By Andrew Bansal
Swedish metal trio Grand Magus have been going strong for more than 15 years, delivering their blend of victorious tunes, staying true to the ‘denim and leather’ brand of heavy metal. Through each of their past seven full-length studio albums they have only enhanced their reputation and expanded their global fan-base, and it’s about time the metal universe readied itself for yet another brand new Grand Magus masterstroke. Simply and aptly titled ‘Sword Songs’, the band’s eighth studio LP releases May 13th 2016 via Nuclear Blast, and meets all expectations.
The 35-minute, 9-track effort begins with the hard-hitting opener ‘Freja’s Choice’, filled to the brim with signature Grand Magus-style grooves and melodies that hit the perfect balance between traditional and stoner metal and appeals equally to both circles of listeners. The galloping rhythm that decorates the entirety of the song is exactly what Grand Magus fans would expect from the band, and sets the tone excellently for this record. The expression in the songwriting is even more profound and powerful on the next track ’Varangian’, dominated by harmonies and frontman JB Christofferson’s soaring vocals. ‘Forged In Iron – Crowned In Steel’ picks up the tempo greatly and comes across as the most anthemic track on the album, an instant classic with its driving, fast-paced nature and its ‘viking metal’ chorus line which is sure to get listeners singing along immediately. But interestingly enough, it’s not a straightforward composition by any means and in fact boasts of more rhythmic shifts than anything else on the album.
‘Born For Battle (Black Dog Of Brocéliande)’ is another fun, groovy singalong that serves as a great follow-up, and next comes what’s certainly the standout track on here, ‘Master Of The Land’, a true masterclass in heavy metal songwriting, comprising exemplary clean vocal delivery of the catchiest, most singalong-worthy lyrics , perfect verse-chorus transitions, a glorious combination of the heaviest riffs and the most melodic solos and harmonies, and an all-conquering rhythm section. That being said, the relatively faster and simpler ’Last One To Fall’ does not let the impact of its predecessor one bit. The album continues to march on all guns blazing with the following track ‘Frost And Fire’, and after the short interlude ‘Hugr’, comes to an end with the powerful ballad-like ‘Every Day There’s A Battle To Fight’.
Besides, the production brings out the best from these tunes and plays its part in doing justice to the mastery of the music, specially when it comes to the drum sound which is a major component of any metal album, is often not properly attended to, and determines the success of failure of the album. Grand Magus’ ‘Sword Songs’ presents a delightfully warm drum sound to go with the crisp vocal, guitar and bass layers, and makes this album worthy of unending repeat listens.
This set of tunes is another undeniable example of Grand Magus successfully continuing to do what most other bands fail to do, to stay true to form and yet progress as musicians. ‘Sword Songs’ is a triumphant slab of righteous heavy metal, as strong and lustrous as steel, and poised to become , in equal measure, an album easy for metalheads to love and unsurmountable for other bands to match.
Rating: 10/10
Release Date: May 13th 2016
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Track Listing:
01. Freja’s Choice
02. Varangian
03. Forged In Iron – Crowned In Steel
04. Born For Battle (Black Dog Of Brocéliande)
05. Master Of The Land
06. Last One To Fall
07. Frost And Fire
08. Hugr
09. Everyday There’s A Battle To Fight
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