No matter how many times you've seen the Melvins, you’re never prepared for the onslaught. No onstage banter at a packed Casbah this Monday night — the band got down to business and never let up. Four years and three albums into their current line-up, original members Buzz Osborne (singer-guitarist) and Dale Crover (drums) were joined by Jared Warren on bass and Coady Willis on drums.

Twenty-seven years into their career, the Melvins are still creating essential work, as evidenced by a set that relied heavily on their latest release, The Bride Screamed Murder. They opened with "The Water Glass," which started big on guitar/drum mayhem but shifted into Osborne leading the enthusiastic audience in a call-response vocal over a snare-drum cadence.

Early in the set the Melvins covered the sinister Flipper song "Sacrifice" to dramatic effect. Plodding and heavy, the audience bobbed and fist-pumped as Buzz howled "They demand a sacrifice...of your life!"

Gabba, gabba, wee! On to a crowd-pleasing version of the Ramones’ "Pinhead," lest we forget this beast was raised on punk!

Old chestnut "Night Goat" was resurrected from the Houdini album. It's long, building intro exploded into an angry mid-tempo riff-rock dirge and commanding chorus, inciting universal head banging.

Finally, Osborne left the stage and Crover and Willis ended the show with a lengthy powerhouse dual-drumming climax that was so authoritative there was no question of an encore. It was over. Damn.

• Concert: The Melvins
• Date: October 11
• Venue: Casbah
• Seats: General