Monolith 2003
Messenger and Vibuthi
Grand Magus "Monument"
(rise above records, 2003)
This is the second CD of the Swedish band of Grand Magus. Most of us were aware of that band from their first CD, but the majority of the audience learned about them from the recruitment of JB at Spiritual Beggars.
First of all, their new CD is heavier and doomier than the first one. The songs are damn heavy and the sound production helps a lot this. The songs are really good, they combine the slowness of the doom metal sound with the 70´s influences in a way that few can do. Without falling in the trap of being a retro band Grand Magus can offer to the scene and they justify perfectly why heavy rock and doom metal are so close connected. "Summer Solstice" and "He Who Seeks Shall Find" are the best moments in "Monument". The performance of the band is ideal and the rest is your case… You should buy this CD and listen to something good that comes your way.
Rate: 11/13
[ Messenger ]
Second album from the swedish power trio, and I have to admit that if they continue to progress with so giant steps as they did in the meantime between their debut and this album, they´ll keep us really astonished in the years to come!
Quite distant from their (really enjoyable but nothing really extra-ordinary) retro bluesy hard rock of their debut, they present a work of unparallelled maturity and of really substantial meaning. Really doomier, with elements derived from the never exhausted deposits of blues, hard rock, doom metal, and even NWOBHM and epic metal at several times, this album is a real monument of what heavy music can be at its best: connected with the past and respectful to it, but with a uniqueness spread throughout the album, due to the talent and the inspiration of the musicians involved.
If you´re open-minded and experienced enough, and if you´re constantly looking for equally varied and inspired works that motivate the body as much as the spirit, this could even be the album of the year for you.
Rate: 11/13
[ Vibuthi ]
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