This is the Melvins most diverse album and that is why some of the more "hardcore" fans of their earlier stuff such as "Melvins," "Eggnog," and "Ozma" were disappointed by this album. So those expecting a non-stop barrage of Melvins-brand Metal from this album may be disappointed.
However this album is a great showcase of the Melvins creativity and there is something for every type of Rock fan, so this album will be best enjoyed by people who have a broad taste in rock from "Indie" to "Heavy Metal" to "Avant-Garde." There are melodies as well as heavy riffs in this album and they even employ other instruments like Keyboards and Pianos. The album will excite (eg.The Bit, Bar-X-The Rocking, Buck Owens, Captain Pungeant, Berthas) and then calm you (eg.The Bloat, Tipping The Lion, Black Block) as well as intrigue you(but these songs will probably just annoy and confuse you at first, eg. Soup, Lacrimosa.)
A good starting point for those without a Melvins album (you aren't a true rock fan without one).

As I said, this is a REALLY experimental album. Tracks like The Bit and Bar-X-The Rocking M are heavy and they've got the riffs, but thay are supported by the weirdest instruments. The Bit being a sitar and Bar-X being a trombone.
The rest of the album is just as strange, but without the riff really or highly experimental 'noise' tracks. For example; Soup is like distortion and keyboards with gloopy 'soup' noises over ther top.
There are a few surprises (like you'll find a Melvins album without surprises anyway!); Black Bock is a straight forward pop song, literally, and I'll let you find out about Skin Horse; twisted!
This is very experimental and weird, but if you approach it with an open mind you'll (probably) enjoy it. Its probably the Melvins album where the turning point between really obscure experimentalism and metal became truly apparent.
Buy it, don't expect a straightforward heavy album though. It's really enjoyable though if you approach it with the right frame of mind.
The Bit is awesome!
Good luck!

This is probably the best album of Melvins' fairly brief career as major label recording artists. The riffs are heavy, but bright and bouncy rather than mired in sludge, and the 'experimental' elements are always hitched to great hooks. 'Bar-X the Rocking M' has a killer trombone solo, 'Skin Horse' is both hilarious and oddly touching, and 'Black Bock' is probably the most surprising track in Melvins' catalogue.

Less radio-friendly than 'Houdini' or 'Stoner Witch', but not nearly so weird as some other reviewers think. If you want Melvins at their most adventurous, try the excellent 'Honky' -- the next record they made after Atlantic dumped them for not selling as many records as Nirvana -- or the legendary 'Lysis', the only full album featuring Joe Preston (Earth, Thrones). But there's no Melvins record that's not worth having.

Here is an album for those who like an artist to produce something with diversity, integrity and downright intensity!
Melvins are a band that have always done things a little differently, this album is no exception, in fact this album could provide the listener with all forms of their style and madness equally as well as a "Best of" ever could. It has their sound and style from previous releases; its all there. King Buzzo's seemingly bizarre sounding lyrics and his famous pounding guitar work is as good as his best and Dale Crover provides as much to enjoy from the drums.
Most interesting about "Stag" though is what we dont expect, ideas such as a trombone solo(used to true Melvins effect)in the fantastic "Bar-X-The Rocking M" transforms the Melvins sound into a song which really the sets bar for the rest of an experimental album. The album continues to perform to a high standard and then takes a more drastic change to the eccentric sounding "Black Bock" a neat song with soft guitars and vocals and a great quirky bass-line.
"Stag" really goes out with a bang the penultimate two tracks are storming and include "Captain Pungent" which has an almost creepy feel to it from the vocals and the guitar work is awesome and somehow as vivid.
This might not be their most popular or best album, 1993's Kurt Cobain produced "Houdini" is possibly a more likely classic with better stand-out tracks like "Lizzy" and "Honey Bucket" but "Stag" has to be admired for its consistency and ideas displayed whilst retaining the awesome sound of a truly individual band.

"Stag" marks the last major label Melvins release, following their two most accessible (and therefore popular) albums of the time, "Houdini" and "Stoner Witch". Those two albums offered very sludgy, dirgy post-grunge type outings, all the time incorporating strong melody and solid structures. With "Stag" the band took a more experimental route, often throwing conventional song structures out of the window, leaving an album that is confusing, yet utterly compelling.

The album starts with a bang, "The Bit" is classic Melvins, full of powerful riffs and contrasts between brooding eerie verses and huge choruses. The album then takes its experimental turn, as from "Hide" to "Cottonmouth" it is difficult to make out any songs with standard structuring. Examples of this include "The Bloat" which starts with some old school slide guitar, then strips down to a sumptuous melodic bass line and some rather contrasting angry vocals. "Black Bock" starts almost like a kindergarten song, but then erupts into a swirling psychedelic closing section, full of lush vocal harmonies and trippy guitars. "Buck Owens" is another confusing song, with twisting rhythm and timing changes, almost like the band is experimenting with a warped take on prog metal. Fans of the Melvins' dirge will not be disappointed here, especially with "Goggles", a thunderous snail-paced tour-de-force of Buzzo's riffing.

Overall if you like grunge/post-grunge/stoner stuff, this album should appeal to you. If you like your music with a deal of experimentation it will definitely be worth your time, but for others who want something a little more straight laced, you'll be best to stick with the more accessible Melvins work, such as "Bullhead", "Houdini" and "Stoner Witch".