Magnum
The Eleventh Hour

After over thirty years of a glorious career (if not from a strictly commercial point of view, certainly from a musical one), Magnum has proven to be one of the best bands when it comes to melodic rock in the broadest sense of the term. Their history spans different phases and touches various genres and sub-genres including Hard Rock, Pomp, AOR, even brushing against Prog, Folk, and traces of Heavy Metal (the kind from the origins, so much so that they are sometimes included in the cauldron of the N.W.O.B.H.M., perhaps more for geographical and temporal reasons). Each album has thus represented, never more so than in this case, an important milestone in the band's artistic evolution.

After this brief introduction, necessary because we are talking about a group not well-known to most, I am about to review their fourth studio album "The Eleventh Hour". The phrase sounds a bit like "at the last minute", almost to underline the period of crisis they were going through due to the fact that Jet Records cut their funding, forcing them to self-produce.
We are in 1983 and the album followed what is considered by many to be their masterpiece, at least regarding their initial phase (the pomp/prog one), I'm talking about "Chase The Dragon" from 1982, and precedes by a few years another masterpiece, namely "On A Storyteller's Night" which would bring them closer to more AOR sounds. A classic transitional album, then, but the quality of the material offered remains high, so much so that they will showcase two songs in acoustic versions in the splendid "Keeping The Nite Light Burning" from 1993.

The album opens with the beautiful "The Prize": a wonderful acoustic intro with folk tinges by the bearded guitarist Tony Clarkin (all tracks are his work) serves as a prelude to Bob Catley's evocative voice, never so clear. When a drum break starts the actual track, it feels like the spaceship on the back of the album takes flight... In my opinion, one of the most beautiful songs by Magnum.

It is followed by "Breakdown", poignant and melancholic, a sort of symphonic blues if I may use that term, with Bob Catley shining with his usual hair-raising performance.
"The Great Disaster" continues dynamically and swiftly, with meticulous arrangements. The track is preceded by an intro where Tony Clarkin seems to draw inspiration from Brian May in the layering of harmonized guitars.

In the very pompous "Vicious Companions", folk influences return, where Catley, a credible minstrel, is perfectly at ease. "So Far Away" is one of the album's highlights, varied, dynamic, pompous... in short, everything one expects from Magnum! And we arrive at "Hit And Run", a more commercial and "simple" track. More akin to classic Hard Rock, it partly reminds me of Foreigner.

It's time for another peak of the album, namely "One Night Of Passion", where the chords of the skilled keyboardist Mark Stanway create a slightly Jazz atmosphere... Catley's anguished cry halfway through the song is textbook and somewhat reminiscent of the one contained in "The Teacher" (from "Chase The Dragon") but in a softer context.

"The Word" is instead a classic ballad. Supported by Stanway's piano, it's perhaps a bit too cloying and predictable. A pleasant track but nothing more. "Young And Precious Souls" and "Road To Paradise" suitably close an album rich in excellent music and exquisitely performed (let us also remember the rhythm section composed of Wally Lowe on bass and Kex Gorin on drums, here in his last performance before giving way behind the skins to Jim Simpson). An album sometimes overlooked perhaps because it's within a discography so rich in masterpieces, but still worth at least a listen. You won't regret it.

A special mention for the splendid cover art by Rodney Matthews, a great fantasy artist who lent (so to speak...) his talent to other Hard n' Heavy bands such as Nazareth, Tygers Of Pan Tang, and Praying Mantis.