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I figured I'd see if I could bring a little more attention to this underrated band.
Ed Mundell, guitarist for Monster Magnet, formed it originally as a side-project to experiment with. He recuited Chris Kosnick from Godspeed to handle the bass and lead vocals, along with Keith Ackerman to be the man behind the kit.
This was back in 1992, mind you. It took 7 years before they finally got a contract to produce their self-titled debut album. It was a damn good one at that, filled to the brim with high-octane rock and roll. But their label went bankrupt a year later. Mice and men...
Fortunately, the group was immediately snatched up Tee Pee Records, which led to the second album. Reception on this one was mixed. Some thought it was just as great as the last, others felt it was only second-rate. It certainly didn't help matters that Ed was very camera shy. He loved being a guitarist, but he wasn't used to being such a main feature on stage. Eventually, he decided he wasn't ready for this sort of thing and went back to Monster Magnet full time, but not before releasing the rather lackluster EP with the group, Spit Blood.
Keith had grown rather attached to the project though. This was a man who had to stay busy. He formed a side project called Black NASA while he and Chris looked for a new guitarist. They found their new compadre in Finn Ryan who had recently left his band, Core.
With the new line-up they released their album simply titled 3. Fans had mixed reviews for the album, but it's still a solid effort with the usual high-octane sound blended with influences from stoner, prog, and hard rock.
I strongly urge everyone to at least check out the self-titled debut. The riffs to Shitkicker and Forty-Five should be considered modern rock classics.
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