### Monster Magnet: Mastermind

#### 14/01/11 || Khlysty

Y’all know, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Monster Magnet was not only still up and running, but that they were putting out a new record, to boot. See, after 2007 hit-and-miss “4-Way Diablo” affair, the troubles they were faced with, when SPV applied for insolvency and Dave Wyndorf’s near-one-way-trip-to-the-hereafter in 2006, I was betting that da Magnet would’ve decided to call it quits.

Well, I was wrong and I can happily tell you that the band’s still operational and that they still can make a record that really RAWKS THE FUCK OUT! See, Monster Magnet –for all the tags they’ve been burdened with (stoner rock, acid/doom rock, drug-damaged space rock etc)- have always been, at least to these ears, a party rock band. No matter how fuzzy the guitar sound was; no matter how sprawling and crazy-ass the songs sounded; no matter about what demented fantasy Wyndorf sang about. The hooks were always there, the inherent catchiness was always there, the “raise-your-fist-and-sing-along” universe-engulfing choruses were always there.

This idiot-savantery continues unabbeted in “Mastermind”, Monster Magnet’s record #8 –or #9, if one considers “25… Tab” a full L.P., instead of a really looooong E.P. I cannot hell by smile stupidly as the first notes from Jim Baglino’s super-distorted bass emanate from the speakers, kicking off album opener “Hallucination Bomb”, a slow-burning, atmospheric tune, with enough hooks to catch a whole school of listeners needing heaviness combined with catchiness. Yes, friends and foes, ye olde magick of Monster Magnet, the ability to balance perfectly between great heaviness with almost-pop hookiness, is still there, after all those years.

“Mastermind” seems to continue a trend that first appeared in Monster Magnet’s 2004 record, “Monolithic Baby!”, which is this: the band seems to shave off almost all of its psychedelic excess of the past (the flanged, fuzz-out-to-fuck guitars, the acid-damaged instrument-and-vocal effects, the utter craziness of their sound) and go for a super-straight rocking sound. This time around, though, things get a bit spacier, with most of the songs going for a slow, almost doomy rhythm, with a few rave-ups here and there, just to get the blood a-flowin’ a bit faster. This slowness is a welcome choice, since it allows the groove to come up through the inherently hazy world of da Magnet and engulf the listener.

Still, Wyndorf continues to write songs that seem perfect for a roadhouse fulla bikers, nodding to hard rock’s earliest years. But, and that’s my only gripe about “Mastermind”, the generally spare orchestration subtracts a bit from the ambiance of the songs: where, in the past, Monster Magnet’s songs seem to be composed of outer-space dark matter, here they sound more, ehm, “earthy” and plain. Yeah, the groove is more apparent, the hooks more prominent, but the overall sound is less “theatrical”, less out-there than on past efforts. The psychedelic cluster-bombs have been replaced by crunchy, meaty guitars, organic drums and Wyndorf’s Ozzy-via-Kiss vocalizations.

I could go on about the album’s details, but I don’t think that I need to do so. See, bottom line here is that da Magnet still go on, producing quality material for fans of pure, unadulterated rawk. Wyndorf still possesses the knack of writing catchy songs that beg to be listened to in a cosmic-sized arena. It’s obvious that the band won’t be able to recapture its past glories, but the fact that the guys can still pull off a fun, exciting and, overall, satisfactory record is a feat unto itself. Now, Dave, can we have a bit a’ the old dementia, pretty please, kind sir?…

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Napalm Records
- Website: www.zodiaclung.com
- Band
- Dave Wyndorf: vocals, guitar
- Ed Mundell: lead guitar
- Phil Caivano: rhythm guitar
- Jim Baglino: bass
- Bob Pantella: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Hallucination Bomb
- 02. Bored with Sorcery
- 03. Dig That Hole
- 04. Gods and Punks
- 05. The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby
- 06. Mastermind
- 07. 100 Million Miles
- 08. Perish in Fire
- 09. Time Machine
- 10. When the Planes Fall from the Sky
- 11. Ghost Story
- 12. All Outta Nothin’
- 13. Watch Me Fade (bonus track)
- 14. Fuzz Pig (bonus track)