Grand Magus
Triumph And Power

2001. For Rise Above Records, the gem "Grand Magus" is released. An example of raw stoner/heavy directly from cold Sweden. More than a decade has passed since that first creation. In the meantime, several works followed, some very good, others less convincing. Grand Magus also managed to make a decent name for themselves in the European metal circle: this allowed them first to land on Roadrunner Records ("Hammer Of The North", 2010) and then on Nuclear Blast. Under the latter, in 2012, "The Hunt" was released. An album of pure heavy metal, classic and straightforward. Just enough to re-taste the flavors of lost metal. Today, 13 years after their debut, the stylistic journey of the Swedish trio can be said to be complete. Farewell to the stinky stoner and welcome to classic, eighties-inspired heavy. The almost perfect production (Nuclear Blast...) does the rest.

"Triumph And Power" is the CD that once and for all clarifies Christoffersson and associates' new coordinates. In fact, it retraces the stylistic patterns of "The Hunt". But while the previous effort contained various pieces of absolute value, the work in question does not keep pace. Granitic riffs, martial and powerful rhythms, choruses from battlefields, and everything an old-style metal lover wants to hear triumph. However, the genuine feeling of the early releases is missing, those dirty basement sounds that so defined albums like "Monument" and "Wolf’s Return". Another negative aspect lies in the almost visceral simplicity of the platter, an element that in itself is certainly not to be discarded: the general feeling, however, is one of cliché, of the "already heard" to exhaustion, in addition to a song form that is too canonical and conventional even for purists. Let’s be clear: there are several noteworthy tracks, from the title track and its epic progression, to the aggressive and almost hard rock rhythm of "The Naked And The Dead", but the CD flows placidly without surprises. Few ideas, pieces all too similar to each other, several fillers ("Holmgang") and the two instrumental interludes "Arv" and "Ymer" that shift nothing in the economy of the album.

The final result is that of a flat, weak album, twisted around itself. The elements that had so distinguished Grand Magus in the past are now in the background. There is a smell of craftsmanship. One might speak of mannerism if one did not believe in the good faith and attitude of the three Swedes. It remains an unconvincing work, perhaps the least successful in their discography. Certainly the least genuine, where there is a noticeable lack of "compositional verve".

For the first time postponed.

1. "On Hooves Of Gold" (5:25)
2. "Steel Versus Steel" (5:18)
3. "Fight" (4:07)
4. "Triumph And Power" (4:37)
5. "Dominator" (4:22)
6. "Arv" (1:58)
7. "Holmgang" (3:39)
8. "The Naked And The Dead" (3:03)
9. "Ymer" (2:54)
10. "The Hammer Will Bite" (6:54)