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Jun 14, 2023 By James Thornhill Web Exclusive

“Space” is a word that fits into the story of Monster Magnet in many ways. Not just as part of the myriad descriptions of their music but also in the idea that they don’t really fit into one, not in terms of music or, anything really.

Space rock? Stoner rock? Alt metal? Hard rock? Where does Monster Magnet fit? Since emerging in 1989 and performing in the orbit of the biggest grunge, metal, stoner and hard rock bands they have co-existed but never been the “same”. A little too clean for out-and-out stoner rock, too fuzzy for simple hard rock and with too much of an air of garage punk to be totally metal, Monster Magnet cut their own shape.

Frontman and only remaining original member of the band Dave Wyndorf, explains “I didn’t think of Magnet as a metal band at all, really. All my influences were 60s and early 70s garage punk, psych and hard rock. Also, bands like Mudhoney and Soundgarden. I couldn’t sing in a high voice like the heavy metal classic singers nor could I do a convincing “cookie monster” growl that was popular at the time. Haha! I guess I was stuck with what I had and I had to make that work and maybe that made a difference to the listeners.”

Certainly, the thing that Magnet achieved was making a “difference” to listeners who found a band with elements of the biggest rock genres with a directness and playfulness other acts were missing, especially as they became a cult favourite in the early part of the 1990s. By 1998’s breakthrough classic album Powertrip they had arguably perfected their sound, a “sound” that has had music writers and fans scrambling for the correct definition ever since.

Sure they have an obvious “heavy and spacy sound” but while they codified the new stoner rock sound of the early 90s with Kyuss etc and played with Soundgarden, they have tinges of psychedelia, and the cosmic wonders of space rock titans Hawkwind. To bring the classic riffage there is a direct line back to the proto-metal Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath, all with a no-nonsense punk energy. Yes, all that!

Like so much rock music (whether most people recognise it or not), the influence of Hawkwind is massive with Monster Magnet. On 2021 covers album A Better Dystopia they even made a faithful, if amped up, version of “Born To Go”, a pillar of Hawkwind’s mind-destroying live album ‘Space Ritual’ (in its 9 minutes 56 seconds epicness).

Turning fifty last month, that live album is arguably the best live rock album of all time but rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as other albums from the era. “Right! No disrespect to Pink Floyd but Space Ritual always ruled over Dark Side in my mind,” explains Wyndorf.

“I was of a generation that came of age right after flower power and a lot of the new bands on the scene were louder and stranger than anything that had come before. Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, and The Stooges were among them. And of course, the mighty Hawkwind. To my 14-year-old mind, Hawkwind was the most “out there” of anyone. Their sound, their lyrics and their album covers all seemed totally created in another universe. Yeah, Sabbath and the Stooges were badass but Hawkwind was from outer space! And they rocked hard!”

The band took their love of other bands’ music and pumped it into the homage album A Better Dystopia, which came into existence at a time when the very essence of their own band (playing live) was curtailed by the global pandemic.

“We were in the middle of a two-part tour when the pandemic hit and we had to cancel part two. We were all into the groove from the shows and I thought that instead of sitting down and writing it would be more fun just to get into a studio and blast it out,” says Wyndorf of how their covers album came into being.

“We recorded together in (Monster Magnet drummer) Bob Pantella’s little local studio. We had been together on a tour bus for five weeks and none of us had Covid so we decided to take the chance.”

Giving the Monster Magnet treatment to acts like The Pretty Things, The Scientists, Table Scraps, Poobah and JD Blackfoot, A Better Dystopia is a Magnet taking stock of where they come from and why they love music. And it sounds like that. With the clouds of covid dissipating, the band are able to tour again and record. Is there new Monster Magnet music on the horizon?

“I’ve written a few things but we haven’t recorded anything yet. I guess it’s that time again!”, says Wyndorf.

Next month, the band play the new stoner-focused rock festival Bear Stone Festival which takes place in rural Croatia alongside Orange Goblin and an exceptional line-up of fuzzy rock goodness. Trippy visuals and cosmic sounds in a naturally stunning environment sounds like the best place to see a band like Monster Magnet, but where else draws memories for a gig in a unique setting?

“Oh, there’s so many! But one of the coolest things that ever happened was when we played years ago at a little festival deep in the German forest,” says Wyndorf. “All day it looked like it was going to rain and by the time we hit the stage in late afternoon, we were sure it was going to interrupt the set. As we performed our last song (Spine Of God) the sky grew so dark it was like night had fallen. In the last part of that song I shouted the words “Centre of the universe!” and at that EXACT moment, a HUGE bolt of lightning lit up the sky and created a spider web of electricity that covered the sky. It was better than any stage effect I’ve ever seen and the audience wholeheartedly agreed. Within a minute the heavy rains fell, the thunder boomed and we were off stage. Greatest ending ever!”

There you have it, as well as channelling space, Monster Magnet can literally harness electricity directly from nature - what is more powerful than that?

Monster Magnet play Bear Stone Festival in Croatia: https://bearstonefestival.com/