In depth zine review of Wolf´s Return
Anthony Pagano
Who the hell said that you need 5 or even 4 lads in a band to simply CRUSH a brain? Obviously the guys in Grand Magus haven´t heard this! It only takes 3 in their opinion. JB (lead vocals and guitars), Fox (bass and backing vocals), Trisse (drums). That´s it! Their latest "Wolf´s Return" kicks off with the hair whipping fun of "Kingslayer". A fairly clean vocal approach by JB allows for a thick chorus when Fox´s backing vocals are added in. "Nine" slides in next with a slow grinder style track allowing for JB to expand on his vocal range and kick out an ear catching solo to boot. "Blodorn" serves up as a quick instrumental interlude right into the album´s sludge like namesake track, "Wolf´s Return". "Blood Oath" brings the pace back up to the mid-tempo area with an engine idling like sound complete with a stellar ascending solo towards the end. "Jarnbord" serves up another musical interlude, this one MUCH colder and darker than the previous. Echoing drums, and a very quiet and clean guitar lay the foundation over which the cries of the gulls are heard before the evil "Repay In Kind" gets wound up. Fox´s thick and beefy bass lines lead the way on the instrumental "Hamnd". "Ashes" slowly grows out of a circular style riff and with JB and Fox in harmony almost the whole way through on the vocal track, the end result is another dark and cold track. "Light Hater" brings the album down the home stretch with a slow sludge/doom like track before "Wolf´s Return (part II)" circles back around as the slow and defiant instrumental closer. Some might call it "aggressive doom" but anyway you slice it, Grand Magus does it well! There´s plenty of changes going on to keep your attention and the slower material isn´t agonizingly slow either!
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