, with long time drummer Dale Crover joined by second drummer Coady Willis. Both drummers center stage right up front, with headset mikes on for backing vocals. Joined by the energetic bass player Steven Shane McDonald and the unique guitar stylings and vocals of King Buzzo, the Melvins put on a great set.
The ending of their set was unique as well, with King Buzzo and the Bass player Steven going off stage as if for an encore, though they would not return. And both drummers slowly playing out a heavy, simultaneous pounding of the drums that got slower and slower. They were even joined by a third drummer (drum tech?) who used Napalm Death’s drum set at the end, three drummers slowly pounding out a synchronized ending.
Napalm Death, from “the utopian paradise that is Birmingham England,” finished up the set with their brand of politically charged, super fast metal. The inventors of Grindcore to many, somehow they haven’t lost any of their ferociousness or speed, with frontman Barney Greenway frantically pacing the stage with spasms of wild energy. Bassist Shane Embury was out due to illness, but the fill in Matt handled the bass duties admirably.
Jello Biafra did not take the stage this time for the Dead Kennedy’s cover “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” because well, Berkeley is a long way away from San Francisco I guess. But it was a great set, and it was fantastic to see Napalm Death a second time in just 2 months.
–Hectic
