Artist: MONSTER MAGNET
Album: MONOLITHIC, BABY LTD. EDIT. (CD+DVD DIGI)

Release date: 2004
Media type: CD

It’s Dave Wyndorf’s enigmatic charisma, Ed Mundell (lead) and Phil Caivano’s (rhythm) dramatic guitars, plus new addition Jim Baglino’s merciless bass grooves that have made Monster Magnet one of the world’s most fascinating rock bands. Their typical, unmistakable mix of early Black Sabbath quotations, references to space rock inventors Hawkwind, the British psychedelic era of the Sixties and German psychedelic rock from the Seventies continues to be praised by press and fans alike. It was singles like ‘Negasonic Teenage Warhead’, ‘Space Lord’, or ‘Heads Explode’ that put the band on everybody’s lips, and it was the usual imponderables of the music business that have irritated Wyndorf & Co beyond the bounds of the acceptable. Thankfully, all this is behind Monster Magnet, while the release of Monolithic Baby! on SPV and an extensive European tour in Spring 2004 lie ahead of the band. Mastermind Wyndorf is full of optimism: “At last we’ve signed with a label again where it’s the music that matters rather than all sorts of marketing strategies. That’s very inspiring for us as musicians, and doubtlessly it will also be to our fans’ benefit.”

Still he never lost sight of his band’s concerns and is now ready to present the new album, Monolithic Baby!, which he refers to as “Twentieth century rock’n’roll psychedelia, larger than life”, outlining his line of approach: “This album is a real rock’n’roll affair, with big anthems and short, straightforward numbers, performed by two guitars in a driving, bombastic sound and Monster Magnet’s unique flair.” He’s referring to tracks like ?Unbroken (Hotel Baby)`, the breathtaking ?Monolithic`, or ‘Too Bad’, delivered by Wyndorf’s expressive voice. Then there are two cover versions, namely ‘The Right Stuff’, originally from Captain Lockheed and The Starfighters, a 1974 studio recording by ex-Hawkwind vocalist Robert Calvert, and ‘There’s No Way Out Of Here’, composed by Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour and released on his first solo album in 1978. “As far as I’m concerned, this was the last real Pink Floyd classic, even if it came out on Gilmour’s solo record,” Wyndorf reckons.

Tracklist:
1) Slut Machine (3:28)
2) Supercruel (3:40)
3) On The Verge (5:54)
4) Unbroken (Hotel Baby) (3:42)
5) Radiation Day (4:48)
6) Monolithic (4:43)
7) The Right Stuff (4:32)
8) There's No Way Out Of Here (4:10)
9) Master Of Light (4:44)
10) Too Bad (3:33)
11) Ultimate Everything (7:25)
12) CNN War Theme (3:37)

Line-Up:
DAVE WYNDORF - Vocals
ED MUNDELL - Guitar
PHIL CAIVANO - Guitar
JIM BAGLINO - Bass
BOB PANTELLA - Drums