So this is why they called it grunge. By the time Seattle became the city that killed hair metal, grunge’s flagship bands were offering something that mainstream listeners could latch onto. Pearl Jam had a slight classic rock sound and a charismatic lead singer, Nirvana had a healthy dose of the Pixies to go with Kurt Cobain’s wounded saint persona, Soundgarden were getting good mileage from Sabbath riffs, and Alice in Chains were bringing a little grit and grime back to metal.

Mudhoney, on the other hand, never stood a chance of filling stadiums. Their sound was a raw, unrelenting sludge that mixed metal and punk into a ride that battered you as much as it carried you along. The band released plenty of albums over the years, but the best starting point might be 1988’s Superfuzz Bigmuff. A collection of early EPs and singles, the collection presents a young and hungry band, led by Mark Arm’s primal vocals. You’d think it was a sound that couldn’t maintain itself (and on other releases, it didn’t), but as Superfuzz Bigmuff goes along, the songs begin to take on more and more of a distinct personality, to the point that the band’s “sludge” can also be called “ominous” and “creepy” in the best way. A recently released Deluxe Edition, marking the album’s 20th anniversary, contains five extra songs as well as two live shows (a Berlin performance and a live radio performance, both from 1988).

The band also come full circle with their most recent release, this year’s The Lucky Ones. It’s sound is cleaner, and no matter how hard they try to hide it, the band are much better musicians than in those early days. But The Lucky Ones is uncomplicated in the best way, making you think you’re back in 1988 listening to songs that could have gone onto Superfuzz Bigmuff. On a Youthful Energy scale of 1 to 10 (on which Mission of Burma score a 15, by the way; they sound angrier than ever), Mudhoney score about a fairly impressive 8. A couple of songs don’t completely gel, but it sounds like the band hasn’t lost a step all these years. Between The Lost Ones and Superfuzz Bigmuff, this is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with this largely forgotten band.