One would think after Dave Wyndorf — lead singer, songwriter
and guitarist of Monster Magnet — almost died of a drug overdose, he might
consider scaling back from playing a genre of music called stoner rock. But, no,
Dave just keeps on (space) truckin' with his highway star. After a three-year
lapse since their last record, Monolithic
Baby!, Monster Magnet releases 4-Way
Diablo, an album that is easily among their best work to date and arguably
their best album post-Powertrip.
4-Way continues
the course set by Monolithic, one
which takes the best of their "old" sound, true stoner rock, and the best of
their "new" sound — half stoner rock, half cock rock. The main progression here
is the overall lack of anthems; the elements are still there, to be sure, but
don't count on very many catchy-as-hell choruses like past singles "Powertrip"
and "Heads Explode." Instead, most songs here recall the old, slow burning
sound for which Monster Magnet is known. The difference is that the slow burn
of Superjudge has been streamlined,
as there are no seven- or eight-minute freak-outs here. In other words, the
songs are memorable, but they take a few listens to completely grasp all the
hidden melodies and guitar lines.
In all likeliness, long-time fans will cry foul and accuse
the band of having sacrificed its stoner-friendly sound for a more rock star
approach. This isn't so. Songs like "A Thousand Stars" and "2000 Light Years
from Home" — a Rolling Stones cover — prove Monster Magnet still has the
ability to create the perfect soundtrack to get high to.
If there is a downside to recent Magnet releases, it's
easily the production. Stoner rock/metal is generally known for having a "thick"
sound (see Kyuss's Blues
for the Red Sun) with
detuned guitars and bass up front in the mix. The last two Magnet records,
however, suffer from modern rock production: lots of guitar and drums which
dominate the bass. Sure, it sounds good, but it just doesn't have that wall-of-sound
punch that bands like Fu Manchu have held onto.
Lyrically, Dave
has never strayed very far from what he knows best: sex. Quite a few of his
songs either discuss sex, the potential of sex or its aftereffects. In 4-Way, however, Dave discusses his
recent overdose on the title track (most likely, anyway). Sure, there are sex related
tracks here like "Wall of Fire," but that topic seemed to be linked to drug use.
In fact, the whole album could read as Dave's coping with near death. Lines
like "Jump in the reactor and melt/ So far away" from "No Vacation" and "You got troubles/ Yes it's true/ And they all begin with you" from
"Little Bag of Gloom" conjure an image of Dave looking at himself in the mirror
and realizing what a mistake he made.
It is unlikely that this record will produce a radio hit anywhere nearly
as successful as "Space Lord" was back in 1998. Still, don't hold that against
Monster Magnet, because they have made another great record that is just a joy
to listen to. 4-Way Diablo may not be
gold according to the RIAA, but it certainly will be to Magnet fans.
