Some time ago, a big metal band, in fact, the biggest metal band in the world, released an album. This album was not meant for us listeners. It was meant as an element in the healing process of a band that had gone completely off its rockers in booze, coke, stardom and macho paranoia. ‘St. Anger’ was not a good album. It should not have been released onto the public.

To some extent, the same can be said of ‘4-Way Diablo’. Dave Wyndorf, Monster Magnet’s charismatic front man, has been down and out. Drugged on sleeping pills, living the hard rockstar life.

If I am to believe the promo notes, this is the CD that will put the band back to life, although seemingly having been put together mostly by the rest of the band and not Wyndorf who was not up to it.

And although the hints are there in songs like Blow Your Mind and the atmospheric Freeze and Pixelate, this is not a big rock album as such. Jawohl, the band is experienced and will probably never deliver something that is bad as such, it’s not great. The nerve I thought Wyndorf had before in his vocal performance is for the most part gone and has been replaced by a lazy murmur.

Just above mediocre in my view. Monster Magnet should have waited a while and gotten every piece entirely together as we know they are able to.