Album Review: Black Magnet - Megamantra
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
I had Oklahoma-based Black Magnet’s sophomore album, Body Prophecy, on my 2022 Top Ten Albums list; a combination of bands like Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails and Deftones, all given a highly polished sheen of Industrialisation, ticked many boxes for me back then, so I was excited to hear what main man, James Hammontree, had put together for this third- and reportedly most ambitious work to date.
Opening with the static build-up of the short intro, Wound Signal, Megamantra wastes no time in diving straight into Endless’ huge destructive riff, Godflesh-like in its intensity, but with some lighter moments to alleviate the nihilistic aesthetic. The ultra-heavy beats recycle on a – well endless – loop, like some unstoppable machine continuing until its power source is disconnected. James’ vocals have a Ministry delivery to them, which is heard smattered throughout the record.
When Black Magnet stick with the more metallic aspect of their sound they deliver hard-hitting slices of Industrial Metal; Null + Void begins with titanic hits and the uncompromising intensity of a higher tempo version of Broadrick’s concept, and while it ebbs and flows at times, it does so with explosive bridges and fierce statements.
Challenging Null + Void for the title of Megamantra’s weightiest moment comes Birth, with its quite literal explosive beginning it’s the record’s longest composition and drags the listener into a crushing, machine-centric landscape, seemingly devoid of humanity. The additional length gives Birth time to gestate and establish itself through fat guitars and raw vocals. At times the percussion feels like a clock counting down to the Apocalypse, the mass of the tune forming its own gravity and pulling all elements into a singularity.
Closing track, Smokeskreen [sic] feels like the continuation of Birth, but with added cosmic moments to send Megamantra off on a more positive note.
There are times when the album leans more into its Industrial influence: the early Nine Inch Nails vibes of Better Than Love finds the machine screaming, the percussion pummelling and the vocals multi-layered. Spitting Glass initially sounds of a Daft Punk soundtrack, its electronic beats and synth driven core creates weight of their own, despite the guitars being an after-thought. When they do arrive, they bring a completeness to the conclusion.
Coming Back Again has a juxtaposition of dense industrial noise and delicately picked notes that keeps things interesting, and Night Tripping features something akin to an early Marilyn Manson vocal as it keeps the metal mostly at arms-reach.
Although running a smidge over twenty-five-minutes, Megamantra never feels are though it is reigning itself in. The ideas and concepts feel played out in full and the intensity may well have been lost had the record stretched on for another fifteen or twenty minutes.
No longer just a one-man project, Black Magnet became a touring entity post-Covid and have been spotted on stage with fellow Industrialists 3Teeth and Author and Punisher. The responsibility for getting Megamantra down on tape has passed from James’ shoulders as he recruited Ryne Bratcher’s guitar, Jared Branson’s drums and the synths and voice of Eric Gorman.
Energetic and bristling with future-shock, Black Magnet have surpassed their work on Body Prophecy with this one.
