Monster Magnet – Mastermind (2010)

After reaching considerable popularity a few years ago with “Powertrip”, Monster Magnet tries to get back on the saddle with “Mastermind” after a few lackluster albums with SPV. “Mastermind” is a very catchy and overall solid release that will surely please fans of the band and will probably even do well in terms of sales since the band (somewhat) returns to their familiar sound of the past.

Now on Napalm Records, the band structures their songs with catchy riffs and powerful vocal lines. There is not much to the band’s music other than its catchy and well constructed. Each song is a hard rocking anthem that will keep you listening to this album over and over for days.

The band mixes Stoner/Space rock influences with some Metal elements and creates a very characteristic sound that will allow you to recognize Monster Magnet from miles away. The guitar work is excellent and on songs like “Time Machine”, “Ghost Story” in contrast to “Hallucination Bomb” and “Bored with Sorcery” it’s very diverse and appealing. The flow of the album is interesting since the band’s music is a bit slow at times, and as the songs progress we get even slower songs like “Ghost Story”.

The drumming is very well times and very tight, making the songs sound more guitar/vocals oriented. The bass guitar is nicely mixed, allowing it to shine when it’s needed only. In general terms, the bands music is nothing out of this world, but it’s good enough to keep fans of the genre and the band pleased for the duration of this release.

If you are a fan of the band, you will surely like “Mastermind”, but if you are looking for something a bit faster paced and less repetitive, might as well looks somewhere else. In our opinion, the sound of “Mastermind” is something that if you are not a fan of the band (or genre) will take a while to get used to it.

Release: October 25th, 2010

Country: USA