Year : 2014
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : Sweden
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 113 mb
Bio:
Grand Magus are a three-piece heavy metal band hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. Drawing influence from bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, Nazareth and Manowar, Grand Magus' sound consists of an amalgamation of blues, hard rock, heavy metal and doom.The band originally formed in 1996 by former Cardinal Fang vocalist Janne "JB" Christoffersson, bassist Mats "Fox" Skinner and first drummer Iggy under the name 'Smack'. Early 1998 saw Iggy depart the fold and replacement Fredrik "Trisse" Liefvendahl join as a response to an advert for the vacant drummer position. A change in musical direction dictated the fabled name change to the more apt Grand Magus. A demo was recorded and on its merit received a positive response.This spearheaded an appearance on the Waterdragon Records compilation, Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (2000) and a split 7" LP with fellow countrymen Spiritual Beggars (of whom JB would later join on vocals 2002-2010) on Southern Lord Records.Debut album "Grand Magus" hit on November 5, 2001, via Rise Above Records (of whom would release the bands first four albums). An album attributing towards cult status by doom and heavy metal fans today. Two more albums would follow in, "Monument", November 25, 2003, and "Wolf's Return", June 14, 2005. These would stand to illustrate a progression to a more heavy metal sound but still retaining the charm of their groove and stoner roots. Early 2006 saw Magus embark on a european tour[4] supporting Cathedral, along with Electric Wizard, accentuating the bands ability to deliver the goods live.In 2006, Trisse left the band with Sebastian "Seb" Sippola being recruited on drums. The band released their fourth album, "Iron Will", on June 9, 2008, which garnered critical acclaim from rock and music press by achieving first place in Metal Hammer Germany‘s soundcheck. This would stand as the last album to be released under Rise Above Records.December, 2009 saw the announcement that Roadrunner Records were to release Grand Magus' fifth album "Hammer of the North" in the Summer of 2010.Released June 21, 2010, Hammer of the North became a huge breakthrough within the band's history, triumphing the soundchecks of both German Hard Rock and Metal Hammer magazines. Furthermore ascending the effort to 42 on the German album chart leading to a support slot on the joint tour of legends Mötorhead and Doro.The name sake title track, Hammer of the North, offers a euphoric plateau for crowd participation excelling consistently as a conclusion to a live set.In order to concentrate more on family life, April 2012 saw the amicable departure of Seb from the band. This in turn led to long time friend Ludwig "Ludde" Witt, of Spiritual Beggars, taking helm at the skins. On May 25, 2012, sixth album "The Hunt" was released via Nuclear Blast Records.The bands seventh offering came in the form of "Triumph and Power", released January 31, 2014, continued the momentum paved by its predecessor. Cover artwork created by the talented and acclaimed artist Anthony Roberts.Eighth endeavor, and the band's latest studio album "Sword Songs" was released May 13, 2016. The songs were recorded during the Midwinter months of 2015-16, produced by Nico Elgstrand. On the lead up to release, JB commented: "We put all of our sweat, blood and tears into this new album and I think that you can hear that. For me, Sword Songs is the best GRAND MAGUS album ever! The new songs are faster and more aggressive than on Triumph and Power - and we have also included some more extreme and harder stuff. I’m convinced that there are some future classics on the disc!
Album:
7th full-length alabum.It should be obvious to anyone with an ear to the ground that classic heavy metal currently sits basking in a period of renaissance, with a multitude of bands doing fine service to the legacy of the genre's 80s heyday and at the forefront of that charge for some years now has been Sweden's Grand Magus. Aside from the trio's serious songwriting chops and that incredible voice of JB's, two factors which alone mark them out from the pack, the band has always felt apart from their contemporaries like Enforcer and RAM through sheer force of will. Mark it down as the beneficiary of their blue-collar honest style or consider it the remnants of their stoner doom past, which is now only realised in small doses across "Triumph and Power", but the Magus are just not part of any 'scene'. On album number 7 the band are found honing their inimitable style rather than offering the revolution of their earlier discography but this makes it no less an enjoyable listen; in a back catalogue over-flowing with contenders for a sterling live set (and I should know, having seen them 11 times back to 2004) we now have a few more which I will be disappointed not to hear on their upcoming European tour.Top of this list is the title track, which heralds the pomp and circumstance of Manowar at their swaggering prime for a bass-driven ride through the perfect live singalong. There is little I can add to the eulogies that have already been sung for JB's voice - clean, impassioned, masculine are three words that come to mind - and in this song he utilises a deeper delivery in the verses to further emphasise the soaring choruses as they leave thick marks in the subconscious. The team "Hail!" which commences them is hardly the subtlest of nods to the self-proclaimed Kings of Metal but that's fine with me, its better than anything Joey DeMaio & co have come up with in years.The preceding song, "Fight", is hardly short of a Manowar influence either, notably in the repeating lines commencing with "Fight..." that make the song feel like a declaration of war against a deadly foe (false metal perhaps, if the stylistic influence continues this far), aired by that old hoary warrior himself. Like a good portion of the album it is a fairly straight-forward song in it's structure - chorus follows verse follows solo etc - and limited in scope, but the excellent execution throughout never suggests that Magus are mere genre clones devoid of personality. "The Naked and the Dead", which is essentially a hard rock tune running at double speed, is a fine example as it could have benefitted from being extended beyond the three-minute mark when it suddenly ends, much to my disappointment.JB is heard to employ a deeper tone at times, with his baritone in "On Hooves of Gold" providing a cautious note to the positive conviction that pervades once the band break sweat after the gentle acoustic opening to that song, but more than this I like the subtle exhaling heard in the title track - a moot point at best it might be but it adds a human touch and displays a sense of urgency about his vocal delivery that sits well with the themes of strength and self-determination.Far from this being a one-man band like this review makes it sound like, Ludwig Witt on drums and Fox on bass add plenty to the show. The gentle "Ymer" is a beautiful piece deploying Witt's military drum cadences to good effect, which segues wonderfully into the ambient introduction to closer "The Hammer Will Bite". Much more than typical metal band padding, the soothing chords have such a wonderful ring to them it is a minor disappointment when a fist-pumping metal riff blasts through, but needs must I suppose. It is a great closing track using a layered vocal in the chorus to provide serenity to the wise words being eulogised and a fitting end to yet another strong album in the Grand Magus canon, but just where does it sit among the likes of "Iron Will" or "The Hunt"? The over-riding feel is that the power trio have reined in their scope for a more consistent effort this time around but one that hits at every turn with a number of great songs on show. I'd rather a bit more of the variety we've seen in the past but considering "Triumph and Power" can stand alone is just more evidence of Grand Magus' status in the metal world today.
Line-Up:
JB Christoffersson - Guitars, Vocals (lead) (1999-present) - See also: ex-Spiritual Beggars, ex-Necronaut (live), ex-Cardinal Fang, ex-Smack
Fox Skinner - Bass, Vocals (backing) (1999-present) - See also: Heavy Load (live), ex-Bajen Death Cult, ex-Smack
Ludwig Witt - Drums (2012-present) - See also: Dread Ogre, Spiritual Beggars, ex-Sandalinas, ex-Shining, ex-Christopher Amott, ex-Firebird, ex-Seagrave
Tracklist:
01. On Hooves Of Gold 5:24
02. Steel Versus Steel 5:18
03. Fight 4:06
04. Triumph And Power 4:36
05. Dominator 4:20
06. Arv 1:57
07. Holmg?ng 3:38
08. The Naked And The Dead 3:01
09. Ymer 2:53
10. The Hammer Will Bite 6:54
11. Blackmoon (Bonus Track) 3:45
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