ALBUM REVIEW: Test Patterns: Vol. 1 – Monster Magnet

Long before they transformed into all conquering space rock gods with albums like Dopes To Infinity and Powertrip, and even longer before the band’s recent return with Mindfucker and A Better Dystopia, MONSTER MAGNET emerged from the depths of the American underground rock scene in a psychedelic and drug-crazed haze with the blissed out STOOGES meets HAWKWIND brilliance of Tab. With their last album, the covers record A Better Dystopia, exploring the band’s influences, there is no better time to explore another aspect of the early sound of MONSTER MAGNET. Tab is a heady ride for sure, but one that is certainly worth taking.

The band’s latest release Test Patterns: Vol. 1 collects the two monolithic parts that make up the history of the fabled Tab recordings with a 2021 remixed version by original MONSTER MAGNET guitarist John McBain (who performed alongside longtime frontman and vocalist/guitarist Dave Wyndorf, bassist Tim Cronin and drummer Jon Kleiman on the original Tab recordings) alongside the original 1988 demo version of the track. It results in a great history lesson for any fan of MONSTER MAGNET and shows the band in all their original tripped out and blissful glory.

Tab is a droning, psychedelic mass of riffs, feedback and acid-soaked grooves that brings together influences from the aforementioned STOOGES and HAWKWIND with nods to the celebrated BLACK SABBATH, KING CRIMSON, FUNKADELIC and THE DOORS in there, as well as more obscure but still as influential bands like BLUE CHEER, CAPTAIN BEYOND and Sir LORD BALTIMORE, all bonded together by all manner of mind-expanding fun. 

McBain‘s version gives the track a new lease on life and lets the song explore different elements of sound and vibe while retaining the vital psych freak-out of the original version. The demo version of Tab is obviously much more raw than the original but the droning and hypnotic vibe that segues into the feedback-laden craziness is still very much in effect, and you can tell even back then that MONSTER MAGNET had very big ideas with their music and where they wanted to go with it. You can also obviously tell where the band came from with their music with those stellar influences, and putting their own spin on it leads to a whole host of drugged out glory.

This is an extremely interesting artefact that demonstrates how one of the greatest bands in American hard rock started out and just how raw, hypnotic and above all innovative MONSTER MAGNET were when they started out. It also shows how their particular brand of spaced-out rock has evolved through several incarnations of MONSTER MAGNET.

Test Patterns: Vol. 1 is a perfect document of an important time in MONSTER MAGNET‘s career and one that still sounds breathtaking today, so turn on, tune in and drop out to the sounds of Tab and marvel at the power of their monolithic and acid-hazed musical genius.

Rating: 8/10

Test Patterns: Vol.1 is out now via God Unknown Records.

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