Monster Magnet - Mastermind

[mr dave]

Monster Magnet - Mastermind - 2010

it's not going to convert listeners but if you dig on heavy, spaced out, sludgy bluesy rock then you've probably already been listening to the band for a while. Mastermind is by far the slowest album they've ever released but it never grinds down to a halt or loses its groove. there are still a few good kicking jams on here but they serve more as breaks from the doom that permeates the rest of the album.

what really separates Monster Magnet from its contemporaries for me is that Wyndorf has an obvious love/hate relationship with the world. it's stoner rock for people who feel like they don't have an alternative instead of a bunch of kids who want to get shtonerdz and scream 420 yo! hur hur hur! it's cranky old man blues for anyone who's stopped giving a crap about what 'cool' is supposed to be.

my biggest complaint with the album stems from having listened to the band so much over the years. there are a fair pile of repeating riffs. on one hand it can be indicative of creative laziness or complacency, on the other it's like revisiting consistent themes that have been present on every album. 100 Million Miles is probably the guiltiest track on the album in regards to repetition but whatever, it's quintessentially Monster Magnet start to finish.

only one man really knows the answer to that situation, if there's more water in the well i'll gladly buy the next albums and keep worshiping at the altar of the Bullgod. if not i'd GLADLY buy a re-recorded version of Superjudge.

stand out track:
100 Million Miles
Dig That Hole
The Titan That Cried Like a Baby

for those needing a score - 7/10 - rehashed music, fantastic songwriting.