Monster Magnet--Monolithic Baby!
SPV 2004
As one of the most revered and emulated bands of the "stoner rock" movement, Monster Magnet's absence over the last few years has been glaring. Finally, the guys are back with a new album, Monolithic Baby, their first since 2001's God Says No. Not only is this fresh entry a welcome return, it's one of the band's best efforts yet.
As you've come to expect from Monster Magnet, Monolithic Baby delivers primo downtuned groovy riffage, throughout. The band's space rock leanings are still audible here, as well, only blatantly so in a few places, though. Really, Monolithic Baby is the culmination of all the hard work the group have invested in trying to steer their sound towards a more rocked out place, dating back to the Powertrip album. The end product puts Monster Magnet squarely in the driver's seat of today's mainstream hard rock crop. This stuff is practically flawless.
One thing that separates Monolithic Baby from the band's last couple albums is its complete lack of filler. This is arguably the most solid offering the boys have ever served up. Check the nasty riff on "Radiation Day" or the swirlingly heavy mindwarp of "Ultimate Everything" for proof of Monster Magnet's commitment to all things brutal. Covers of Hawkwind side-project Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters' "The Right Stuff" on top of "There's No Way Out Of Here" by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour remind listeners of the space rock and psych influences that have run deeply through the band's music over the years. Speaking of psych, Wyndorf leads the troops through the cleaner pop end of that style during "Too Bad." Still, nothing brings it all together here like "Monolithic" does. This one has menace, chunk, a sense of pure rock n' roll, and an infectuaous chorus, all in a single package.
Longtime fans are probably going to keep chanting for a remake of Spine Of God until the day they die. That's their problem. For everyone else, Monolithic Baby will prove to be an enjoyable album and one of the best mainstream hard rock has seen in ages. Monster Magnet have crafted a disc that really lives up to its title, this time out.
Score this CD directly from SPV
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