It's simply amazing how Monster Magnet manages not only to deliver twelve hammer songs on the new album "Mastermind", but also to tie in with the incomparable "Larger Than Life" groove that has always surrounded the band, but unfortunately on the way got lost a bit. But listening to "Mastermind" is like meeting a good friend you've lost touch with after years. Everything that made this band great and wonderful is on «Mastermind»! Back from space, Lord! Space Lord! motherfucker!

You can twist and turn it any way you want: Monster Magnet are back. And how! The trademark of the band was and is Wyndorf's penetrating voice, which hasn't lost any of its charisma and magic even after twenty years. But somehow the air was gone with «Monolith, Baby», the planned tour was canceled due to repeated tablet poisoning of the mastermind, who returned after therapy with «4-Way Diablo». Now another three years have passed and let me tell you, the current work shows that Monster Magnet are back on track.

Already the opener "Hallucination Bomb" with its rough bass intro is worth buying the album, almost doomy slow, dark and grooooovy. After about three minutes the song tips over and ends spacy with a touch of Black Sabbath and extended guitar solos. Fantastic! After that «Bored With Sorcery» really steps on the gas and can definitely keep up with the band's hits, here too the space impact is dug out of the mothball box. «Dig That Hole» is wonderfully dark and slow again, the distorted bass plays a major role, as it often does on «Mastermind», alongside the goosebump-inducing vocals. "Gods And Punks" is the single from the album and is available as a video following this article, as it transports Wyndorf's magic quite catchily without overtaxing the listener. "The Titan Who Cried Like A Baby" scores with a great atmosphere. "100 Million Miles" leans heavily towards the 1998 Monster Magnet again, a dirty earthy rocker with an ear-piercing chorus, followed by the rampant "Perish In Fire" (boyfriends, what a finale!). "Time Machine" is a well-made semi-ballad, "When The Planes Fall From The Sky" is dark and heavy again, a song that slowly creeps up. The discs «God Says No» and «Monolithic Baby!» gets a small tribute with «Ghost Story». There are simply no gap fillers or weaker songs here and the bonus tracks «Watch Me Fade» and «Fuzz Pig» are absolutely top notch!

The stoner rock flagship is back much better than expected. «Mastermind» ties back to the great deeds of Monster Magnets at the end of the last millennium and is one of the rock highlights of the year, farewell to irrelevant stadium hard rock, welcome to adulthood and gloom. A disc that belongs in absolutely every collection! Purchase order from the crypt!

1. hallucination bomb
2. Bored With Sorcery
3. Dig That Hole
4. Gods and Punks
5. The Titan Who Cried Like A Baby
6. Mastermind
7. 100 million miles
8. Perish In Fire
9. 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)

MONSTER MAGNET - Gods and Punks (Official)

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