Customer Reviews

Powertrip

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With the demise of bands such as Soundgarden and Nirvana over the last few years, and the increasing wimpiness of the bigger rock bands that remain, such as Metallica and the Smashing Pumpkins, the future of rock music was starting to look pretty bleak. The future is starting to look a bit brighter, thanks to New Jersey's Monster Magnet.With "Powertrip", Monster Magnet wisely chose to abandon the psychedelic stoner rock of their previous efforts, 1995's "Dopes to Infinity" and 1993's "Superjudge, in favor of simple, heavy guitar-rock that would make Black Sabbath proud. MM's ringleader/psycho-genius, David Wyndorf, wrote all of the music and the lyrics in Las Vegas, where he forced himself to hole up in a hotel room, until he had an album's worth of material. Twenty-one days later, he returned to New Jersey with twenty-one songs written, thirteen of which wound up on "Powertrip", the band's most aggressive and mature album to date. Themes of greed and lust are evident throughout the lyrics and even the album's cover, which features pictures of scantily-clad women and dollar bills falling from the sky, clearly a result of Wyndorf's Vegas "vacation". With songs such as the Metallica-style opening track, "Crop Circle", and the Soundgarden-esque "Atomic Clock", Wyndorf makes no apologies for wanting to rock like a rock band should. But this album is not just an hour's worth of rock with gratuitous guitar solos (which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing); in fact, the heavy songs are nicely contrasted with the '60's pop-rock-sounding "See You In Hell" and the surf-guitar tinged "19 Witches".Wyndorf is ably backed by his band that features should-be-guitar-god, Ed Mundell, as well as, drummer, Jon Kleiman, and Joe Calandra on bass. Having toured with the likes of Aerosmith, Van Halen, Marilyn Manson, and Metallica, it looks like Monster Magnet is here to stay, at least for a while.Suburban teenage boys all across America finally have a band that is air-guitar worthy, and their parents are going to hate it. Thanks, Dave Wyndorf, for finally making things right again.

"Powertrip", Monster Magnet's fourth album (and considered by many their breakthrough album), is a wild, tripped out stoner rock experience. Vocalist Dave Wyndorf's comic inspired lyrics paired with his views on the world are a bit toungue in cheek, but where Monster Magnet really shines is in their supercharged, layered guitar, libido driven rock & roll that has become the band's trademark. The title track and the tripped out "Space Lord" were actually hit singles (the title track is unbelieveably catchy and adrenaline pumping), and other great songs like "Crop Circle", "Tractor", "Temple of Your Dreams", and "See You in Hell" are all great songs that will make any headbanger proud. While there are many a listener that won't dig the band, fans of bands like Fu Manchu, good 'ol Black Sabbath, Faith No More, or even Queens of the Stone Age will find something to dig about Monster Magnet and "Powertrip".

Wow. This album is Fantastic. In my opinion, its by far the best thing they've ever done. MM make some of the most exciting rock music around, and theres lots of stoner, metal nad psychadelic influences. My favourite tracks are the first 3, but the whole album is great.

Just a warning to fans of "Dopes...."-era monster magnet, they're much more straightforward and focussed now then they were then, so this is a much less experimental album, you may be disappointed.

I highly reccomend this album to anyone who like exciting, guitar-heavy rock. If you're open-minded and like wierd, experimental stuff, check out "Dopes to Infinity". "God Says No" is a pretty good album too, but its a little too mellow for me.

Monster Magnet has been a staple in my cd collection since '95 and should be in any rock afficianado's cd case. All of their cds are worth getting and i won't hesitate to get the soon to be released fifth cd "God says NO" or the other possible title "Heads Explode." Hopefully the sooner the better.

A strong, mixed bag of an album that draws subject matter ranging from Las Vegas freaks to sci fi to cultivating fields ("I know that I'm gone/When I'm drivin' the Tractor on the drug farm"). What Dave Wyndorf has done here is to show people that it IS cool to be rock and that Godzilla sized riffs will NEVER DIE!! Recommended listening: Take a trip to Vegas, stand on the Strip, and crank this for the ultimate soundtrack to the City of Sin. Although this is one of those rare albums that stands best as a whole, stand out tracks include "Crop Circle," "Powertrip," "Space Lord," "Tractor," and "Baby Gotterdamerung." Totally senseless, fun, over the top, metallic rock. Hail the King of New Rock, Wyndorf be thy name. Cheers!! Vegas or Bust!!

YES! This is the stuff, the righteous 'n' raucous scalding stoner rock with brains and a heart and a sense of humor. So many bands profess to purvey it but almost none deliver the goods except Brother Wyndorf & Co.

Only two questions: Why did the Magnet not become mammoth stars? And how did the far less interesting Queens of the Stone Age get so dadblamed big?

Verily, these are eternal mysteries.

"I'm never gonna work another day in my life/The Gods told me to relax, they said I'm gonna get fixed up right."

You can pretty much just look at the cover of this album and know it's gonna be good. Anybody who's drawn to the Magnet (pun intended), should totally dig this. It's their typical psychedelic-stoner-metal. I hesitate to say Powertrip is as good as Dopes, but it's roughly as rockin'. "Crop Circle" and the title track kick this off in grand style, and it doesn't let up much after. "Space Lord" of course is the bomb, and drops like one. "Bummer" is classic. I approve of any song that starts with the lyrics "you're looking for the one who F'd your mom, it's not me". If looking for your first Monster Magnet disc, this is a good pick. Fans of The Atomic Bitchwax, Soundgarden, and QOTSA enjoy.

If you count Monster Magnet's two EP's,this CD is the band's sixth release.'Powertrip' is quite similar to their 'Dopes To Infinity' record,which I personally think is GREAT!Yes,after merely one listen to 'Powertrip',one could say that Dave Wyndorf and crew have served up yet ANOTHER thirteen post-apocalyptic sci-fi inspired psychedelic metal tunes that IF played loud enough,just might tear our mother earth another poop hole!!Best tracks on this superb longplayer include the title cut,the ass-kicking "Space Lord","19 Witches","Third Eye Landslide" and the eerie "Goliath And The Vampires".Did you know their song on here "Tractor" originally appeared on their self-titled six-song German press debut CD?Recommended,for sure.

This album rules. Every track on this album is memorable, and not in a cheesy, one-hit-wonder kind of way. This was the second MM album I listened to, the first being Spine of God, way back in '95. This album is the first album I've listened to in nearly 4 years that made me want to get in my car and break various laws and destroy private property. It also persuaded me to fill in the gaps in my album collection with the rest of MM's CD's. This album will undoubtedly inspire people to take up the guitar, and it's criminal in my mind that the distribution of tablature on the internet is pretty much considered a cardinal sin... curse H.F.A.! Crop Circle rules. Spacelord is a bluesy hybrid, a true rock and roll masterpiece. The title track... buy, buy, buy this album. You won't be sorry. My brother thought the lyrics were corny at first.... he now owns more MM albums than I do. Rock and roll is dead? The reports are greatly exaggerated!

POWERTRIP, the fourth album from Monster Magnet, is one wild and chaotic ride definitely worth taking. From the hard-charging guitars of "Crop Circle" and the title track, to the trippy and heavy "Space Lord", and the infectiously catchy "See You In Hell", POWERTRIP isn't a bummer. This is not the king of Monster Magnet albums, but it's one thrill ride when you also add in the catchy "Temple of Your Dreams", the sprawling druggy 7-minute-plus "Bummer", and the spaghetti western twang of "19 Witches". A re-recorded version of "Tractor" is a pounding groovy rocker.

The experience of POWERTRIP is best explained by one line from "Temple of Your Dreams": "Wake up baby, cause I'm coming to you from the future." Indeed, Monster Magnet has a continuing future ahead if it can keep pace.