Fortunately, the band put together quite a solid effort in the new Mastermind. It's not as good as Powertrip, or even the underrated 2004 release Monolithic Baby!, but it gives fans what they came for: Twelve hard-rocking tracks that don't stray too far from the band's core competencies. It's Monster Magnet being Monster Magnet, and at this stage in the game, it's hard to be too disappointed with that.

From time to time, the album takes a dark and personal turn, such as on the excellent "Gods and Punks," when Wyndorf complains, "You can f*** recovery, 'cuz you're already gone." Decades of hard living have taken their toll on the man -- remember, he was in the punk band Shrapnel way back in the early '80s -- and his voice has become even more weathered than it was before.

But these are the guys who attacked the self-involvement of the grunge movement with "Teenage Negasonic Warhead" in 1995; they're not exactly given to treating their albums as therapy. For the most part, Mastermind is just a hell of a lot of fun. Even "Time Machine," one of the better ballads the group has come up with since "Your Lies Become You," has lyrics that are as much science fiction as they are cathartic.

The album's quality is reasonably consistent, though there are some standouts and some filler. "Bored with Sorcery" nicely encapsulates the attitude and driving tempo the band is famous for. The title track features some great Black Sabbathesque riffing, as does "When the Planes Fall from the Sky." Meanwhile, "The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby" has a Nine Inch Nails-style background, nonsensical lyrics, and an uninspiring vocal melody. It just doesn't gel.

There are no surprises on Mastermind. The band uses the same palette of sounds it's been using for more than a decade to paint a very familiar picture. But when Wyndorf's songwriting abilities are fired up, he's capable of making the old seem new again, and he succeeds here.

-- Robert VerBruggen is an associate editor at National Review.