Peacedogman 2004
Peacedogman
GRAND MAGUS - "Monument" 2003 (Rise Above)
Have you ever sat on your porch and watched a thunderstorm roll in? Think about that for a second. It´s a warm July evening, and four or five large gray clouds come rolling in, seemingly from everywhere. Slowly, they merge together and blot out the sun and blue sky. A trickle of a few raindrops swells over the course of an hour or so to become a torrential downpour, soaking everything. Intermittent thunderclaps increase in frequency until they can be heard booming one after another. Occasionally, a dazzling flash of lightning will illuminate the entire scene, closely followed by another earsplitting crack of thunder. That´s when you finally feel it. From the safety of your porch, you feel the most refreshing gust of pure, moist air. It adds an unimaginable element of exhilaration to an already impressive display, and feels revitalizing on a blistering day.
That gale is JB´s voice. The storm is the new GRAND MAGUS album "Monument". For those not familiar with this remarkable Swedish trio.this review is for you. The last effort by the band (2001´s self-titled album) easily made our top ten. The band is able to combine the flair of 70s greatness like Mark 3 DEEP PURPLE and Ozzy-era SABBATH so successfully...I´m convinced that their albums would have been just as striking in 1972 as they are today.
GRAND MAGUS is about stone tablets, fire, cauldrons, magic.. think about powerful movies like "Lord of the Rings" or even "Highlander" and you´ll be in the right ballpark. It´s a shame that such themes are... shall we say...less than impressive when used by many current "power metal"- types of bands. Suffice to say also that these thematic elements find plenty of validation here.
Think about classic SABBATH like "Hand of Doom"...that is actually the very track that came to mind when I first heard the colossal new MAGUS tracks "Baptized in Fire" and "Chooser of the Slain (Valfader)". JB´s voice was impressive on SPIRITUAL BEGGARS "On Fire" album from last year. But GRAND MAGUS is his medium...his environment...his place to stretch out and obliterate you with his incredible voice. Just let it sweep over you. The sound of Trisse´s cymbals as a backdrop to JB´s lamentations is crisp and full exercise in high drama. The fact that a man with these amazing vocal talents also handles the guitar duty for this band is almost unfathomable. The lead in "Brotherhood of Sleep" is a crashing wave of vivid harmonies and impressive blues bending, with JB wailing all the way home like a crazed warlock. Practically all of the solos on the album are impressive, and packed with colorful guitar harmonies. The mid-tempo rocker "Food of the Gods" kicks ass like an old DEEP PURPLE tune (I´m thinking "Sail Away" personally), and the last track "He Who Seeks Shall Find" shifts gears about five minutes in from slow-tempo metal to CATHEDRAL-variety lurch. Like a wounded animal, this delicious track barely crawls across the finish line. When it does, you´ll feel the air of incredulity and disappointment that the album is over. How many albums have you heard recently that make you feel that way?
- Peacedogman
http://www.peacedogman.com/grandmagusmonument.htm
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