It’s been three years since Dave Wyndorf & Co.’s lauded Monolithic Baby! and 4-Way Diablo marks Monster Magnet’s follow-up, featuring a triple dose of garage-inspired rock ‘n’ roll laced with their patented brand of gearhead psychedelia.

Driving guitars combine with Wyndorf’s gravelly baritone and off-the-wall lyrics, giving the album an attitude consistent with the band’s swagger-riffic back catalog. Most songs here are straight-ahead rock (and some cock rock), with some delving deeper into the psychedelia that gave birth to Monster Magnet. Some songs on 4-Way Diablo are more interesting than others, with hits and misses coming from both categories.

While the bulk of their seminal debut, Spine of God, was steeped in a heavy psychedelic sound, this album sees a more frugal use of the style, lightly infusing most of the record rather than soaking it. Psychedelia is at the core of several songs, though, (“Cyclone,” “Freeze And Pixelate,” “I’m Calling You”) and these are among the best in this offering. “Freeze and Pixelate” is the only instrumental offered here and sounds the haziest of the bunch, showcasing rolling, dreamlike percussion and a bendy Middle Eastern twang that could be a sitar in disguise.

Monster Magnet often include a cover song with their new material, and their choice for this album was the Rolling Stones’ obscure “2000 Lightyears From Home” off their 1967 record, Their Satanic Majesties Request. Where the Stones recording uses subtle, quiet vocals, Wyndorf’s vocals loom over the music like a smoke cloud at eye level – not overpowering, but with a presence you can’t ignore. This version puts a good twist on the original and does not detract from the original Magnet compositions in the least.

Usually, the trippier songs are where the band really hit the mark, but the garage rock portion of 4-Way Diablo challenges that trend with tracks like “Blow Your Mind,” “Wall of Fire” and the title song. These tracks stand out as instantly listenable, and grow with each spin. This is the type of music that you don’t have to think a whole lot about to enjoy, and would fit nicely in a garage setting, whether it be for fixing cars or for summer boozin’. These combined with the aforementioned psychedelic numbers make for a solid support structure for a fun and interesting rock record.

That said, 4-Way Diablo is not without its missteps. The repetitive lyrics of “You’re So Alive” wear thin almost immediately, and despite recovering into a respectable song, “Solid Gold” begins sounding like some sort of Shania Twain hootenanny. Finally, album closer “Bag Of Gloom” is a simple ballad that suffers from inane lyricism with little in the way of redemptive diversion. The remainder of the album is solid, but not outstanding. This all adds up to a formula that looks something like this: 2 parts “damn good,” 2 parts “good” and 1 part “not so good.”

Where listeners stand regarding 4-Way Diablo will probably depend on the individual’s preferences regarding the band’s unique style. Die-hard Magnet fans will probably give the songs that are merely “good” the benefit of the doubt, while newbies will likely only see six or seven songs that interest them here. This album is a grower, though, and while some tracks are better than others, the good outweighs the bad. Get started with standouts “Slap In The Face,” “Cyclone” and “Wall Of Fire.” From there, if the guitar solos in “Blow Your Mind” and “You’re So Alive” (if you can get past the repetitive chorus) don’t impress you, discontinue use and find yourself a copy of Spine of God.

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