Customer Reviews

Dopes to Infinity

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is the reason I despise MTV and commercial radio. To think that I've lived my life for four years without this album, or even the knowledge of it's existance! If it hadn't been for Powertrip's radio play, I would have lived on never knowing that this band still existed. Every track on this album is infused with energy, and memorable in it's own right. This band opened for Marilyn Manson? In a just world, the situation would have been reversed. This band is all about energetic rock, and totally free of pretention and fake emo posturing. Try it, you'll like it... especially if you're like me, a music fan who's felt deserted by Metallica and Megadeth, and either disgusted or unimpressed by recent entries into the heavy music market.

Only once every few years do I happen to find an album that is so beautifully crafted, that it is near impossible to select any favorites from the album, or only listen to one song; Dopes to Infinity is one of those few albums, where the album might as well be one long song, instead of divided into 12 individual sections.

MM blend psychedelic and rock elements together to create an hour long episode inside MM's brainchild Dave Wyndorf. The lyrics are purposefully written to be obscure with many science fiction and space-tinged themes, which is one of MM's glamors by truly being askew from the normal, standard popular rock crowd.

While I find it difficult to select any one song as a favorite, the top of my list would be "Dopes", "Negasonic" (which is the song that introduced me to MM), "Third Alternative" and "King of Mars". The lowest points I would point out would be Blow 'Em Off and Dead Christmas which have a more acoustic feel to them, but even they have their shining moments.

Not only would I label this among my favorite albums in my collection, this album has also placed its stamp in my life, detailing my life back in 1995-6.

While they are currently relegated to opening for Marilyn Manson, Monster Magnet undoubtedly deserves to be touring on their own. Dopes to Infinity was probably one of, if not THE most underrated rawk album of 1995. You will really be missing a gem if you don't buy this one.

The lads of MM aim to play with the big cats on this album and they succeed beyond their wildest dreams. The title track opens the album with nerve shattering snorting violence and the action doesn't let up until 70 minutes later. "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" can be used as a therapeutic device for highschool brats. "I will deny you!" That is, you've got nothing on me, you pseudo-peers. Things get downright scary in "All Friends and Kingdom Come." But like any good trashy horror novel, if you're not scared you wouldn't be getting what you want. Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land meant to purge its readers of pity and fear. MM agree. By making you so damn scared you get a huge rush when you realize that what's so bloody scary is YOU. If you like trash, you probably read comics. & Dave and the boys have come up with the perfect soundtrack to any cosmic comic with "Ego the Living Planet." This one can be profitably listened to while you read things like Marvel's Earth X. "I Control I Fly" kicks out the jams and rocks frenetically, while "Dead Christmas" provides some darkly amusing moments of introspection.

This is the best thing that Monster Magnet has produced so far. But I suspect that they're only beginning to tap into the demented mind of the teenage brat. We Want More!

their best album ever!!! this album combines black sabbath doom style riff-o-rama with hawkwind style psychadelic mind mending music to offer up, without a doubt, the most awesome album MM ever spewed forth. despite the few reviewers who do not see the beauty of this album, i assure you, this is the goods delivered.
with hits like "negasonic teenage warhead" with the simple verse riff (one string strummed) and the flanger to give it flavor which leads us to the explosive awesome chorus that just makes me jump out of my skin. we also have the instrumental "ego, the living planet" which is a bit repitive but still rocks. "look to the orb for the warning" and "third alternative" are alos worth noting as exceptional pieces.
this whole album i can listen to from start to finish & top to bottom. rarely do i skip a track and when its over, frequently do i replay some of them. if this is your first MM experience or you are looking to get into them, this is one good place to start but you may be too blown away to go to work tommorow.

What more can be said about Monster Magnet? That they are one of the last orginal rock bands in existance? That their sound is a culmination of everything from punk to heavy metal? That Dave Wyndorf is a genius? All have been said before. The proof? This album: Dopes to Infinity.

from the very beginning Dopes to Infinity is something special. The title track is not only heavy, blusy, and smashed, it is almost anthem like to the point where the word "beautiful" is not over doing it. The blistering assault of Negasonic Teenage Warhead is a quintacential hook of the album. With an infinitly hummable tune and a chorus you'll find yourself singing aloud to yourself. Look to Your Orb for the Waring is is perhaps the albums best song musically with it's obvious nods to not only Sabbath and Deep Purple, but also to Pink Floyd and even Nirvana. I Control I fly is one of the heavyest tracks to ever come out of the band, burning with energy and Daves ego in full swing. Dead Christmas is the albums wild card. All it needs is Jim Morrison instead of Dave to make it a Doors song! The album as a whole is a phenomina not seen in ages. Like AC/DC's Back in Black, Magnet will more than likely never be able to top this release. Certainly almost nobody else can. My advice: By this album, you will not regret it.

Back in the early 2000's, Monster Magnet was pretty much a band that I overlooked. Out of all of their songs, "Powertrip," "Look To Your Orb for the Warning," and "Heads Explode" were the only ones that kept me engaged. Now, I delved deeper into their music, and immediately I was hooked. Monster Magnet has become one of my all-time favorite bands (alongside Deep Purple, Korn, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Mad at Gravity). So far, I've become a satisfied listener with 4-Way Diablo, Monolithic Baby, and Powertrip. Dopes to Infinity is close to perfection. The music is just right for my ears. "Look To Your Orb For the Warning" is my top favorite from this album (not because of The Matrix, trust me). "Dopes to Infinity" is a fantastic introduction to the album, and "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" deserves to be a single. From "All Friends and Kingdom Come," straight to "Vertigo," it's a completely satisfying experience.

It's too bad that Monster Magnet isn't very famous around the world. Looks like the music only applies to a specific taste. Despite that, I'm glad that I've explored the band's musical world. So now I can fully enjoy their music anytime.

Grade: 10/10

Also from Monster Magnet

Powertrip (10/10) Powertrip
Monolithic Baby! (9.4/10) Monolithic Baby
4-Way Diablo (8.9/10) 4-Way Diablo

Simply the best MM ever IMHO.
Nasty... Trippy... & Great Production & Sound.

Let the "Melt-Down" begin.

"Dopes to Infinity" is Monster Magnet at their absolute best. Listening to Dave Wyndorf and the gang's recent output it's hard to even compare, such is the fall from grace. Thankfully though, this album and its predecessors are superb. Catchy, melodic, fuzzy and spacey, the sound is irresistible.

In fact, the first six tracks on "Dopes to Infinity" make up some of the very best stoner rock to come out of the 90s. Tracks like "Look to Your Orb For Warning", "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" and the title track perfectly blend grooving, fuzzy riffs with melodic hooks, all encapsulating Wyndorf's raspy and powerful vocals. There's slower, more psychedelic edged tracks, the best of which "All Friends and Kingdom Come" wonderfully forges a kind of melancholy, trippy atmosphere. It's all great and consistent listening. Monster Magnet at their best are superb; it's a real shame it went downhill from here.

I've noted someone has tagged this album as 'mean'. Damn right, this is mean f**king goodness. Yeah.

Wyndorf at his songwriting peak here. Gone are the albumside-long psychedelic jams, and interstellar freak-outs-- Monster Magnet are clearly headed for mass appeal with this hour+ longplayer. "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" is "Smells Like Teen Spirit," with a few more hooks and a cool stoner vibe-- in other words, a bona-fide hit. These guys should be millionaires...