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Monster Magnet is an American rock music band formed in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (guitar), and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band has since undergone several lineup changes, with Wyndorf remaining the only constant member. Monster Magnet has released 11 studio albums to date and is best known for their 1990s hits "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" and "Space Lord". The band is also credited with developing and popularizing the stoner rock genre, along with Masters of Reality, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Sleep.
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 the single "Lizard Johnny/Freakshop USA" on Long Island-based Circuit Records. The first demo and single were recorded as a three-piece (McBain on bass, Wyndorf on guitar and vocals, and Cronin on drums and vocals). Before the second demo, Tom Diello joined on drums, and McBain and Cronin switched to guitar and bass, respectively. This new lineup featured McBain on guitar, Wyndorf on guitar and vocals, Cronin on bass and vocals, and Diello on drums. The Extended play Monster Magnet followed on Glitterhouse Records of Germany, containing 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 the single "Murder/Tractor." Cronin left shortly after, although he would remain involved in the background, particularly at live shows, contributing to auditory effects, lights, and visuals for many years. After Cronin's departure, Joe Calandra joined on bass. In 1991, Monster Magnet released their first full-length album, Spine of God, on the labels Go Get Organized/Atypeek Music, Primo Scree, Glitterhouse Records, and Caroline Records. Shortly afterward, drummer Tom Diello left the band and was replaced by Jon Kleiman. Although not a commercial success, Spine of God was praised by critics and is hailed as one of the classics of the stoner rock genre. It is also considered a major influence on the genre. The album included the single "Medicine" (which would be re-recorded 10 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. The concert tour helped the band secure a recording contract with major record label A&M Records.
Their final release with Caroline Records was an Extended play 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 afterward. McBain left the band soon after and was replaced by Atomic Bitchwax guitarist Ed Mundell.
After touring in support of Dopes to Infinity, Wyndorf moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, 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. "Space Lord," the album's first single, was a major radio hit, and the band toured with successful acts such as Aerosmith, Metallica and Rob Zombie. The band also toured as one of the for Hole and Marilyn Manson on their joint Beautiful Monsters Tour. Following the well-publicized falling out between the outspoken vocalists of Hole and Marilyn Manson, Monster Magnet continued touring with Marilyn Manson and opened the first three shows of their Rock is Dead Tour. The songs "Powertrip," "Temple of Your Dreams" and "See You in Hell" also received airplay on rock radio stations. The album charted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 and later went multi-platinum.
After a two-year tour supporting Powertrip, the band released God Says No (2001), which charted at number 153 on Billboard. However, it failed to match the commercial success of the band's previous release. Following the album's release, Joe Calandra and Jon Kleiman left the band. They were replaced by Jim Baglino and Michael Wildwood, who recorded Monolithic Baby!. After a short stint, Wildwood was replaced by former Love Among Freaks drummer Bob Pantella. During this period, the band also parted ways with A&M Records.
Following the split from A&M Records, Monster Magnet wrote and performed "Live for the Moment," which served as the entrance theme for WWE wrestler Matt Hardy from 2002 to 2010. The song also appeared on the WWF Forceable Entry compilation.
In March 2005, Caivano departed after seven years of service in a split described as amicable by Wyndorf. A follow-up 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 on prescription drugs and was hospitalised.
In 2007, it was announced that Monster Magnet would release a new album, 4-Way Diablo, which had been held back for a year because of Wyndorf's overdose. It was released later that year. Also 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 event No Way Out 2007.
Prior to Monster Magnet's 2008 European tour, Caivano returned to the band.
The band embarked on a massive European tour in August 2010. A new album, Mastermind, was released in October of that year, and the band again hit the road in November–December 2010 to promote it. During that tour, Ed Mundell left the band after 18 years "to collaborate with other musicians and producers," forming The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic. Wyndorf stated that Garrett Sweeny (Riotgod) replaced Ed on the tour.
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 with their 1992 album Spine of God.
Last Patrol was released in North America on October 15, 2013. Monster Magnet's website also announced a North American tour for the album, their first in 10 years. However, the remaining shows in mid-December were cancelled because of Wyndorf's influenza. The tour resumed in Europe in January and continued through February. Wyndorf stated that the band would play the entire Last Patrol at each show.
In November 2014, a reworked version of Last Patrol called was released, and in October 2015, a reworked version of Mastermind called Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux) was released. 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 Spinefarm Records. They toured Europe again.
Monster Magnet's first studio album in five years, Mindfucker, was released on March 23, 2018.
On July 8, 2025, original Monster Magnet drummer Tim Cronin died from ALS. He was 63.
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 cited the British band Depeche Mode as an influence on its music. They covered Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration" for For the Masses, a 1998 Depeche Mode tribute album.
Wyndorf is a fan of 1960s comic books, particularly those by Jack Kirby. He mentions Kirby in the song "Melt" from God Says No. He mentions Marvel Comics characters MODOK (on "Baby Götterdämmerung" from Powertrip) and Ego the Living Planet (on "Ego, The Living Planet" from Dopes to Infinity). "Mindless Ones" from the album Last Patrol mentions the race of the same name, Dormammu, Vishanti and Ancient One from Marvel's Doctor Strange mythos. "All Shook Out" from God Says No mentions "children of the atom," a reference to the X-Men. Marvel's Fantastic Four are mentioned in the song "The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby" on Mastermind.
Tracks from the 2001 album God Says No have appeared in television series, including the sci-fi series Alphas ("Heads Explode") and The Shield, which featured the track "God Says No" in an early episode.
The reality series Viva La Bam used several tracks from Monolithic Baby!, such as "Slut Machine," "Supercruel," and "Unbroken" during multiple episodes.
Several tracks from the 1998 Monster Magnet album Powertrip have been featured in film soundtracks, including "See You in Hell" in Bride of Chucky (1998), "Powertrip" in Soldier (1998), "Crop Circle" in Urban Legend (1998), and "Space Lord" in (2006). "Big God," the bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album (and also B-side to "Space Lord"), appears in (2000).
Tracks from the 2001 album God Says No have also been used in films. Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) includes "Silver Future," Made (2001) includes "Down in the Jungle," and Dracula 2000 (2000) includes "Heads Explode"; part of the music video for "Heads Explode" is also shown in Dracula 2000. The 2004 mountain bike film New World Disorder V – Disorderly Conduct features "Radiation Day" and "Slut Machine" on its soundtrack.
Monster Magnet contributed a cover of the MC5 song "Kick Out the Jams" to the Varsity Blues soundtrack. They also performed their track "Master of Light" from Monolithic Baby! live in a scene in the movie Torque.
The Marvel Comics character Negasonic Teenage Warhead, featured in the 2016 film Deadpool and its sequel, is named after the song of the same name from the band's album Dopes to Infinity.
Former members
Founding member John McBain joined the psychedelic/garage-influenced bands Hater, Wellwater Conspiracy and Devilhead after leaving Monster Magnet, playing alongside members of Soundgarden, Malfunkshun, The Walkabouts, Pearl Jam and other well-known Seattle bands, releasing several albums until the early 2000s. He also contributed to projects such as The Desert Sessions and The Freeks, and released the solo album The In-Flight Feature in 2006 with guest appearances by Cronin on guitar and Kleiman on drums.
Since the mid-1990s, Cronin and Kleiman have fronted The Ribeye Bros. In 2003, Pantella mixed and played 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.
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, and 9 Chambers. His solo album Space Time Employment Agency was released in 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 self-titled debut release. He is credited with playing drums on 13 of the 16 songs, in addition to having tracked more than half of the album at his recording studio in Sayreville, New Jersey.
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).
Chris Kosnik has played in The Atomic Bitchwax since its formation in 1993.
| 1990 | "Lizard Johnny" | — | — | — | — | — | Monster Magnet | |||||||
| "Murder" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1993 | "Twin Earth" | — | — | — | — | — | Superjudge | |||||||
| "Cyclops Revolution" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Face Down" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Cage Around the Sun" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1995 | "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" | 26 | 19 | — | 17 | 49 | Dopes to Infinity | |||||||
| "Dopes to Infinity" | — | — | — | — | 58 | |||||||||
| "Dead Christmas" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Look to Your Orb for the Warning" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1998 | "Space Lord" | 29 | 3 | — | 5 | 45 | Powertrip | |||||||
| "Powertrip" | — | 20 | 49 | 8 | 39 | |||||||||
| 1999 | "Temple of Your Dreams" | — | 25 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "See You in Hell" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2000 | "Silver Future" | — | 15 | — | — | — | God Says No | |||||||
| 2001 | "Heads Explode" | — | 26 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Melt" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2004 | "Unbroken (Hotel Baby)" | — | 31 | — | — | — | Monolithic Baby! | |||||||
| "Monolithic" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2007 | "Wall of Fire" | — | — | — | — | — | 4-Way Diablo | |||||||
| 2010 | "Gods and Punks" | — | — | — | — | — | Mastermind | |||||||
| 2011 | "100 Million Miles" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2013 | "Mindless Ones" | — | — | — | — | — | Last Patrol | |||||||
| "The Duke (of Supernature)" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2018 | "Mindfucker" | — | — | — | — | — | Mindfucker | |||||||
| "Ejection" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2021 | "Mr. Destroyer" | — | — | — | — | — | A Better Dystopia | |||||||
| "Motorcycle (Straight to Hell)" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||
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