Monster Magnet

Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet live in Spain, 2008.
Background information
Origin	New Jersey, United States
Genres	Stoner rock, hard rock, heavy metal, hardcore punk, psychedelic rock
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Circuit Records (1989) Glitterhouse (1989–1991) Caroline, Atypeek Music (1991–1993) A&M Records (1993–2003) SPV Records (2003–2009) Napalm (2009–present)
Members	Dave Wyndorf Garrett Sweeny Phil Caivano Bob Pantella Chris Kosnik
Past members	Ed Mundell Joe Calandra Jon Kleiman Michael Wildwood John McBain Tim Cronin Jim Baglino

Monster Magnet is an American rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (guitar) and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band first went by the names "Dog of Mystery", "Airport 75", "Triple Bad Acid" and "King Fuzz" before finally settling on "Monster Magnet", taken from the name of a 1960s toy made by Wham-O, which Wyndorf liked when he was a child.^[1]

Career

In 1989, Monster Magnet released two demo cassettes: Forget About Life, I'm High on Dope and I'm Stoned, What Ya Gonna Do About It?. The band's first "official" release was a single "Lizard Johnny/Freakshop USA" on Long Island-based Circuit Records. The first demo and single was recorded as a three piece (McBain, guitar and bass, Wyndorf, guitar and vocals, Cronin, drums and vocals). Before the second demo Jon Kleiman and Joe Calandra joined on drums and bass respectively. Thus the line up was composed of Mcbain on guitar, Wyndorf on guitar and vocals, Cronin on vocals, Kleiman on drums and Calandra on bass. An EP followed self-titled EP from Glitterhouse Records of Germany. The EP contained the songs "Snake Dance" and "Nod Scene", (both of which would appear again on Spine of God), and "Tractor", (which would be re-recorded later for Powertrip).

In 1990 the band signed with Caroline Records and released a single "Murder/Tractor". Cronin left shortly after; although he would remain in the background- particularly at live shows- contributing to auditory effects, lights, and visuals, for many years. In 1991 they released their first full-length album, the cult classic Spine of God on the labels Go Get Organized / Atypeek Music, Primo Scree, Glitterhouse Records, Caroline Records, Glitterhouse Records. The album is hailed as one the classics of the stoner rock genre ranking 28th on Heavy Planet's "Top 50 of All Time". The album contained the single "Medicine" (which would be recorded ten years later on God Says No), which was also the band's first music video. The band followed with a tour alongside rising grunge band Soundgarden.^[2] The tour helped the band get a recording contract with major record label A&M Records.

Their final release with Caroline Records was an EP titled Tab which included, among two other marathon-length songs, a 32-minute track called "Tab...". The Tab EP was recorded before Spine of God, yet released after it. McBain quit the band soon after and was replaced by Atomic Bitchwax guitarist Ed Mundell.^[2]

1993 saw the release of the album Superjudge. While the album was released on a major label (A&M Records), it fared poorly commercially. The songs "Twin Earth" and "Face Down" were released as singles (with accompanying videos), but it did little to help promote the album.

Dopes to Infinity (1995), the follow-up record, had a hit single in "Negasonic Teenage Warhead", which benefitted from a music video that received regular rotation on MTV. Still, the album was not the success the band had hoped for.

After the Dopes to Infinity tour, Wyndorf moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in order to begin working on Powertrip (1998), a breakthrough hit that finally earned the band a gold record. Guitarist Phil Caivano joined the band in 1998.^[2] "Space Lord", the first single, was a major radio hit and the band went on tour with successful bands Aerosmith, Metallica, Rob Zombie, Hole and Marilyn Manson. The songs "Powertrip", "Temple of Your Dreams", and "See You In Hell" also received airplay on rock radio stations. The album charted at No. 97 on the Billboard 200.

After a two-year tour supporting Powertrip, the band released God Says No (2000), charting at No. 153 on the Billboard. However, it failed to match the commercial success of the band's previous release. After the release, Joe Calandra and Jon Kleiman left the band. They would be replaced by Jim Baglino and Michael Wildwood who recorded Monolithic Baby! and, after a short stint, Wildwood was replaced by former Love Among Freaks drummer Bob Pantella, respectively. The band also left A&M Records during this period.

Monster Magnet wrote and performed "Live For The Moment", which was the former entrance theme of WWE wrestler Matt Hardy from 2002 to 2010. The song also appeared on the WWF Forceable Entry compilation.

In 2003, Monster Magnet released Greatest Hits, a double album featuring their best songs, some rarities, and music videos from their time with A&M. They then signed to the European label SPV, and in early 2004 released Monolithic Baby! throughout Europe. The U.S. release followed in May on SPV America. The band had a minor hit with the song "Unbroken (Hotel Baby)".

In March, 2005, Caivano departed after seven years service in a split described as amicable by Wyndorf. A followup to Monolithic Baby! was expected in March, 2006, to coincide with their European Tour, along with re-releases of Spine of God and Tab, both featuring new artwork and liner notes; however the tour and album releases failed to materialize.

On February 27, 2006, Dave Wyndorf overdosed on prescription drugs.^[3] His management released the following statement:

The battle with one’s inner demons is the most personal fight any of us can undertake. The fight is at times a lonely, confusing journey. On the evening of February 27, Dave Wyndorf suffered a setback in his own fight and was hospitalized for a drug overdose. His full recovery is expected. We ask that all those he has encountered over the years or simply affected by his music to take a moment to think good thoughts of and for him. With the grace of God and those who love him we are all confident that Dave will rebound from this set back [sic] and continue to play and make great rock and roll.

In 2007, it was announced that Monster Magnet would release a new album, 4-Way Diablo, which had been put back for a year because of Wyndorf's overdose. It was released later that year. Later in 2007, another greatest hits collection, 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Monster Magnet, was released. "Powertrip" was used as the official theme song for the WWE pay-per-view, No Way Out 2007.

Prior to Monster Magnet's 2008 European tour, Caivano returned to the band.

On November 24, 2009, it was announced that Monster Magnet had signed a new deal with Napalm Records. The band also announced that they would enter the studio in January 2010, to record a new album for a summer release.^[4] According to Wyndorf, the band is very pleased with the label, which is "doing a good job."^[5]

The new album, entitled Mastermind, was released in October 2010. The band embarked on a massive European tour, in August and then in November–December 2010, to promote their new album.

After the Summer European tour of 2010, Ed Mundell left the band after 18 years "to collaborate with other musicians and Producers", forming The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic. Dave Wyndorf stated that Garrett Sweeny (Riotgod) will be filling Ed's spot on the tour.^[6]

In the fall of 2011, Monster Magnet toured and performed the seminal Dopes to Infinity record in its entirety throughout Europe. One year later they did the same thing with their 1992 album "Spine Of God".

Last Patrol was released in North America on October 15, 2013. The official Monster Magnet web site also announced a North American tour for the album, their first in ten years. However, the remaining shows in mid-December got cancelled because of Wyndorf's influenza. The tour resumed in Europe in January and continued through February. Wyndorf stated that the band would play at each show the entire Last Patrol.^[7]

In November 2014 and October 2015, the group released reworked versions of previous two records, entitled Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining of Last Patrol and Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux), respectively. Featuring re-recordings and new arrangements, they contained a less polished, psychedelic production. In 2016, the band reissued the A&M era LPs with bonus content via their own Spinefarm Records and toured Europe.

Influences

Monster Magnet live in 2010

Monster Magnet's style is heavily influenced by 1970s space rock such as Hawkwind, and proto-metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Captain Beyond and Sir Lord Baltimore. In addition to recording covers such as Black Sabbath's "Into the Void" (Master of Reality, 1971) and Hawkwind's "Brainstorm" (Doremi Fasol Latido, 1972), Wyndorf sometimes incorporated elements of space rock staples into his own songs. For instance, the Dopes to Infinity title track borrows some of its lyrics from "Lord of Light" (ibid.), and Superjudge's "Twin Earth" is a reinterpretation of Captain Beyond's "Mesmerization Eclipse" (Captain Beyond, 1972). The main guitar riff to the track Dopes To Infinity is lifted from The Sir Lord Baltimore song "Woman Tamer" (Sir Lord Baltimore,1971). The band has also cited British new wave / post-punk band Depeche Mode as an influence on its music. They have also covered "Black Celebration" for a 1998 Depeche Mode tribute album.

Wyndorf also is a fan of 1960s comic books, particularly Jack Kirby. He mentions Kirby in the song "Melt" from God Says No. He also mentions MODOK (on "Baby Götterdämmerung" from Powertrip) and Ego the Living Planet (on "Ego, The Living Planet" from Dopes to Infinity), both of which are Marvel Comics creations. "All Shook Out" from God Says No has a reference to "Children of the Atom" which is a reference to X-Men, also from Marvel Comics. Additionally, Marvel's Fantastic Four is referenced in the song "The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby" on their Mastermind album. Marvel is aware of the admiration, and there is a mutant named Negasonic Teenage Warhead after one of their songs.

In other media

Band members

Timeline

Members' other projects

Since the mid-1990s, Cronin and Kleiman have fronted The Ribeye Bros. In 2003, Pantella mixed and plays bass on The Glasspack's Bridgeburner album. Mundell also played lead guitar on The Glasspack's track "Peepshow." The album was released on Small Stone Records in May 2004.^[11]

In 2010, Ed Mundell left Monster Magnet to collaborate with new musicians and producers. In 2011 he formed The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic, and has contributed to albums for Sasquatch, Abrahma, 9 Chambers. His solo album "Space Time Employment Agency" is slated for 2013.

In 2007 Pantella joined The Atomic Bitchwax. Also in 2007, Pantella and Baglino formed RIOTGOD, along with Garrett Sweeny (of Psycho Daisy), and Mark Sunshine.

In 2010, Pantella appeared on LadyKiller's debut self-titled release. He is credited as having played drums on 13 of the 16 songs, in addition to having tracked more than half of the album at his recording studio in Sayerville, NJ.

In 2010, the first single "American Dream" was released on One Voice by Capricorn, a band formed by Phil Caivano, Todd Youth (of Murphy's Law, Danzig, Ace Frehley, Glen Campbell and The Chelsea Smiles) and Karl Rosqvist (of Danzig, The Chelsea Smiles and Michael Monroe).^[12]

Chris Kosnik has played in The Atomic Bitchwax since its formation in 1993.

Discography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monster Magnet.

• Official website
• Extensive Interview with Dave Wyndorf on the Jekyll and Hyde Show