Label: SPV/Steamhammer Records
Release date: January 14, 2022
Production: Tony Clarkin
Genre: Art Rock / Hard Rock
Album length:
Rating: 8/10
»The Monster Roars« is the latest studio effort from British prog/hard rock masters Magnum, who pleasantly surprised us with its predecessor »The Serpent Rings« (2020), their first studio album with bassist Dennis Ward. Fans, who get a rather goofy and grotesque cover with a grey-haired hoof, had a much easier wait for the new record than usual, since the compilation »Dance of the Black Tattoo« (2021) came out in the meantime.
»The Monster Roars« doesn’t sound as fresh and inspired as that studio predecessor, but as a whole it still comes across as agreeable and more or less what the loyal followers of this long-running English band would expect. In the studio, where plenty of tools are on hand for ‘cosmetically’ masking vocal cords worn down by the years, the indestructible Bob Catley is still a very decent singer, while guitar maestro Tony Clarkin, the other half of the indispensable Magnum duo, still impresses with his guitar ideas. His songwriting ideas are mostly good again this time and will satisfy the longtime fans, even though no song on »The Monster Roars« makes quite the impression of some of the highlights on »The Serpent Rings«.
The title track, which is also the opener, is a slight surprise with a ballad-leaning intro before it moves, as expected, into a hard rock section that peaks in a pompous chorus. »Remember« is a thoroughly classic Magnum creation that, despite the modern production, instantly takes you back to the ‘good old days’ somewhere in the mid-eighties, when they were at their artistic peak. After longtime keyboardist Mark Stanway left, some fans feared that his successor Rick Benton wouldn’t be up to the job, but together with Ward he made sure Magnum stepped out of their somewhat boring comfort zone and routine and came alive again with a few refreshing moves.
»All You Belive In«, with its roughly even mix of melodic hard rock and prog rock elements, also counts as a fully characteristic Magnum effort. »I Won’t Let You Down« opens in a somewhat dull and sleepy fashion, but over time, with the help of rhythmic accelerations and symphonic arrangements, it develops quite nicely, so that its chorus is one of the better ones on »The Monster Roars«. »The Present Not The Past« is another very successful one and a fine candidate for a new Magnum live staple.
A somewhat more unusual experiment for Magnum is »No Steppin’ Stones«, built around a programmed sax, with a hybrid pop-jazz arrangement and big band touches. Someone like Phil Collins might even dig it. »That Freedom Word«, »Your Blood Is Violence« and »Walk the Silent Hours« are all solid but unexciting pieces where Magnum don’t stray from their recognizable songwriting and arranging recipe. »The Day After the Night Before« ticks almost every box for a Magnum classic, but it lacks an interesting chorus. The two closing tracks, perfectly decent as well, don’t bring any special surprises or standout moments, and they stay far from the status of new Magnum classics.
With »Monster Roars«, the veterans of melodic progressive hard rock have made a very solid but fairly predictable album, one that will mostly put a smile on the faces of longtime fans who stopped expecting any special surprises from Magnum a long time ago. Over the last twenty years Magnum have become a firm guarantee of consistency and stability, so it’s no surprise that after a little over a year they’ve managed to put together yet another studio effort to their admirers’ taste. On the other hand, they’ll have a harder time winning over new fans, for whom any classic Magnum album is a much better ‘entry point’ to this cult band than »The Monster Roars«.
Author: Peter Dr. Progrock Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. The Monster Roars (3:57)
2. Remember (5:05)
3. All You Believe In (5:01)
4. I Won’t Let You Down (3:57)
5. The Present Not The Past (5:27)
6. No Steppin’ Stones (3:57)
7. That Freedom Word (4:52)
8. Your Blood Is Violence (6:44)
9. Walk The Silent Hours (4:51)
10. The Day After The Night Before (4:23)
11. Come Holy Men (5:01)
12. Can’t Buy Yourself Heaven (5:00)
Line-up:
Tony Clarkin – guitar
Bob Catley – vocals
Rick Benton – keyboards
Dennis Ward – bass guitar
Lee Morris – drums
