Magnum

Label: SPV/Steamhammer RecordsRelease date: January 12, 2024Production: Tony ClarkinAlbum length: 50.15 min.Genre: Art Rock / Hard RockRating: 8.5/10 It's a sad but true realization, and one that will keep plenty of fans up at…

Tony Clarkin, guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of beloved British hard and art rock veterans Magnum, has passed away at the age of 77. The sad news was confirmed by Clarkin's daughter and first announced on Magnum's official social…

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…

"The Serpent Rings" is very much cut from the same cloth as its predecessor. Magnum conjure up the magic of their golden era (the 1980s) with real success, but for all the 'corrections' they still can't hide Catley's fading vocals.

With »Lost on the Road to Eternity« Magnum have pleasantly surprised everyone who felt that, over their colorful career, they'd 'said everything there was to say' and were just rehashing the remains of their former glory these days.

Lineup: Almanac, Angelus Apatrida, Bullet, Entombed A.D., Krokus, Lee Aaron, Magnum, Riot V, Rose Tattoo, Steve Grimmett`s Grim Reaper, Vince Neil, Paragon, Dead LordLocation: Balingen / Messegelände / Germany Date: July 14, 2017 …

This collection of ballads from the distant and not-so-distant past, with nothing new on offer, will delight only the most devoted Magnum fans, while everyone else would do better to wait for their upcoming studio album, titled »Lost on the…

Day two brought excellent sets from the bands, with the bigger letdown being the meeting with former Motley Crue singer Vince Neil and his backing band. The highlights of the day have to be Riot V, Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper, Angelus…

On the more-than-solid »Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow«, Magnum once again put a bit more emphasis on the art rock elements that defined some of their most beloved achievements in the eighties. But the album lacks that real creative…

Location: Seebronn (Rottenburg am Neckar) / Festplatz / Germany Date: Saturday, July 30, 2016 Day two of the German festival of rock pioneers and "legends" that is Rock of Ages was billed as the centerpiece of this year's edition. The…

The second day of the German festival of rock pioneering and "legendariness" known as Rock of Ages was billed as the centerpiece of this year's edition. The night ended with the super rock and metal project and rock opera Avantasia, and the…

Brimming with youthful verve, »Sacred Blood »Divine« Lies« is clear proof that Magnum, even though their best creative moments are long behind them, are far from being written off.

If you don't mind that half of "Escape From The Shadow Garden - Live 2014" leans on newer material, or that Catley's best singing days are long behind him, you'll get plenty of seriously enjoyable listening out of this solid Magnum live…

"In all honesty, Saga were the absolute winners if you compare the two bands' sets. Besides a fascinating setlist, the whole band was in phenomenal form from start to finish, and they were rewarded accordingly with longer applause than…

Two great bands who had their biggest successes in a far more romantic era of music wowed us once again with exceptional professionalism and filled us up with the kind of positive energy that most modern rock outfits chronically lack.

»Marauder« is an seriously powerful live debut from a relatively young band with only two studio records to its name.

Musical escapism into fantasy worlds remains Magnum's favorite pastime on "Escape From The Shadow Garden" too, which means the new album will satisfy, but not excite, all the longtime fans of these melodic rock heroes.

»The Spirit« is one of the best live documents in Magnum's history so far, even though it was recorded during a rough patch, when it was already clear that the band's biggest commercial successes were gone for good.

"On The 13th Day" is a superb album that should easily delight most longtime fans of this legendary band. It's packed with a good number of seriously inspired songs, while sticking to the tried-and-true Magnum sound-and-songwriting formula…

»Keeping the Nite Light Burning« was a fascinating acoustic experiment that tested how far a handful of Magnum classics could stretch sonically, and a fine tribute to their golden era between 1982 and 1992, when they reached for the stars…

»The Gathering« is a must for every Magnum devotee, because it's not just a run-of-the-mill retrospective of one of the most exciting art/melodic rock bands of the last three decades. It's a proper treasure chest, and there's something…

»The River Sessions« is a first-class live treat that catches Magnum right in the middle of their greatest artistic bloom, when there was no debate over which British band was able to challenge the biggest American melodic rock…

Evolution is a "best of" indulgence that Magnum use to mark 10 years under the SPV Records banner, and it bridges the wait for their next proper studio album nicely.

"We witnessed a top-notch live show, the kind only seasoned old cats can put on, still pouring their whole heart into their music. "

Author: Peter PodbrežnikPhotos: Aleš Podbrežnik Location: Ampere / Munich / GermanyConcert date: 03/15/2011Attendance: 400Ticket price: €30.50 You could already smell spring in the air when it was time for a concert trip to Munich, where…

It was early afternoon. Sitting with us in the garden of Munich's Ampere club, a venue in a former small hydroelectric plant, was Magnum's venerable lead voice, Bob Catley. Bob, who had "just barely woken up after the night liner pulled up…

It was early afternoon. Sitting with us in the garden of Munich's Ampere club, on the grounds of a former small hydroelectric plant, was the venerable frontman of Magnum, Bob Catley. Bob, who had "just barely woken up after the night liner…

»The Vistation« is undoubtedly the best album since the band's resurrection ten years ago, which means it won't leave a single longtime fan of this legendary group cold.

And just like that, the third day of the festival was over way too soon.

Magnum have pulled it off in the end, delivering with "Into the Valley of the Moon King" a cracking album that will satisfy every wish and need of their longtime followers.

"Sleepwalking" marks a fairly successful return to the roots for Magnum, while also uncovering some new, more refined sonic directions that hadn't usually been this prominent in their sound before. This turn to

"Goodnight L.A.", easily the weakest chapter in the Magnum story, was a side effect of a way-too-long stay in Los Angeles, America's famous mecca of kitsch, and the usual rock-star excesses that came with it z

»Wings Of Heaven« is yet another golden chapter in the story of melodic rock greats Magnum. With it they created one of their most dazzling gems, an album that still rightfully holds a very high spot in the AOR annals

On "Vigilante", their sixth studio album, Magnum successfully built on the huge success of the unforgettable masterpiece "On A Storyteller's Night" (1985), which earned them worldwide fame as champions of melodic rock spiced with mysticism

After the excellent "Chase The Dragon" (1982), which gave Magnum their first real breakthrough beyond the narrow core of their fans and brought melodic rock, NWOBHM and art rock lovers together under one roof

Melodic rock (or art rock, if you like) heroes Magnum had already come pretty close to their first masterpiece with their third album, »Chase The Dragon«. This album, which was originally supposed to be called »The Spiri

"On A Storyteller's Night" is one of those magical albums that, years and years down the line, still shines in all its glory at full strength, and keeps firing up the inspiration of countless listeners and musicians

England's art rock masters Magnum carried on, in many ways, the musical direction of their splendid debut "Kingdom Of Madness" (1978) with their second album, blandly titled "Magnum II". Even though it's

British art rock heroes Magnum, who later became melodic rock heroes too, shaped their sound by the time of their cult debut "Kingdom Of Madness" after the example of most other progressive rock bands, which were