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Triumph and Power Grand Magus (Nuclear Blast)
From the second “On Hooves of Gold” gnashes its teeth and gallops forward to the last forceful swing of “The Hammer Will Bite”, Grand Magus’s power is in full flight and the end result is another sure triumph.
What makes this band so special is the life-affirming positivity that beams from their anthems. In a genre that feasts and thrives on negativity and misanthropy, positive themes of figuratively standing up against your adversaries, although time tested, can sound cheesy in the wrong hands. Sincerity is what separates Grand Magus's tales from the rest.
As usual the vocals delivering these tales of defiance are so commanding and catchy that you will immediately find yourself singing along to songs like “Steel Versus Steel”, “Fight” and “Triumph and Power”, with their fantastical themes announced with a universal bent not heard since Dio passed away.
Dio’s influence on Grand Magus’s music is nothing new; comparisons to the characteristics of the diminutive icon with pipes of gold have followed vocalist Janne “JB” Christoffersson for years.
The chugging riffs that lead "On Hooves of Gold" rage like a stampede; the Judas Priest-isms of “Fight” and “Dominator” are infectious slabs of traditional metal; and “The Naked and the Dead” and “The Hammer Will Bite” would have fought their way bloody into "Hammer of the North," such is the incisiveness of the riffs and the rousing call of the chorus of each song.
On the whole this album is exactly what we've come to expect from Grand Magus – and if you approach this album hoping for anything other than pure heavy metal made for any decade, you've found yourself on the wrong longboat destined for Valhalla.
