Album Review: MONSTER MAGNET - Mindfucker

01. Rocket Freak

02. Soul
03. Mindfucker
04. I'm God
05. Drowning
06. Ejection (Hawkwind cover)
07. Want Some
08. Brainwashed
09. All Day Midnight
10. When The Hammer Comes Down

When it comes to the Stoner Rock scene, Monster Magnet are as good as it gets. They have that magic Rolling Stones meets Black Sabbath jamming with Hawkwind vibe, and no-one does it better than them.

I remember hearing their song Twin Earth on a free CD with a magazine and really liking it. Soon afterwards, I heard Negasonic Teenage Warhead on Radio 1's Friday Night Rock Show, and I was totally hooked, and have been a big fan ever since. I think the main reason that I like them above the other Stoner bands in their scene, is that their music is mostly upbeat Rock n' Roll as opposed to boring the listener with slow dirges that are the audio equivalent of being in a K-Hole. In other words, Monster Magnet have the songs.

Monster Magnet haven't really changed much over the years. They have a distinct sound and have always given the fans what they want. They haven't made any bad albums or gone in any ill-conceived directions. It's been a simple case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and this has worked for them very well. 

Mindfucker is their 10th album, and it's another wonderful slab of Stoner Rock 'n Roll. The overall sound of the album has a slightly more aggressive and Punk tone to it. It's subtle, but it's there. I think it may reflect the outside world at the time it was written and recorded. I have no doubt that, in this world of fake news, that the album title certainly does! Tracks like Soul and I'm God certainly sound like they have an Iggy & The Stooges influence in them.

Other highlights include the trashy Want Some and the curveball Brainwashed, which veers into Rockabilly territory and works brilliantly. The album returns to more familiar territory with the final two mind-blowingly cool tracks All Day Midnight and When The Hammer Comes Down, ending this opus on a real high.

Main-man Dave Wyndorf still sounds as good as ever, and while Mindfucker certainly isn't their best album, it is still easily solid enough to entice a new generation into the trippy world of Monster Magnet.