The 13th of March, 2020. It may be an unremarkable date, but it marks the penultimate gig I was to see before the world shut down. One more the next night, and that was all she wrote for 18 months.
The headlining band I saw that night was Grand Magus, who had retreated from the battlefield for five years.
Now, like some marauding force, all leather-clad and swords up, they’re here with “Sunraven”.
A concept album about Beowulf and Grendel, as Janne “JB” Christoffersson—the band’s singer and guitarist—said: “These myths and legends are about all the basic things that we sing about: life, death, glory, dishonor, love, hate, overcoming difficulties, facing impossible opposition, and so on.”
And okay, yeah, I’m a philistine, but my thoughts on concept albums are, “Yeah, okay, sound mate, are your songs any good?”
There was never any doubt, of course. These are wonderful.
Opener “Skybound” sets the tone: riffs, choruses you can chant, the whiff of Valhalla. It’s all here, and all glorious. The solo alone is enough.
The next one, “The Wheel of Pain,” is darker in tone, the riffs a little thicker, perhaps. But here’s the thing with Grand Magus: a) they love a proper shredding guitar solo, and b) they are mere heartbeats away from being a full-on Power Metal band.
The title track rather proves that—on both counts, as it happens—but it’s irresistible if you like heavy and you like metal.
“Winter Storms,” with its lengthy intro, is one of the most immediate and the best, and rather underlines the fact that Christoffersson is playing an absolute blinder.
Sabbath is a clear influence—and why wouldn’t they be?—but never more than on “The Black Lake,” the de facto centerpiece here. And if an album that doesn’t go much past half an hour probably doesn’t include “epics,” then let’s just say there’s a hell of a lot of intent about “Hour of the Wolf.”
“Grendel” hustles and bustles, bringing the mosh pits with it as it goes, and the fists-in-the-air thing continues with “To Heorot.” Nine songs—because that’s what metal albums used to have, no doubt—conclude with “The End Belongs To You,” anchored by the drums and bass of Ludwig “Ludde” Witt and Mats “Fox” Skinner, respectively.
They’re incredibly welcome back, and if their return heralds the next apocalypse, then fair enough. Heavy metal is immortal anyway—especially when it’s as good as this.
Rating: 9/10
REVIEW: GRAND MAGUS – SUNRAVEN (2024)
Published:
