Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 19/04/2019
Label: Nuclear Blast
This is a strong and dark record made by
veterans of the form and sees Grand Magus further cementing their reputation as
front runners in the niche of traditional heavy metal.
“Wolf God” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Gold and Glory
2. Wolf God
3. A Hall Clad in Gold
4. Brother of the Storm
5. Dawn of Fire
6. Spear Thrower
7. To Live and Die in Solitude
8. Glory to the Brave
9. He Sent Them All to Hel
10. Untamed
The Review:
Grand Magus are now in the enviable position of
being a very well established metal band- this is their ninth album. As noted
in previous reviews, their sound has gone from stoner/rock to doom to heavy
metal, detoured into hard rock and then gone back to the type of metal that Dio, Priest, Manowar et. al. have made millions from. That Grand Magus are still a somewhat underground band is a
travesty. If this was 1984, they'd be headlining Long Beach Arena by now.
As
it stands, though, Grand Magus may not be
financially rewarded, but they are rewarded with the reverence held in reserve
by fans for the very best in the genre. As far as their discography goes, there
are no howlers; the debut is an oddity but a fine album and “The
Hunt” was just too restrained for my liking- but still with great
songs.
Coming
off the back of two great records, expectations are high for “Wolf
God”. “Triumph and Power”
and “Sword
Songs” contained some classic metal songs and put the band into a very
enviable bracket indeed- that of an act with multiple 4*+ albums.
The
question here is: can Grand Magus sustain
their run of form and/or outdo themselves eighteen years into their career?
Read on to find out...
The
orchestral opener, “Gold and Glory”,
sets the tone in grandiose terms. From there, it is straight into the title
track. First impressions? Huge drum sound, mid-paced riffage and bombastic
vocals courtesy of JB. Make no mistake, this is weighty stuff and the toms
sound as if they are being played by Thor himself.
“A Hall Clad In
Gold”
picks up the pace and delivers a pounding snare to back each beat of the bar
through the verses. Good hooks through the bridge and then an unexpected switch
to bass and drums back to the verse. Once again, the band excel at cutting the
fat from the songs and delivering catchy verses, strong riffs and memorable
structures- think Judas Priest at their
best. “Brother of the Storm” is a
mid-paced rager; great hooks- before “Dawn
of Fire” delivers a more epic approach. Grand Magus
have done this kind of 6:8 time feel before and they have done it well (“Triumph and Power” springs to mind) and
this is another example of the band nailing a groove to the (longship) mast.
At
the halfway point, then, this is an album that has more in common with “Triumph
and Power” than “Sword Songs”. It is a little more
restrained, a little less bombastic, a little slower and a fair bit darker than
either of the two most recent albums. All of that said, when “Spear Thrower” kicks off then the album
takes a turn. The tempo goes up, the histrionics are back and the hooks are
stellar. The band thus start the second half of the album in the best way
possible. The solo is fantastic too. A killer track, front to back.
“To Live and
Die in Solitude”
is similarly hard rocking- triplet time feel, a muscular riff and the band
firing on all cylinders. This is rousing stuff and fits in nicely with the “Wolf's
Return”/”Iron Will” era. It's worth noting at this point that Grand Magus may well have paved the way for bands such as Visigoth to rise to prominence. The two bands may be from
different continents, but they share the same musical DNA;strong hooks,
energetic performances and epic feel. “Glory
to the Brave” starts moody and features a rim shot (seldom heard in metal)
prior to the guitars bursting in. The band then goes for quiet/loud dynamics
and tried and true heroic themes.
“He Sent Them
All to Hel”
has a much more hard rock feel to the rhythms and pacing; If AC/DC ever decided to pursue a Viking themed album, then I
guess it might sound a little like this. It's a fine and hard rocking track and
easily one of the catchiest on the album. The closing “Untamed” tells its tale of rage with conviction and tempo shifts.
Strong riffing is the order of the day.
And
there we have it. Ten tracks, a mostly fairly dark feel and some real stand
outs. Overall, then, this is another good entry into Grand Magus'
body of work but does not quite scale the heights of “Sword Songs”. Of course,
it is mandatory listening for fans of the band and may well make new converts
as well. This is a strong and dark record made by veterans of the form and sees
Grand Magus further cementing their reputation as front
runners in the niche of traditional heavy metal.
“Wolf
God”
is available HERE
Band
info: facebook
