Monster Magnet: I Control, I Fly

Face-melting space rock. Countdown to blast-off...

Monster Magnet: Brainstorm

Some most excellent space rock. Monster Magnet's smoking, face-melting cover of Hawkwind's BRAINSTORM. Enjoy.

Monster Magnet: King of Mars

Monster Magnet: Dead Christmas

Captain Beyond: Frozen Over

An excellent example of unpretentious, heavy psych prog rock. Captain Beyond's energy and creativity was out of control. Just give their 1971 self-titled debut album a listen. If you are into Monster Magnet, take note. Besides the obvious Black Sabbath and Hawkwind influences, Captain Beyond is part of the backbone of Monster Magnet's sound. Here's "Frozen Over" for your aural pleasure.

TROUBLE

Ok. I know I've written a lot about these guys on this blog but bear with me. Trouble's self-titled 1989 release is the first album I ever heard of theirs. I was in tenth grade, and it really made an impression on me. I was just starting to get into Black Sabbath at the time. I liked Sabbath's sound, and this album really floored me. It opened my eyes and ears to the world of late 1960's and early 1970's heavy rock and metal. There are so many influences that Trouble wears on their sleeves and make completely their own on this album. There is the doom of Sabbath, the adrenaline fueled, much more upbeat and heavy doom of Pentagram, the heavy harmonies and song structures of The Beatles at their gloomiest, and a hint of the pure hippiefied gloom of Donovan. I would not have the interest in doom & psych metal that I have today if it weren't for these guys. I can almost bet money that Monster Magnet and Kyuss paid close attention to this album when they were crafting their own, more modern brand of psychedelic metal in the early to mid 1990's.

Let me start by saying that the message of this album is overtly Christian. But there is a strange paradox here. The message on the surface seems positive, but if you dig a bit deeper it is far from it. The lyrics convey a strong sense of fear, paranoia, depression and hoplessness. There is little faith in humanity. They make you feel as if you are backed into a corner and the only way out is to hope for a better place in the afterlife. They leave you with the impression that hope for life in the hereafter is not the best alternative either. But what else is there? An impending sense of doubt, depression, and cynicism overrides any positive message found in the lyrics. Eric Wagner's vocals are tortured and full of pain, yet melodic and instantly accessible. The musicianship is incredible here.The crushing guitar work never lets up, even when it is at it's most mellow. A deep seated sense of dread, paranoia,and fear hangs over every note of music played on this disc. When Eric Wagner sings that he has 'heaven on his mind', the music tells you the exact opposite. This disc is a walking paradox, and that is what makes it so great. The blind optimism of the Christian faith meets a cold brush with reality here. When you get through listening to this album, you will not want to convert. Far from it...it leaves you with the chills and the need to listen to something more cheerful or to go isolate yourself in a dark room for a while, contempalting suicide.

This is Trouble's greatest release, bar none. There is not a weak song on here. A few of my all time favorites are "The Wolf", the Donovan-like "The Misery Shows Act 3", and the drug addled full on psych/biker/metal of "Black Shapes of Doom". I cannot recommend this disc enough. It is only in print digitally...check out Amazon to download it for $9.99 US. To buy this one on disc will cost you a pretty penny indeed. Here's "The Wolf" and "Black Shapes of Doom". Enjoy.

MONSTER MAGNET: SPINE OF GOD

I'm a huge fan of Monster Magnet, as all of you should know by now. Although I enjoy all of their material, I may have been mistaken on one count. In a previous review I had stated that that "Superjudge" (1993) was their best release hands down....well, I've been listening to their previous release "Spine of God" (1992) a lot lately, and let me tell you, it takes the new title of Monster Magnet's greatest.

Why have I not given this album the credit it deserves, you may ask? First of all, "Superjudge" was the first Monster Magnet tape I had ever heard. I soon discovered "Spine of God", but I was disappointed. The production was weak in my eyes....it was too hazy and not loud enough for me at the time. Also the guitar playing was different, not as metal driven as I was used to from the space lords, so I set this album aside for a while.

Later on, as I grew wiser in my years, I slowly rediscovered "Spine of God" and I can't get enough of it. This is one hell of a heavy psych metal album. Not as visceral as their later works but it is ten times more potent. They are more blues and heavy psych driven here. The main difference is the guitar work of John McBain, who would leave the band after this album. His guitar playing is not quite as intense as Ed Mundell's on "Superjudge" but every note is fuzzed out, feed back ridden, and lysergic....his playing leads you deep into the reaches of inner and outer space netherworlds that are nigh obtainable. Dave Wyndorf's vocals sound more drug addled and slurred than ever. The perfect Monster Magnet album. Eight tracks...all heavy, brain melting madness. Prepare your spaceship for blast off in 666 seconds and don't forget to pack plenty of beer and whatever else you may need.

GRAVEYARD

I don't know what it is about Sweden. The country continues to crank out one brilliant retro/psych/doom rock/metal band after another, such as Witchcraft and Troubled Horse. I just discovered another excellent Swedish band called Graveyard. Their music is exceptional...it's filled with your usual retro Pentagram, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath worship, but these guys add a modern, driving touch to their music as well. The vocal delivery is akin to a cross Glen Danzig, Ian Astbury of The Cult, and Jim Morrison. The music reminds of the heavy, starry eyed, retro rock of The Cult and also Glen Danzig's solo work at times. The guitar playing is fuzzed out, psychedelic, and euphoric, reminding me of the guitar work of Monster Magnet and space rock gods Hawkwind at times.

Anyway, Graveyard has one self titled album that came out in 2008. I just purchased it this morning and comes highly recommended. Here's the first track, "Evil Ways". I'm sure you will enjoy.

I'm Out of Here...

I'm out of here...headed out of town for three days on a much needed mini-vacation. Will be back late Sunday night and I'm taking Monday off from work, so expect a new post then. In the mean time, check out some of my favorite links I have listed to the bottom right. These are sure to keep you entertained. Until then...see you Monday.

CAPTAIN BEYOND

Captain Beyond's self titled first album from 1972 is a classic of early psych metal. It features the original vocalist of Deep Purple Rod Evans, Iron Butterfly guitarist Larry Reinhardt and bassist Lee Dorian, and Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell. This is an amazing release. Heavy, aggressive, euphoric, hippie metal with menacing prog rock undertones. They sound like a deranged mixture between several popular bands of their time. There is the dark riffing of Black Sabbath and Pentagram, the speed and spaciness of Hawkwind, the acid-drenched euphoria of Blue Cheer, the bluesiness of Jimi Hendrix, the heavy vocal harmonies of Cream, and the early prog-metal of King Crimson. They mix all of these sounds that into something that is completely their own. Captain Beyond is overwhelmingly vicious and face melting, even when they are trying to be mellow. Every track is not perfect on here, but this album works well as a whole. All of the tracks bleed together seamlessly, and there are recurring musical and lyrical themes throughout the album. The musicianship is raw yet focused. The music ventures from fuzzed out heavy garage psych to frighteningly focused bizarre, time signatures and dissonant chords, often at the drop of a hat. The vocals remind me of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Pentagram's Bobby Liebling. As a whole, Captain Beyond's first album is a blinding burst of early psychedelic metal. It's influence is still being felt today. Monster Magnet has something to owe to the unbridled, spacey euphoria of their sound to Captain Beyond. Note Monster Magnet's song ''Twin Earth" . The riff is almost identical, and this song was in a a way an open tribute to Captain Beyond. Orange Goblin's doom laden hippie biker metal riffing also owes some debt to this band.

Here's "Mesmerization Eclipse" and "Raging River of Fear". Enjoy.

Mesmerization Eclipse - Captain Beyond

Raging River Of Fear - Captain Beyond

MONSTER MAGNET: 4-WAY DIABLO

Monster Magnet's 2007 release "4-Way Diablo" is their strongest and most focused album to date The mood of this disc is much darker than their earlier efforts, and the songwriting is superb, with a lot of attention paid to melody and strong hooks. "4-Way Diablo" has a glossy 1970's production, and Dave Wyndorf's vocals are commanding, lysergic, and stronger than ever. HIs voice seems to get better with age. The reason for the dark edge to this album is that Dave Wyndorf almost died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills before he wrote these songs. Not to say that Monster Magnet has lost their powerful trippy edge. Far from it. "4-Way Diablo" is loaded with heavy space rock, retro 1970's metal, and starry eyed drug and libido driven 1970's rock. There is a very faithful cover of The Rolling Stone's space rock classic "A Million Light Years from Home". A few of my favorite tracks are the world devouring spacey "Cyclone", and the burnt out 1960's garage punk psychedelia of the title track. There is also a surprising use of piano in a few songs, most notably and effectively in "I'm Calling You". "4-Way Diablo" is an excellent album from a band that has been around a good while and keeps getting better with every release. Highly recommended. Can't wait for them to come out with a new one.

Here's the title track and "I'm Calling You". Enjoy.

MONSTER MAGNET: "SUPERJUDGE"

I've been a fan of the band Monster Magnet for years. The first ablum of theirs I bought was "Superjudge", way back in 1993. I love all of their material, but for some reason, this album always stands out to me. Maybe it is because it is the first album I heard by them. Who knows, but I will tell you this: "Superjudge" is in my opinion the most perfect space rock album ever made. Dave Wyndorf and crew were definitely channeling the powers of the psychedelic space lords on this release.

"Superjudge" is the perfect blend of Hawwind(they even cover "Brainstorm"), the euphoria of Blue Cheer, the retro-doom riffing of Black Sabbath, and a giant, 1970's arena rock sound and vibe. Monster Magnet blasts you off into outer space from the first few seconds of the first track "Cyclops Revolution", and they don't let you land until the closing notes of 'Black Balloon". By then you are exhausted from such a long and intense, yet highly enjoyable journey through space. Dave Wyndorf's lyrics are the perfect blend of psychedelia, science fiction, and intentional rock star cliches. His commanding, lysergic vocals perfectly fit the world eating euphoria of the music. All of the tracks are incredible on this album. I can't think of any real standouts because "Superjudge" is best appreciated as a whole. Listen to it all the way through, play it loud on some good speakers, and have a safe trip.

Here's the videos to "Twin Earth" and "Face Down".

LOWRIDER: "ODE TO IO"

Lowrider is a Swedish stoner metal band that only released one album, "Ode To Io", in the year 2000. Their sound is an impressive yet somewhat derivative mixture of the sun-drenched desert metal of Kyuss and a hint of the world-eating psychedelia of Monster Magnet. Their music is very heavy and low-tuned, with the vocals being somewhat reminiscent of John Garcia of Kyuss. They are not your most original sounding stoner metal band out there, but their material is heavy, convincing and well executed. I recommend tracking this one down if you're into this genre of music. It will not disappoint. Here's "Convoy" and "Dust Settlin". Enjoy.

THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX

The Atomic Bitchwax are a formidable psychedelic/space rock band fronted by Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell as a side project. Their strongest release is their self-titled effort from 1999. The tracks are predominantly instrumental. Their sound is a mixture of Sabbath riffery, the euphoria of The Stooges, the world-eating psychedelia of Monster Magnet, the blistering space rock of Hawkwind, the dementia of Helios Creed, and just plain earthy trippy blues improvisation. There are some evil, spaced-out sound effects on this album, many of them coming from the bass guitar. Not quite as commanding as Monster Magnet, but still a good listen. Some stand out tracks are the scorching blues of "Birth to the Earth", the jump to hyperdrive space rock number "Hey Alright", and the Black Sabbath-esque "Kiss the Sun". Highly recommended.

03 Hey Alright.wma -

02 Birth to the Earth.wma -

SAINT VITUS

Saint Vitus. A legendary psychedelic doom metal band whose best moments(to me) were in the mid to late 1980's . Their three best albums are "Born Too Late"(1987), "Mournful Cries"(1988), and "V"(1989). Their sound is very Black Sabbath oriented, with a dose of Black Flag and a heavy dose of psychedelia thrown into the mix. The tempos are agonizingly slow yet hypnotic...they reach a nice head banging mid-pace every now and then. The guitar playing is thick, sludgy, and heavy, with guitar solos that conjure up the darkest psychedelic demons from the depths of hell. Scott "Wino" Weinrich's vocals owe some debt to Ozzy, but they also have a rough and reflective edge. Saint Vitus's influence on stoner metal as well as as doom/goth metal is tremendous. Bands ranging from the psych/space rock of Monster Magnet to the gloomy, acid laden goth rock of Christian Death(with Rozz Williams) to the superbly crafted doom of Electric Wizard owe a heavy debt to their work.

Saint Vitus never achieved commercial success. They stayed true to their sound and roots, and maintained a loyal cult following. Their vocalist Wino left the band and formed The Obsessed and later Spirit Caravan. Saint Vitus continued to make music for many years in different incarnations.

Here's the slow, title track from their first album with Wino, "Born Too Late". A hippie metal anthem. The album is a raw, sludge laden masterpiece.


Here's "Dragon Time" from "Mournful Cries", hands down the gloomiest album of the three.


And here's "Ice Monkey" and "I Bleed Black" from "V", my personal favorite CD of theirs.

WITCHCRAFT: THE ALCHEMIST

Withchcraft. I know I've posted about them before, but I just can't enough of their unique brand of neo late '60's early '70's psych rock. I've been spinning their latest album "The Alchemist" a lot lately and I swear these guys are on to something big....
If you're into The Doors, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Cream, Jethro Tull and the like check this album out.
Here's "Walk Between the Lines", a perfect song that ventures into territory that even Monster Magnet, the kings of psych rock, have trouble pulling off. This song has been stuck in my head every day since I first heard it almost a nine months ago.

Walk between the lines - Witchcraft

And here's "If Crimson Was Your Colour", a vicious track that would do both Jim Morrison and Danzig proud.