Sweden's Grand Magus have been dubbed both doom and stoner metal in the past and while their music does touch on aspects of both those genres at their root Grand Magus are essentially a heavy metal band with a sound that is at times probably closer to Di'Anno (RIP) era Iron Maiden or Saxon than it is to say Black Sabbath or Orange Goblin. Throughout their tenure as a band Grand Magus have stuck rigidly to lyrical themes that revolve around Scandinavian folklore, Viking mythology and the human condition, the band backing those themes with music that although possesses an "old school" vibe does not sound dated or a reflection of another time. The band have been around, as Grand Magus, since 1999 and in that time have accrued an impressive discography that is a mix of full length albums and splits, the most notable being the bands self titled debut release "Grand Magus" and the internationally acclaimed "Hammer of the North", though in truth you would be hard pushed to find a release from the band that is not notable. The bands current line up of Matts "Fox" Skinner (bass/backing vocals); Ludwig Witt (drums) and JB Christoffersson (guitar/vocals) have just released "Sunraven" (Nuclear Blast), the bands tenth studio album and one worthy of its place in their hugely impressive catalogue.
Opening track "Skybound" starts with Christofferson quickly sliding up the guitar fretboard then crunching down on a chugging metal refrain pushed by Skinner's low growly bass and Witt's punchy drumming, basically everything we have come to expect from a Grand Magus song, heavy yet at the same time catchy and boasting clear powerful, yet not overly so, vocals. Next song "The Wheel Of Pain" begins life stuttering and jerky then evolves into a groove that is a blend of torch-like dynamics and throbbing anthemic metal with Christofferson's vocal taking on equally anthemic tones. Title track "Sunraven" does carry an air of proto-doominosity in its gait but it is a doominosity twinned with the sort of galloping dynamics that were more a feature of the early days of NWOBHM. "Winter Song" on the other hand is Grand Magus at probably their most doomic, dankness and darkness features heavily here especially in Christofferson's vocals which are pitched mostly in the singers middle register but then move to a more gravelled grittiness in the songs more intense moments. "Black Lake" begins with fractured chord textures over which Christofferson croons in deep gravid tones before the hammer goes down and he is joined by Skinner and Witt in an atmospheric metal groove enhanced with a series of recurring hooks and motifs as well as some highly tasteful lead guitar work, the song only returning to its fractured beginnings in its final moments. The following "Hour of the Wolf" is a chugging riff monster that has all the hallmarks needed to become a staple in the bands live shows while "Grendel" finds the band blending their heavy metal with an element of stoner metal swagger to create a sound that would not have sounded out of place on one of those Spiritual Beggars albums Christoffersson once featured on. Grand Magus really get their heavy metal groove on with "To Heorot", with Celtic flavoured guitar motifs and neo-classical shredding driven hard by Skinner and Witt's thunderous bass and drum groove. Lastly we come to final track "The End Belongs To You" a song that apart from containing a great vocal, superbly emotive lead work and deliciously low growly bass lines also features some highly impressive drumming from Witt.
With nine well loved albums already to their name to their name and a reputation for being a superb live act you might expect Grand Magus to maybe stop pushing themselves so hard and put out an album that ticks all the right boxes for their fans but does not really push any new boundaries. Fortunately Grand Magus are not the type of band who like to sit on their laurels, something they have proved with their tenth album "Sunraven", yes they do work within a formula but it is a formula open to including new ideas and new approaches.
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