SEATTLE — The sonic assault was immediate as a reunited

Monkeywrench, whose lineup includes members of Mudhoney and Gas Huffer,

previewed songs from their upcoming new album Friday at the Crocodile

Cafe.

"I figured they would more or less sound like Mudhoney," concert-goer

Mary Jensen, 28, of Seattle said. "I was surprised, though. They weren't

as sludgy as Mudhoney. It was much more punk and really had a different

kind of groove."

Formed in the early '90s by frontman Mark Arm and bassist Steve Turner

of Mudhoney, the band also features guitarist Tom Price of Gas Huffer,

drummer Martin Bland of Bloodloss, and Austin, Texas, guitarist Tim Kerr

of Poison 13 and the Lord High Fixers.

Vocalist Arm — resplendent in a black leather jacket, brown shirt

and sparkling gold scarf — launched into the bombastic "Great Down

Here," with his trademark snarl delivering the refrain that got the crowd

jumping: "I'm flat on the floor/ I'm flat on my back/ Things look/ Great

down here/ I'm feeling great down here."

Arm was flanked by the also sartorially smart Turner and Kerr, both

sporting vests and ties. Kerr swirled his dreadlocks as Bland pummeled

away behind his kit. Arm posed at the mic, staring distantly over the

crowd, but he broke into a huge grin at the antics of his bandmates.

"Judgment Day" had a rollicking, rockabilly riff and featured Turner laying

down a mean bassline while Kerr and Price provided a double punch of

fuzzed-out guitars.

The show, only Monkeywrench's fifth live performance as a band, wasn't

without a few glitches. The frenzied rocker "I'm Blown" decommissioned

the snare drum, causing a lull in the action while the instrument was

being repaired.

"Feels like we're losing momentum," Price said, but the audience was

still buzzed and quickly became drawn into the kinetic "Days of the Five."

Arm left the stage as the song wound down in a wave of feedback. He

wandered into the audience as Mike Carroll from Poison 13 sang his band's

"One Step Closer." The audience joined in the chorus as Dave Duet and

Mike Maker of the Makers jumped onstage to sing backup with Turner and

Price. The set ended with a bang when Kerr fried his amplifier.

Once the equipment was replaced, the band returned for an encore, blasting

off with "Look Back." Propelled by a monstrous groove, twangy guitars

and Arm sneering, "I don't/ I won't/ Look back," the mayhem ended with

a mass of noise and feedback on a cover of the Groundhogs' "Cherry Red."

Arm polished off the song with a headstand and left the stage blowing

kisses to the crowd.

"It doesn't get much better than that!" Zach Mitchell, 25, of Seattle

said. "They blew me away."

Monkeywrench released Clean As a Broke-Dick Dog in 1992 on Sub Pop.

The album, with its own distinctive sound, was a mix of garage rock, punk

and blues that reflected the members' respective bands.

The band had been working in the studio all week on its second album with

legendary grunge producer Jack Endino, and they played many of the new

songs at the show. The second Monkeywrench album is due in April on the

Bellingham, Wash., garage-rock label Estrus Records.

Although Mudhoney are on hiatus, following the recent departure of bassist

Matt Lukin, the band has not been idle. The Mudhoney single "Butterfly

Stroke/Editions of You" is the November installment of the Sub Pop Singles

Club, and the band has been working on a 52-track retrospective. One disc

will feature the group's hits; another will contain rarities, B-sides and

soundtrack cuts. Tentatively titled March to Fuzz, the compilation

will be released on Sub Pop in January.