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The Monster Roars
"Few things in life are as reliable as a new Magnum album. You always know that what you’re going to be presented with is a selection of beautifully crafted and epic songs, the lyrics filled with an oblique wonder as the listener paints their own interpretation.
Barring a few slight missteps during their long career, there’s always been a quality that runs through their material like a name through a stick of seaside rock.
The opening title track is suitably bombastic, the mix of hard rock with more than a sprinkling of pomp, the gentle opening and pensive passages throughout juxtaposed with the big riffs of Tony Clarkin, his solo positively buoyant as Bob Catley puts his all into the delivery.
This is a careworn edge to the singer’s performance, some of the brightness of old replaced by a more lived in feel that comes with years on the road and whilst this may not have smooth edges, it adds character and depth, highlighting the lyrics.
‘Remember’, ‘All You Believe In’ and ‘I Won’t Let You Down’ all bear the hallmarks of latter-day Magnum, the bounce and grit there front and centre, the keys of Rick Benton well up in the mix. Harking back to the arena filling sound of their commercial peak, ‘The Present Not the Past’ keys into Clarkin’s ability to write songs built for audiences of thousands, its hooks and power interweaved with dynamic peaks and troughs in the pace that grab the attention.
‘No Steppin’ Stones’ adds stabs of horns into the mix, a party friendly rocker that it’s impossible not to move to and following it, the propulsive ‘That Freedom Word’ builds up the muscularity with the hard hitting power of drummer Lee Morris driving things along with the punchy riffing.
The epic sweep of ‘Your Blood is Violence’ gives bass player Dennis Ward a chance to bring a huge groove and his vocals perfectly add to the outstanding display of Catley, the harmonies lifting ever skywards and the whole an album highlight of immaculate storytelling.
After this tumult, there’s more of a thoughtful pace to ‘Walk the Silent Hours’ before the album closes with the run of sophisticated rockers in the shape of ‘The Day After the Night Before’, ‘Come Holy Men’ and the grand ‘Can’t Buy Yourself a Heaven’. Whilst they take no really unexpected turns, don’t expect grunge, nu metal or rap to intrude, ‘The Monster Roars’ does all you could expect it to and that’s no bad thing.
Veteran fans will be thrilled that the band are still able to put out such high-quality fare and there’s obviously a lot more gas in the tank to take them down the road ahead. A hard rock institution, Magnum continue to deliver the goods like no others." - Metal Planet Music