Magnum
Chase The Dragon

THE REVIEW

While waiting for Shooting Star (by the way, does the American Pomp Rock group that authored the splendid "Summer Sun" have anything to do with this?) to publish their review of "Kingdom Of Madness", and encouraged by the warm reception that Magnum has received here on DeBaser, I thought of bringing to your attention what I believe is (even more than the much more known "On A Storyteller's Night") their creative peak, both in terms of the quality of the compositions and the perfect synthesis of the styles proposed in it.

Hard Rock, Pomp/Prog, and a dash of AOR are the main ingredients of this "Chase The Dragon" which, released in 1982, marked the entrance of keyboardist Mark Stanway, a competent and tasteful musician (still present in the line-up today), here authoring an excellent performance both in rare solo moments and in creating those grandiose atmospheres so dear to the Birmingham group.

The first work (relative to the group) to boast a beautiful fantasy cover by the famous (?) Rodney Matthews and to feature the logo with the "M" shaped like a sword, the album is also remembered for containing some of the hardest moments in their discography. This characteristic is already evident in the opener "Soldier Of The Line", a piece of epic Heavy Rock led by the confident voice of Bob Catley, now evocative, now unexpectedly sharp. Also decidedly heavy is "The Teacher", a forgotten gem where the Rock n' Roll rhythm cannot restrain the natural symphonic inclination of our group. Notable too is the long solo by Tony Clarkin, where Blackmore influences emerge in the use of "staccato" and the lever. Progressive rock enthusiasts will instead be enchanted by the magical keyboard notes that introduce "Sacred Hour", a track full of pathos and a true moment of glory for the aforementioned Stanway during concerts, or by the moog phrases in the poetic "We All Play The Game", with a rhythm of acoustic guitar as simple as it is beautiful and a touching interpretation by Catley. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the piece that alone can well represent the entire work of Magnum, as well as the first piece that would come to mind if someone asked me to play something from this group: I am talking about "The Spirit", a true masterpiece of pompous Hard Rock introduced by a wonderful medieval folk part with a Catley deserving applause, before Clarkin's power chords bring us back to harder territories, but with the melody always at the forefront. A track that might appeal to fans of AOR as well as followers of more classic metal.

The recent (well, from '99...) CD reissue also includes bonus tracks such as the single "Back To Earth/Hold Back Your Love", two live versions, and the pleasant unreleased "Long Days Black Nights". And now it's your turn!