Grand Magus
The Hunt

"Hammer Of The North" from 2010, gave the impression of a general flattening of the sound of Grand Magus: an album which, compared to previous releases, did not convince, although still a sufficient CD. This is why the release of "The Hunt" (May 25, 2012) was awaited as a turning point: from Grand Magus, we expected either a comeback album or one marking their definitive departure from the high levels of heavy metal produced in albums like "Monument" and "Wolf's return".

Grand Magus was born in 1999, in Stockholm, Sweden, at the behest of singer and guitarist JB Christoffersson. The beginnings are characterized by a dirty heavy metal heavily influenced by the most epic and raw stoner, while over the years, this peculiarity has slowly been given up, before being completely lost with "Hammer Of The North". The new effort continues along these lines, indeed it brings back a classic metal like hasn't been heard in a long time (traces of stoner are perceived only in the intro of the final track "Draksadd"). Nothing that can change the connotations of the genre, but certainly a lot of vintage and indeed "classic" attitude that die-hard traditional heavy metal fans will love without hesitation.

To achieve this, the Swedish trio focuses on the simplicity of the offering, creating nine tracks with confined duration, except for "Son of the last breath", divided into two parts: the first very evocative and dramatic, featuring the voice of Johnny Hedlund, vocalist of Unleashed, the second more metal-oriented. A song well executed, certainly the peak of the CD.

What convinces the most about GM's new work, is going against the trend of everything in this genre over the past years. While the major acts attempt a change made of experiments and hyper-computerized gimmicks, while others seek an easy listening sound to win back an audience they seem to have lost, Christoffersson and company return to focus on simplicity, on a heavy metal deeply anchored to the solid foundations of the '80s. Listening to tracks like the initial "Starlight slaughter", "Valhalla rising", or the title track, reveals the clear reference to Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and to a lesser extent the most epic Saxon of recent times.

So, the usual heavy stuff heard hundreds of times? Maybe yes, but there hasn't been in a long time a work like this, where the epicness, sharp riffs, and anthemic choruses, all key elements of '80s heavy metal, build a convincing and successful marriage. For Grand Magus, an important return, a step forward compared to the anonymous "Hammer of the north".

Three and a half stars.

1. "Starlight Slaughter" (4:19)
2. "Sword Of The Ocean" (4:28)
3. "Valhalla Rising" (4:52)
4. "Storm King" (4:23)
5. "Silver Moon" (4:44)
6. "The Hunt" (5:25)
7. "Son Of The Last Breath" (6:50)
8. "Iron Hand" (3:44)
9. "Draksadd" (5:48)