ALBUM REVIEW: Grand Magus, "Wolf God"

By: Richard Maw

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

ALBUM REVIEW: Valafar, "Wolfenkind"



By: Richard Maw

 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/11/2018

Label: Independent

 

there are no bad tracks here and over the course of the eight tracks the band have crafted a fine and vicious album. Valafar are a band to watch and they are destined for greater things

 

“Wolfenkind” CD track listing:

 

1). Úlfhéðnar

2). Brotherhood of the Wolf

3). Path of the Warrior

4). Bloody Spoils of War

5). Shunned from the Light

6). The Ballad of Plainfield

7). Odin’s Call

8). Born of the Nine

 

 

The Review:

 

Valafar hail from West Yorkshire and have imbued this Viking/death/metal with a good deal of the grit the region is famed for.  Keighley and surrounding areas would historically have been part of Northumbria in the dark ages, as would (oddly)  a fair bit south of the River Humber as well- everything from Lincoln upwards was firmly Viking territory. It is not so strange, then, that these Yorkshire bruisers would be espousing a Norse doctrine and bringing tracks enthralled to the Ulf/Varg/Ulva in the form of “Brotherhood of the Wolf”.

 

With other tracks named “Path of The Warrior”, “Odin's Call”, “Born of the Nine...” you know what to expect thematically from those titles! Musically, this is absolutely rock solid- good production job, growled vocals, tales of glory and mayhem; it's all here. I suppose as a reference point this is kind of like a death metal Grand Magus. There are cracking riffs to be had here, it's not mindlessly “brutal” as the songs are thought out and the band has brought some seriously groove filled and sludgy riffs.

 

In short, this is not just speed for speed's sake death metal, but neither is it anything less than very heavy. There is something here for fans of death metal, trad metal, thrash metal and even doom metal, as well as Vikings of course. Sound wise, this is perhaps closer to Swe-death than Florida death metal, but Euro death is closer again to the mark. Think Asphyx jamming with Grand Magus via Revel in Flesh or similar and you are getting there.

 

To be clear, there are no bad tracks here and over the course of the eight tracks the band have crafted a fine and vicious album. Valafar are a band to watch and they are destined for greater things- watch this space and get out to see them live when you can. Stirring stuff.

 

“Wolfenkind” is available HERE

 

Band info: facebook

EXCLUSIVE TRAILER: MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST - Grand Magus' JB on his love of Schenker

The first Michael Schenker Fest studio album, “Resurrection”, is in stores now following its on March 2nd 2018 via Nuclear Blast. Schenker recorded the album alongside producer Michael Voss-Schoen and was joined by the three legendary M.S.G. singers: Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley. Doogie White (Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock) also makes an appearance, as well as musicians Steve Mann (guitars, keyboards), Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass). In addition, there are also some guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen.

Today's album trailer features Grand Magus' JB on his love of Michael Schenker, including his choice of his favourite Schenker riff.  “Resurrection” is available here

Spiritual Beggars - "Sunrise to Sundown" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 25/03/2016
Label: Inside Out Music

Business as usual for Spiritual Beggars, then; another album of good songs, strong playing and wrapped up in an impressive production. If you long for the days when Blackmore still played rock and jeans were flared, this album is certainly for you.  It should be noted that there are two things about this record which really stand out: the sound and the performance. The sound is fantastic, live and raw but crystal clear... the performance? Even more remarkable, as this was tracked live, yes live, off the studio floor!

“Sunrise to Sundown” CD//DD//LP tracklisting:

01. Sunrise To Sundown
02. Diamond Under Pressure
03. What Doesn't Kill You
04. Hard Road
05. Still Hunter
06. No Man's Land
07. I Turn To Stone
08. Dark Light Child
09. Lonely Freedom
10. You've Been Fooled
11. Southern Star

The Review:

Follwing the Deep Purple obsession exhibited on “Earth Blues”, I was interested to see where Spiritual Beggars would go with “Sunrise to Sundown”. There are no huge detours here. This is 70's style hard rock- think Rainbow, Deep Purple, Led Zep etc and you are there. There are heavier moments too, in some of the tracks there are echoes of the members alma maters (and an impressive list that is too; Carcass, Arch Enemy, Grand Magus, Opeth, Firewind etc!).

Apollo Papathanasio returns here with a full throated performance, while Per's keyboards (notably the Hammond Organ) are a feature that is pushed to the fore. It should be noted that there are two things about this record which really stand out: the sound and the performance. The sound is fantastic, live and raw but crystal clear... the performance? Even more remarkable, as this was tracked live, yes live, off the studio floor!

Old school to the last, the band are a credit to the genre and have recorded an album of fine performances here. “Diamond Under Pressure” is a catchy radio hit... or would have been if this was still 1976, while the aforementioned echoes of heavier sounds surface on “What Doesn't Kill You” and “Hard Road”. It always seemed odd to me that Spiritual Beggars were bracketed with the stoner/doom bands from the mid 90's onwards. I always felt them to be revivalists, pure and simple, but I guess that there is enough cross over with Sabbath (notably Dio era) for that pigeon holing to have occurred.

The eleven tracks here are uniformly of high quality , some more hooky than others, some heavier, most fairly concisely written- even “No Man's Land” comes in under six minutes with a rather “Heaven and Hell” type feel to it. Ludwig's performance (no doubt on Ludwig drums!) is excellent as usual- he plays hard and heavy with a good sense of groove- no overplaying. The Likes of” Dark Light Child” show the band in full flow with killer riffs in tow.

Perhaps it could be argues that “Lonely Freedom” almost veers into Fu Manchu like territory with its fuzzed ups sounds and rolling open groove, but the band does not stray too far from that which begat them- the second word of the lyrics is “rainbow” after all! The album closes strongly with the one two combination of “You've Been Fooled” (pure Purple, Coverdale era) and the more brooding “Southern Star”.

Business as usual for Spiritual Beggars, then; another album of good songs, strong playing and wrapped up in an impressive production. If you long for the days when Blackmore still played rock and jeans were flared, this album is certainly for you.

“Sunrise to Sundown” is available now 

Band info: facebook

Grand Magus - "Sword Songs" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/05/2016

Label: Nuclear Blast

This is certainly their best and heaviest record since “Iron Will”- going one better than “Triumph and Power” (all the way to 11!) and several leagues ahead of “The Hunt” and even the very good “Hammer of The North”. They are one of the best metal bands in the world today, no question. In fact, if you look at their discography, they may be one of the best of all time. An idle boast? How many bands can you name who have four or more classic albums to their name? Grand Magus' tally now stands at five. An impressive spectacle of might.

“Sword Songs” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Freja's Choice (3:59)

2. Varangian (3:41)

3. Forged in Iron - Crowned in Steel (5:38)

4. Born For Battle (Black Dog of Brocéliande) (3:41)

5. Master Of The Land (3:51)

6. Last One To Fall (4:00)

7. Frost And Fire (3:16)

8. Hugr (Instrumental) (2:07)

9. Every Day There's A Battle To Fight (4:30)

The Review:

One of the greatest bands in heavy metal return with this, their eighth (!) album. Starting out as a more bluesy/stoner rock outfit, Magus went through trad doom on “Monument” and transitioned to being something altogether more... traditionally metallic from “Wolfs Return” onwards. Indeed, after the shaky (in my view) “The Hunt”, the band hit a real return to form with “Triumph and Power” back in 2014. Essentially, “Sword Songs” is a continuation of “Triumph and Power”, but with some new elements. After all, the band has often experimented with their sound so it should come as no surprise to hear the nods to Slayer in the record, or the more extreme elements in the riffing generally.

Once again, the Kings of Metal influence proceedings here. You may think that Manowar are ludicrous, they may be easily lampooned... However, they are also one of the greatest metal bands of all time and embody the genre in all its glory AND ridiculousness. Grand Magus channel those heavy metal gods to perfection here (even more so than on “Triumph and Power”).

The opening “Freja's Choice” sounds like Magus imbued with the spirit of thrash via the Valkyries referenced in the song. “Varangian” (look it up; an interesting historical feature of the Vikings was how far they actually travelled) has the Manowar influence writ large- big chorus, big riffs. Straight away, the memory of the hard rock of “The Hunt” is banished in favour of metal anthems with muscles of steel.

“Forged In Iron- Crowned In Steel” is even more over the top. This is Grand Magus 2016; take Priest, Manowar, Dio-era Sabbath and mix them together and this is what you get. Glorious and anthemic, this material is some of the band's best! Cracking solo, great vocal in the middle eight, too. The production is stellar- live sounding with a killer drum sound that is both live sounding and polished. Ludwig Witt turns in a tour de force performance as per, Fox supplies his usual gnarly bass lines and tones while JB excels in riffs, solos and vocals (the true heir to Dio in our world, as it goes). The trio are firing on all cylinders this time around.

“Born For Battle” is catchy in the extreme; no subtlety, no dynamics. Just power. “Master of the Land” again references more extreme fare in the opening riffs and throughout the song. It is great to hear the band expanding their sound a little- the record is certainly more aggressive than “Triumph and Power” and certainly on a par with “Wolfs Return” or “Iron Will” for bombast.

The nine track playing time plays to the band's strengths; each track is focused, lean and mean. There is no filler here, the album can easily be digested in one sitting and there are lots of riffs, changes and nice production touches to savour. With the faster material, such as “Last One To Fall”, the Priest trick of chords for the verses while the more intricate riffage is to be found without vocals. Superb breakdown section as well.

Frost and Fire is a rollicking ride through a great vocal hook and expertly crafted verses and a great chorus. This is truly heavy metal of the finest quality and of such a vintage that had it been released in 1984 would have conquered the world, no question. You might have thought that heavy metal bands no longer made records like this, but if Iron Maiden don't, then Grand Magus do.

The obligatory instrumental “Hugr” follows and sets the tone for the rather maudlin “Every Day There's A Battle To Fight” which makes a very fitting end to the record; the aftermath of the carnage of the battle is to be found here. To say that Grand Magus have excelled themselves is accurate. This is certainly their best and heaviest record since “Iron Will”- going one better than “Triumph and Power” (all the way to 11!) and several leagues ahead of “The Hunt” and even the very good “Hammer of The North”. They are one of the best metal bands in the world today, no question. In fact, if you look at their discography, they may be one of the best of all time. An idle boast? How many bands can you name who have four or more classic albums to their name? Grand Magus' tally now stands at five. An impressive spectacle of might.

“Sword Songs” is available here

Band info: facebook

Spiritual Beggars - 'Another Way To Shine // Mantra III // Ad Astra // On Fire LP Reissues' (Review)

Album Type: Reissues

Date Released: 29/6/2015

Label:  Music for Nations

Spiritual Beggars :

Michael Ammot | Guitars

Ludwig Witt | Drums, percussion

Christian Sjostrand | Vocals, Bass (‘Another Way to Shine’, ‘Mantra III’ ‘Ad Astra’)

Per Wiberg | Keyboards (‘Ad Astra’ ‘On Fire’)

JB | Vocals (‘On Fire’)

Roger Nilsson | Bass (‘On Fire’)

Review:

Spiritual Beggars were certainly viewed as a left turn after Amott's involvement with Carcass and they remain idiosyncratic to this day- ‘Earth Blues’ was very blatant in its Deep Purple worship, but the band have gone through many guises and three vocalists. Naturally, being a huge Grand Magus fan, I favour the record with JB at the mic- ‘On Fire’ being a good example. As well as traditional hard rock (complete with Hammond Organ) that album boasts some very doomy passages (arguably reminiscent of the direction that Magus were taking at the time- see “Young Man, Old Soul” for proof.

Certainly, the spectre of Blackmore's former bands looms large- there is some Rainbow worship here in the synth intros and the general vibe which is dark without necessarily taking on the really evil feel of heavier metal. The band plays tight and compliments JB's voice well on the likes of “Dance of The Dragon King.” Indeed, over the course of the twelve tracks the energy level does not drop and the record is still a very worthwhile listen.

The songs don't quite have the sticking power of the later ‘Demons’ opus or, indeed of the excellent ‘AD Astra’. Indeed, although JB is absent from that release (dating as it does to 2000- where does the time go?!?!) it is as fine a slab of retro rock as you could find from that or any era. ‘Left Brain Ambassadors’ tell you everything you need to know about the album- it's bombastic, weighty and very hard rocking indeed. The production is also excellent and has not dated at all. The remastering job seems fine- nice and bright (the guitars can be a little murky on albums here and there) and the live drum sound is rather joyous, I have to say.

‘Another Way To Shine’ features Christian Sjostrand (as does ‘AD Astra’) on vocals and he is a capable singer- he doesn't have the depth that JB has but delivers an enthusiastic performance over songs of hard rock of high quality. The fact that anyone was making this kind of music back in 1996 is quite incredible- I certainly was not aware of the band back then, even though I was a Carcass fan, but then again quality metal was very hard to come by in that era (the era of very questionable albums from even some of metal's biggest names). If you like the idea of a kind of revved up Cathedral, then this could have been your band then and still could be now. The songs have groove and massive guitars while driving away at mid pace or thereabouts.

‘Mantra III’ from 1998 has a rather odd intro in the form of ‘Superbossanova’ and then settles back into familiar territory of groovng hard rock mixed with trad doom and some proto metal. Spiritual Beggars have been remarkably consistent over the years and have certainly stuck to their guns. Each album is certainly different- some more energised, some have a little more doom, some sound more Black than Purple and so on, but really the band has a winning formula: big riffs, big bombastic vocals and  enough instruments to offer light and shade.

I would probably pick ‘AD Astra’ as the pick of the bunch of these reissues, but you could not go wrong with any of them; they are damn fine hard rock records from an era when nobody was doing that. They are also much, much better than the majority of bands that are peddling “Occult Rock” these days as well. These guys have got it, have always had it and continue to make records that deal it out in spades. Check out any of these reissues, their last album, ‘Demons’ or anything else they have put their name to... you won't be disappointed.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Reissues’ are available here

For more information:

Official: http://www.spiritualbeggars.com/

Like: https://www.facebook.com/spiritualbeggarsofficial



 

The Sludgelord News: ENSLAVED - GRAND MAGUS | Announce co-headline UK tour for September

Norwegian progressive extreme metallers ENSLAVED and Swedish riff lords GRAND MAGUS are excited to announce that they will return to the UK this September for a co-headline tour. Both bands will play full headlining sets each night.

ENSLAVED will be touring in support of their forthcoming masterpiece ‘In Times’ which is due to be released on the 9^th March via Nuclear Blast.
GRAND MAGUS released their sensational album ‘Triumph and Power’ last year via Nuclear Blast and the band are also scheduled for a new release later this year.

Tickets will go on sale Monday 16^th February.

Dates are as follows (with ticket links):
23^rd Sept - Marble Factory, Bristol

24^th Sept – O2 Islington Academy, London

24^th Sept - Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

26^th Sept - Button Factory, Dublin

27^th Sept - Academy 3, Manchester

28^th Sept - Concorde 2, Brighton

ENSLAVED are also set to play Bloodstock Festival in Catton Park, Derbyshire this August alongside SEPULTURA, OVERKILL, SABATON and more. Buy your tickets here: http://bit.ly/Bloodstock2015  

enslaved.no |nuclearblast.de/enslaved |  facebook.com/enslaved

grandmagus.com  | nuclearblast.de/grandmagus | facebook.com/grandmagusofficial

Live Review : The Vintage Caravan/Asomvel/Grand Magus, Sound Control, Manchester, UK, 12th March 2014

With fellow Swedes Soilwork playing the same venue on the same night, we are forced down to the depths of the Sound Control basement, but despite the few irritatingly placed pillars, the basement serves as the perfect intimate venue to host a night of heavy metal. 

An early start often means that the first band plays to a mere handful of people, and while there was certainly more than a handful, The Vintage Caravan play to a thin crowd. However, not to be deterred by this, the young pups from Iceland impress with their retro psychedelic grooves. A band I can foresee moving up the ranks in the near future for sure. Next up Asomvel, enticing a glimmer of enthusiasm from the not yet warmed up crowd with straight up, no fucks given metal-punk-rock’n'roll. Projecting his thick Yorkshire accent and boisterous demeanour, lead singer Conan does his utmost to excite the crowd and to some extent succeeds. The music not quite to my taste, bit of a poor mans Motorhead, but all in all perfectly tolerable.

The basement now well and truly packed to the rafters, the crowd eagerly await the trio of heavy metal gods as an energetic buzz circulates. For me Grand Magus 100% epitomizes heavy metal, and it actually befuddles me why they are not a thousand times bigger than they are. Not a weak album in their discography and all around incredible, for me they are one of the best bands around. And they immediately reinforce that to me the minute they enter the stage and strike the opening chord of Kingslayer.

Grand Magus are one of the few bands who haven’t really released an utterly shit album, therefore tonight’s set list is faultless, the one and only issue being that is wasn’t double in length. Speaking of albums, their latest release ‘Triumph and Power’ is possibly their strongest to date and the first track off it to be played tonight is On Hooves of Gold as fists are thrown in the air and lyrics are sung loud and proud. JB’s vocals on record are mind blowing and much to my relief that guy seriously pulls it off live, as well as busting out quintessential metal riffs. While possibly benefitting from a second guitarist to thicken the sound, Magus work in perfect cohesion as a trio. Steel Versus Steel again from the latest album is greeted as if it was an ageless Magus offering, prompting JB to point out that it is clearly a future classic, closely followed by an enthused reveller simply shouting out the word ‘STEEL’ amusing both the

crowd and band.

So many hits are dished out, meaning that at no point is there a lull, the crowd bang their heads and fist pump from start to finish. Set list highlights for me are, Triumph and Power, Ravens Guide Our Way, Iron Will and Like The Oar Strokes The Water but like I said not a weak song made an appearance, mainly because they simply don’t have any! The band seemed genuinely humbled by the incredible reaction from the crowd, but nothing prepared them for the reception of final song Hammer Of The North. Not a single body remained still as everyone whipped out their air guitar and proceeded to bang their heads to the unmistakable intro. The most fantastic moment of the gig came at the end of the song where the entire crowd sang the ‘woah’ choral section of the song so loud it could drown out the rowdiest of football fans. Despite the band finishing the song the crowd continue to sing, provoking one of the most spine tingling moments of any gig I have attended. JB, Fox and Ludwig are left stunned and heart warmed by the overwhelming passion of the crowd, which is nothing but monumentally deserved.

Well what more can I say, undoubtedly one of the best gigs I’ve been to. Get a chance to see Grand Magus live... for the love of god, do it.

Words by : Heather Blewett



Interview with JB of Grand Magus

 

Grand Magus are one of the finest heavy metal bands in operation on the planet today. Invoking the spirit of classic Priest, Grand Magus have shifted over the course of their career from dusty retro rock through doom and finally into rip-roaring traditional heavy metal.

Themes of war, individualism and historical glory make the band as metal as they come. I have been a fan for over ten years- first seeing them supporting Orange Goblin at the Bradford Rio way back when. JB, owner of one of the finest metal voices is perhaps the front running heir to Dio's throne- he also plays a mean guitar. Fox and Ludwig make up the rhythm section and show that the power trio lineup is alive and well in the frozen North. In an effort to expand upon the aural treat that is their latest opus “Triumph and Power”, I threw some questions out to the band. What follows is the result:

 

 

(SL) Congratulations JB on the new album, the general consensus is that it is a combination of the best aspects of your previous records. Was there a conscious effort to write concise and powerful songs with hooks?

(JB) Thank you. Yes it was a conscious effort, but that has been the goal since we started I think, it’s just that we are more accomplished writers now. We’re better at shaving off the excess fat, you know?

(SL) How does the writing process usually occur- do you write riffs and then set melodies to them or the other way around?

(JB) It’s a bit like sculpting or painting with oils in a sense. Not in a sense that it’s fancy in any way not being pretentious here, haha.), but process-wise. It usually starts with riffs and then with melodies on top of that. But once you start doing the melodies, they take on a life of their own, so you tweak the riffs or chords to suit the melody, and sometimes you go so far away from the original riff or tempo or mood that you have to split the idea into two separate songs. It’s back and forth really. Like when sculpting or painting in oils you put on and take away in several steps and your vision of the finished piece seldom appears right from the start, it takes shape slowly and gradually.

(SL) The progression from your first record has been continual; through the doom of “Monument” to a more traditional heavy metal approach on “Wolfs Return” and “Iron Will” etc- how much did what you were listening to at the time influence what you ended up writing?

(JB) It’s hard to pin down, but I remember that around WR me and Fox were really tired of the doomy stuff and instead were very much into Scandinavian black metal and I definitely think it rubbed off on that album. For IW I guess we didn’t really think about what we were doing style-wise anymore, we just did what we did. That’s been the modus operandi ever since. Personally, my music listening is very much a phase thing, sometimes I don’t listen to music at all, sometimes I only listen to Priest or Saxon, sometimes only to death metal etc. This has an effect on what we happen to write at that time, because we are 100 percent honest with our music, which is why all our albums are different.

(SL) What bands and albums were you listening to during the writing of Triumph and Power?

(JB) I think I came off a Saxon period before writing it, haha. During the writing, absolutely nothing. There’s no room for musical input at that point for me.

(SL) What made you want to start playing music and when did you learn?

(JB) Ritchie Blackmore was the reason I wanted to start playing guitar. I guess I was 14 when I started. I listened a lot to hard rock and metal from a very early age since I have two much older brothers. All the classic bands like Purple, Sabbath, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Nazareth etc. etc. Then in my early teens I got into Venom, Bathory etc.

(SL) The hooks on the new record are very strong but it is very much a heavy metal album (no sell out!). Do you feel that having traditional vocals gives you a greater range in terms of song-writing and performance?

(JB) You mean instead of growling? Well, I mean for the type of music we do it would be very strange not to have “traditional vocals” I think. I’ve honestly never reflected upon that aspect before.

(SL) Triumph and Power has a very live sounding production (the drums sound like drums, the guitars have a real bite to them). Did you direct the production and mixing towards this feel?

(JB) Yes. Haha.

(SL) Grand Magus has a signature bass sound- courtesy of Fox- how does he get that distorted tone?

(JB) It’s a dark reflection of his sunny disposition.

(SL) Is Ludwig still playing in other projects as well as Grand Magus? (I saw him play an excellent set with Firebird a few years ago...)

(JB) Ludwig still plays with Spiritual Beggars but that’s it.

(SL) Do you ever feel the need to express yourself in other musical forms- in different styles of music or even other sub-genres of metal?

(JB )Not really, haha.

(SL) Your imagery often includes the wolf- in what way are wolves significant to the band?

(JB) I’ve been fascinated by wolves since I was a kid, their appearance, their social interaction within the pack and how the solitary wolf manages to survive, their hunting skills etc. It just felt very natural to adopt the wolf as a symbol for the band in a way. We’ve always gone our own way, driven by our instincts rather than what others are doing, you know?

(SL) Do you get involved with the art for the band’s records?

(JB) Absolutely. There has always been a conceptual involvement from our side when it comes to the artwork, but we’ve also given the artists freedom to interpret what have suggested.

(SL) How much has Sweden/Scandinavia influenced the band’s sound?

(JB) A lot. Fox and me grew up in a part of Sweden were the traditional music, folk music is very prominent and strong and I think it made a big impression on us both. The nature was also a very strong influence when I grew up and has continued to be the main topic in my lyrics in many ways.

(SL) Do you know if there will be any vinyl re-issues of your Rise Above records?

(JB) I don’t really know actually. There were releases on Metal Blade of our four Rise Above albums and I guess there’s a good chance they might come out on vinyl as well. We’ll see what the future brings.

(SL) If you could jam with any other band for one day, who would it be?

(JB) Manowar, haha.

(SL) What ambitions do you have left for the band?

(JB) To continue to write and perform better and better.

(SL) Do you have a favourite venue to play?

(JB) Hmmm… I have lots of great memories from many different venues all over Europe, it’s hard to pick out a certain one. We’ve played the Underworld in London many times, and it’s always been great, so I guess I’ll pick that one today.

(SL) Is it true that venues over in Europe often treat bands a lot better than they do here in the UK?

(JB) No. I wouldn’t say that at all. I’ve never been treated badly in the UK, quite the opposite. But I guess that the standard of the actual venues is generally higher in mainland Europe though. Depending on which level you are on as band of course. In the end, if a venue is nice or not is really not as important as the way you’re being treated by the people working there. Off of the top of my head I can’t think of a single venue in the UK with less than super nice people in charge. Don’t let anyone tell you differently, haha.

(SL) Which era of Judas Priest’s career do you prefer; ‘76-‘80 or ‘80-‘84 (You can have British Steel in either era!)?

(JB) First of all, I love them both. If I would have to choose, I’d pick 80-84 starting with British Steel. You can’t beat Defenders of the Faith, the best heavy metal album ever.

Words and Interview by : Richard Maw

 

 

Grand Magus will kick off their UK Tour from the 12th March 2014, so stay tuned for an upcoming live review.  In the meantime you can read our review here.  For more information check the links below.

For more information :

www.grandmagus.com

www.facebook.com/grandmagusofficial
www.nuclearblast.de/grandmagus