Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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5CD set w/Breath Of Life (2002), Brand New Morning (2004), Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow (2007), Into The Valley Of The Moonking (2009), The Visitation (2011)

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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Eight years… EIGHT years since "Rock Art" had been released, the until now last studio-album by British bombast-legend MAGNUM. Now, for the 25th band-anniversary they have reunited and "Breath Of Life" rotates in my player.

As "Rock Art" and before that also "Sleepwalking" had been good albums, which yet could not reach their heyday, also style-wise, I haven't had too high expectations on "Breath Of Life", but the "old guys" surprise me with an album that has recaptured the unique and typical MAGNUM-flair that I haven't found with any other band yet!

Tony Clarkin's guitar-play, like earlier, too, is not the lead-instrument (apart from a solo here and there), but has its very own sound, which makes it typically MAGNUM and also the use of the keyboards reminds me of the albums of the albums of their middle-phase and Bob Catley's truly unique vocals - I don't have to lose any words about them!

Melodic Hard Rock with the certain, MAGNUM-typical, a bit mystic touch il offered to us by this comeback-album, somewhere between "On A Storyteller's Night", "Goodnight L.A." and "Rock Art", unfortunately not reaching their heyday between "On A Storyteller's Night" and "Wings Of Heaven" and the experimentialism of their early works had been abandoned even in that time.

On the plus-side are classical MAGNUM-tracks like the opener "Cry", the great "This Heart", the good ballad "Still", "That Holy Touch" with some light double-bass (!) or the brilliant closer "Night After Night", but unfortunately we also get a few more shallow tracks like "After The Rain", which lack a bit of the fire that the rest of album, thankfully, has.

Unfortunately the cover has turned out pretty disappointing, but I admit that I am spoiled by the earlier masterpieces by Rodney Matthews, too much I love his art. The production, though, is out of discussion, perfectly suiting the Brits' sound.

"Breath Of Life" doesn't reach the above-mentioned classics and you (fortunately) neither can call their sound modern, but this album breathes the mystic drama that MAGNUM stood for ever since, and which had been sorely missing on "Rock Art". Thumbs up!

by Alex, metal-observer

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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The comeback album “Breath Of Life” of British Pomp Rock legend MAGNUM in 2002 definitely was a step into the right direction of old masterpieces, but still could not completely pick up, where they had left off back in 1988 with “Wings Of Heaven”. Still it without a doubt surpassed the two last albums before the split. “Brand New Morning” is the second album of their second coming and my hopes were high, very high, as they apparently had been on the right track again and hopefully would also continue on this one.

Unfortunately the cover again is no Matthews masterpiece, but for sure better than the previous one, but even though to me the cover is an integral piece of the puzzle, it is far more important to have the musical quality to impress the listener. Above I had called MAGNUM a Pomp Rock legend and who has ever heard albums such as “On A Storyteller’s Night“, “Vigilante“ or “Wings Of Heaven“, knows what I am talking about, with the inimitable guitar play of Tony Clarkin and the unique voice of Bob Catley, plus the indescribable, brilliant compositions.

“Brand New Morning“ now is the twelfth studio effort of the Brits (and there are tons of live albums, best ofs etc. on top of that) and the second incarnation of the band has reached its full momentum, for here the “old blokes” prove that they still have what it takes. They manage to revive the legend and combine elements of these three albums in an album that cannot fully stand up to these sparkling jewels yet, but definitely is the release they should have put out after “Wings Of Heaven” instead of the quite a bit more commercial “Goodnight L.A.” (still a good album, don’t get me wrong).

The title track sets out in best MAGNUM tradition and it becomes clear that mastermind Tony Clarkin has given his guitar more leeway again and that newbie Harry James (THUNDER) on drums definitely adds to the band’s sound with his powerful play. Timeless, mature, strong. “We All Run” is a hymn that would have fit onto the old masterpieces, with the classical melody lines and the super catchy, but still mature chorus.

“The Blue And The Grey“ is a great melancholic ballad in the style of a” Need A Lot Of Love“ and consorts, before “I’d Breathe For You“ is straighter, but not less intense and seamlessly fits into the flow of the album. Another small jewel is presented to us in form of “The Last Goodbye“, with a bit darker keyboards, and right away the next one with “Immigrant Son“, this album grows with every repeated listen, ending in the epos “The Scarecrow”, which bears all the trademarks of the band’s famous long songs of the past.

All in all “Brand New Morning“ has turned out to be a outspokenly strong album that should not leave any MAGNUM fan untouched and is full of great songs. If the band can continue the evolution from their previous album to this one, then the next effort will be an absolute classic that will manifest the band’s legendary status once and for all!

by Alex, metal-observer

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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It’s been almost exactly 20 years since I first heard MAGNUM, “Two Hearts” off their legendary “On A Storyteller’s Night” album was what got me hooked and now, in the 35th year of existence, the Brits around singer extraordinaire Bob Catley and musical mastermind Tony Clarkin are back with their 13th studio album “Princess And The Broken Arrow”. And in more ways than one this release reminds me a lot of the mentioned genre classic from 1985, for starters a quick look at the album cover shows that Rodney Matthews is back and he truly has delivered the goods once more, as intricate and a little off-kilter as ever, good to see! And also the songs awaken memories of the band’s heydays, reminding me of “On A Storyteller’s Night”, “Vigilante” and some “Wings Of Heaven”, which definitely is a trio you would want to be compared with, if you ask me!

MAGNUM never were about flashiness or in-your-face melodies, they deliver mature Rock that does not sound out-dated, but grown-up and every note has its place on this disc. And even though the band rarely gets heavy, you don’t miss that at all, but indulge yourself in the harmonies that Tony Clarkin so masterfully pens and that he is an equally good storyteller should be widely known by now as well. It is the subtleties both within the music and the lyrics that mark the true genius of this man, who undoubtedly is among the best songwriters Britain ever has produced.

“When We Were Younger” is a surprisingly subdued opener, which lives more off atmosphere than anything else, but Catley’s trademark vocals leave their inimitable stamp on the song, which culminates in a very harmonic chorus and surprises with a plucked acoustic solo over all of the instruments, very interesting and unusual! The next few songs all contain some of the true trademarks of the MAGNUM sound, irresistible melodies and an intense atmosphere, be it the mid-tempo of “Eyes Wide Open”, the slower, mature sounding “Like Brothers We Stand” or the a bit more powerful “Out Of The Shadows”, all quality material!

“Be Strong”, “Your Lies” and “You’ll Never Sleep” all are among the a bit more powerful songs and fully convince, especially the chorus of “Your Lies” is very strong, and with “Inside Your Head” and even more so the ingenious “Thank You For The Day” Clarkin also proves that ballads are among his forte as well.

Even though there might not be the absolutely outstanding one track to point out, “Princess And The Broken Arrow” is a full return to form, without any filling material and fully in tradition with the above mentioned trio of albums between 1985 and 1988, the production is excellent as well, with this warm sound the songs need and I had already mentioned Matthews’ new masterpiece, I had high hopes for this CD and MAGNUM lived up to every single one of them!

by Alex, metal-observer

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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Magnum is an old band now, and a really productive one. Every two three years, a new album is released. "Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow" was released in 2007, two years later "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" comes to our hands. And no surprise here, this is Magnum and the new album is some kind of melodic Hard Rock with Progressive touches. This is neither bad at all nor amazing too. Well, if you're a fan, it should be ok but if you want to discover the band, let's have a look at their previous albums first and this one should work better.

Magnum has never been the most popular band from United Kingdom and it's a bit sad because it features one of the best singers from the country, Bob Catley. Some of you, who're not into "Metal and Rock history", have probably discovered him through his performance on the last Ayreon. And the funny thing here is that "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is a bit in the same category. The music is half melodic Rock, half progressive Rock, this is really melodic, with sweet cute melodies but let's be honest, this is not outstanding too. I mean that ok, the songs are nice but they won't kick your ass too. I don't know in general I really like melodic Prog Rock but even if I don't hate "Into The Valley Of The Moon King", I'm not really attracted by its music. Maybe that the problem comes from the vintage aspect of the music, some songs even if it's probably a wish of the bands, are just too old school for me. But this feeling is just a matter of taste you know, I like to listen to 70's bands in general, it didn't just work with me here, the gods of Rock only know why…

"Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is a sensitive album, from the music to its production which is clean and pure. The voice of Bob Catley is really good too one more time and his band mates all do good work too. There is nothing to say on this side, we're in front of a really well produced album which features great musicians.

In the end what will you find on "Into The Valley Of The Moon King"? Answer: A really good singer, good Rock (but not Metal) songs, great musicianship, a good old of vintage music and some nice tunes. But it doesn't mean too that this release is amazing or something, this is not bad but Magnum was better in the past in my opinion. The fans should be happy with this release and if you don't know Magnum yet, have a look at their old releases first. "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is not the album of the year but features good songs, that's up to you to decide if its deserves your consideration or not.

by Jeff, metalstorm

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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With Journey witnessing something of a Glee-assisted revival, and the Rock of Ages musical reintroducing several of the AOR scene's signature tunes to packed theaters, the timing of Birmingham five-piece Magnum's 16th studio effort, The Visitation, couldn't have been any better. Largely considered to be on the second rung of the pomp rock ladder throughout the '70s and '80s, they may not have a "Don't Stop Believing" or "Here I Go Again" in their canon, but unlike many of their contemporaries, they're not content to dine out on their past glories, and have continued to challenge themselves with five new albums recorded since their early 2000s comeback alone. The follow-up to 2009's Into the Valley of the Moonking may not reinvent the wheel, but with Bob Catley's raspy vocals and guitarist Tony Clarkin's production as emphatic as ever, there are several moments which are worthy of riding on the current "guilty pleasure" bandwagon. Opener "Black Skies" sets their stall out immediately, its industrial percussion and ominous basslines paving the way for a bombastic slice of "Kashmir"-esque symphonic rock, a sound also pursued on the time signature-shifting title track and the string-soaked "Midnight Kings." The nostalgic "Doors to Nowhere" could be a follow-up to Survivor's Rocky classic thanks to its surging riffs and groove-laden rhythms, while the band successfully showcase a softer side on the patriotic, tranquil ballad "The Last Frontier" and the lighters-in-the-air melancholy of closer "Tonight's the Night." With most tracks clocking in well above the five-minute mark, the band's proggy leanings sometimes get the better of them, particularly on the meandering blues-rock of "Spin Like a Wheel" and the plodding "Freedom Day." But for the most part, Magnum avoid the clichés and the melodramatics the genre is renowned for with an impressively robust affair which has provided them their first chart entry in 20 years, and confirms that they're entering their fifth decade together as a revitalized force.

by Jon O'Brien, AMG

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Magnum - 5 Original Albums In 1 Box (2013)

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