Monster Magnet’s Davie Wyndorf is far smarter and musically sharp than most critics give him credit for. His lyrics alone tell twisted dreams in diamond-hard catchphrases that an average stoner-rock dude would hardly conjure (listen to the speed-freak ramble of “Hallelujah”). Yet Wyndorf’s consistency has worked against him. “Just another new Monster Magnet album” is no way to greet albums loaded with killer guitar riffs and battering Sabbath and/or Stooges-like rhythms. Donovan’s “Three Kingfishers” gets a sublime re-arrangement as a Middle Eastern punk/metal track. “I Live Behind the Clouds” demonstrates how strong influences—Hawkwind, Stooges, garage rock, Black Sabbath—are essential when putting together superior modern rock. Last Patrol is subtler than previous Magnet albums, with a heavier psychedelic/meditative undertow to the songs—though “Mindless Ones” builds into a whirling vortex of sound. The album remains consistent throughout, with the trippy “Stay Tuned,” the nasty rocker “Strobe Light Beatdown," and the acoustic-electric “One Dead Moon” completing the album with the definitive style of a first-rate band.