Magnum (ENGLAND)

[Horex]

Magnum - On A Storyteller's Night (1985) (2CD) (Japan Edition) (2006)













Year : 1985 (Japan Edition 2006)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

On a Storyteller's Night is the fifth studio album by the British melodic rock band Magnum, released in 1985 on FM Records. The album is widely considered as Magnum's breakthrough album. This album features one of Tony Clarkin's most thoughtful songs, "Les Morts Dansants" — a simple song in that paints a picture of a man being executed by a firing squad. It is the way in which the song accomplishes this, with some very colorful and imaginative metaphors.The song was covered in 1987 by the American singer Patty Smyth of the band Scandal on her first solo album Never Enough, but because of its French title the song was retitled "Call To Heaven".Magnum had parted company with Jet Records in 1983, and Mark Stanway had departed to work with Phil Lynott's Grand Slam, and Kex Gorin had joined Robin George's band.In 1984, Keith Baker took over management, and the band recruited Jim Simpson as a drummer and Eddie George as keyboard player. Following a six-week tour of the UK, Tony Clarkin began writing new material.Mark Stanway later returned to the band, and the band recruited Kit Woolven, who has produced albums for Phil Lynott, David Gilmour and Thin Lizzy. The album was recorded at DEP International Studios, then known as The Abattoir Studios, the home of UB40.On its release in May 1985, On a Storyteller's Night reached No. 24 in the UK charts and launched the band across Europe and is also notable for the stunning cover by fantasy illustrator Rodney Matthews. Two singles were released to promote the album, an alternative recording of "Just Like an Arrow" in March 1985 and "On a Storyteller's Night" in May 1985.In 2005, Sanctuary Records remastered and expanded the album for its 20th anniversary, including a bonus disc of the album's demo material. The band also toured, performing all of the tracks in their entirety for the first time.The 2005 expanded version of the album was reissued on 22 September 2006 in Japan, with mini LP/paper sleeve packaging, through Arcangelo. The album was also included in a limited edition Japanese box set, comprising all six of Sanctuary Records expanded and remastered releases with mini LP/paper sleeve packaging. The set included an outer box with Magnum's Chase The Dragon artwork.The cover art was designed by Rodney Matthews."On a Storyteller's Night is also a favourite of mine and one of my best known images. Again it was largely designed by Tony Clarkin with his formidable biro!"Rodney Matthews "One of Matthews' best-loved pictures [is] 'On a Storyteller's Night', which was used by Magnum as a sleeve. As surprising as the degree of lively detail is that it took only ten days to complete (with the help of some Midnight oil). The suggestion came from Tony Clarkin, Magnum's leader, writer and lyricist. The taverns interior is faintly reminiscent of The George in Norton St. Philip near Rodney's former home on Somerset. Background details include two previous Matthews' covers for the band [Chase The Dragon and The Eleventh Hour], while Matthews' own dog, Patch is under the table." — Nigel Suckling. "These demos were recorded at a studio called Switch Music which has long ceased to exist. I think the original recording date was in the Autumn of 1984, we went into the studio to produce some rough ideas for the songs consequently this is why some of the tracks just have a drum machine on them. At the time we began recording the album we didn't have a record deal but this change when we were halfway through the demos when we did get signed and continued to record the rest of the demos as a Live Band." "Some of the songs started life with different titles. 'Les Mort Dansants' had a working title of 'Cannon' and 'Steal Your Heart' was originally titled 'Come On Young Love'. 'The Last Dance' changed dramatically from the original recordings which is very obvious when you compare the demo version to the finished song and the demo to 'All England's Eyes' has a hideous solo on a melodica as I didn't have my guitar at the studio that day and there was a melodica lying around the studio, enough said!!" "The extra tracks are demos recorded in their most basic form and were the first stage the songs went through. We then played the live on stage before we ever recorded them properly which meant they changed from show to show and were suitable "road tested" before recording. The title track 'On A Storyteller's Night' was written on the road on a tour bus a month before we went into the studio to record the album." "Finally in 1985 we went into Abattoir Studios in Birmingham to record On a Storyteller's Night."— Tony Clarkin, February 2005

Line-Up:

Bob Catley — vocals
Tony Clarkin — guitar
Wally Lowe — bass guitar
Mark Stanway — keyboards
Jim Simpson — drums

Additional musicians

Mo Birch — backing vocals (on "Les Mort Dansants")
Kex Gorin — drums (on disc 2, tracks 1, 3 — 5, 8)

Production

Produced and engineered by Kit Woolven
Recorded at the Abattoir Studios, Birmingham, England
Mastered at Abbey Road Studios on Direct Metal Mastering

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. How Far Jerusalem (6:25)
02. Just Like an Arrow (3:22)
03. On a Storyteller's Night (4:59)
04. Before First Light (3:52)
05. Les Morts Dansants (5:47)
06. Endless Love (4:29)
07. Two Hearts (4:24)
08. Steal Your Heart (3:59)
09. All England's Eyes (4:47)
10. The Last Dance (3:41)

CD2 - Bonus CD:

01. How Far Jerusalem (5:45)
02. Endless Love (3:50)
03. Before First Light (4:26)
04. All England's Eyes (4:50)
05. Come On Young Love (#1) (3:47)
06. Come On Young Love (#2) (3:30)
07. Les Mort Dansant (P.K.A. Cannon) (5:09)
08. The Last Dance (4:08)
09. Interview (24:49)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Escape From The Shadow Garden (Digipak Edition) (2014)













Year : 2014
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 169 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Album:

Escape from the Shadow Garden is the 18th studio album from the rock group Magnum (including Keeping the Nite Light Burning and ignoring Evolution). Escape From the Shadow Garden was released on 19 March 2014 in Scandinavia, 21 March in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 24 March in the rest of Europe, and 1 April in the USA and Canada. As with On the 13th Day the band were hosts to their fans at a record launch party held at the Robin 2 in Bilston on 25 March 2014, the day after the UK release.The album entered the charts at number 14 in the German Albums Chart, 19 in the Swedish Albums Chart, 22 in the Switzerland Albums Chart and 38 in the official UK Albums Chart, a position last achieved by Magnum with The Eleventh Hour! in 1983; these were Magnum's highest chart positions in Germany and Sweden since Goodnight L.A. (1990), and in England and Switzerland since Sleepwalking (1992).In addition to these achievements the album reached number 2 in the UK Rock & Metal Charts and number 4 Indie Charts in the UK.

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin - guitars
Bob Catley - vocals
Mark Stanway - keyboards
Al Barrow - bass
Harry James - drums

Tracklist:

01. Live 'Til You Die
02. Unwritten Sacrifice
03. Falling For The Big Plan
04. Crying In The Rain
05. Too Many Clowns
06. Midnight Angel
07. The Art Of Compromise
08. Don't Fall Asleep
09. Wisdom's Had Its Day
10. Burning River
11. The Valley Of Tears




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Escape From The Shadow Garden (2CD) (Japan Edition) (2014)













Year : 2014
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 434 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Album:

Escape from the Shadow Garden is the 18th studio album from the rock group Magnum (including Keeping the Nite Light Burning and ignoring Evolution). Escape From the Shadow Garden was released on 19 March 2014 in Scandinavia, 21 March in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 24 March in the rest of Europe, and 1 April in the USA and Canada. As with On the 13th Day the band were hosts to their fans at a record launch party held at the Robin 2 in Bilston on 25 March 2014, the day after the UK release.The album entered the charts at number 14 in the German Albums Chart, 19 in the Swedish Albums Chart, 22 in the Switzerland Albums Chart and 38 in the official UK Albums Chart, a position last achieved by Magnum with The Eleventh Hour! in 1983; these were Magnum's highest chart positions in Germany and Sweden since Goodnight L.A. (1990), and in England and Switzerland since Sleepwalking (1992).In addition to these achievements the album reached number 2 in the UK Rock & Metal Charts and number 4 Indie Charts in the UK.

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin - guitars
Bob Catley - vocals
Mark Stanway - keyboards
Al Barrow - bass
Harry James - drums

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Live 'Til You Die
02. Unwritten Sacrifice
03. Falling For The Big Plan
04. Crying In The Rain
05. Too Many Clowns
06. Midnight Angel
07. The Art Of Compromise
08. Don't Fall Asleep
09. Wisdom's Had Its Day
10. Burning River
11. The Valley Of Tears

CD2: Evolution

01. That Holy Touch (Remix)
02. Just Like January (Remix)
03. Brand New Morning (Remix)
04. Immigrant Son (Remix)
05. When We Were Younger (Remix)
06. Out Of The Shadows (Remix)
07. All My Bridges (Remix)
08. Blood On Your Barbed Wire Thorns (Remix)
09. The Visitation
10. Wild Angels
11. The Fall (New Song)
12. Do You Know Who You Are? (New Song)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Escape From The Shadow Garden - Live 2014 (2015)











Year : 2015
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

British melodic rock icons MAGNUM will release a new live album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden - Live 2014", through SPV/Steamhammer in Scandinavia on May 6, in Germany on May 8, in the rest of Europe on May 11 and in the USA on May 12 as a super jewel case version, double gatefold vinyl version and as a digital download. The CD was recorded in the spring of 2014 at select venues on MAGNUM's successful "Escape From The Shadow Garden" European tour. The setlist includes songs from seven of MAGNUM's eighteen studio albums.MAGNUM's 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", was released in March 2014 via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort was made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY).

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin - guitars
Bob Catley - vocals
Mark Stanway - keyboards
Al Barrow - bass
Harry James - drums

Tracklist:

01. Live'til You Die
02. Black Skies
03. Freedom Day
04. Dance Of The Black Tattoo
05. Blood Red Laughter
06. Unwritten Sacrifice
07. How Far Jerusalem
08. Les Morts Dansant
09. Falling For The Big Plan
10. All England's Eyes
11. Vigilante
12. Kingdom Of Madness




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - The Valley Of Tears - The Ballads (2017)













Year : 2017
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

In 2011 Magnum released the album ‘Evolution’ which consisted of re-mixes and some original material.The cynical might have said: why go back and re-visit songs which sounded pretty good in the first place? The same might be said of this latest collection and, not least, how and where do you start cherry picking? This time the band focus on ballads after an idea from Tony Clarkin’s daughter. There’s no doubt over the years Magnum have tugged at the heart strings and it will always be a difficult choice as to what to leave in and out in any collection showing their softer side.There is also an argument that it allows the listener to hear certain songs with modern production values and therefore it may also pull in new converts as well as the faithful.This is a good enough argument and, healthily, Magnum are a band that seem to be able to pull in younger fans at their gigs – and mixed gender – which contrasts with a band like Marillion who on their latest outing appeared to attract an audience of predominately older males.And, of course, a compilation may encourage even die-hard fans to go back and revisit the original albums.The remastering and remixing no doubt lends the tunes a bit more gravitas and some songs have been completely re-recorded. Strangely, ‘Your Dreams Don’t Die’ off the latest album is included in remastered form – maybe for completism, taste and preference more than anything else. Surely the original track already espouses “modern production values”? Probably the main differential with a collection like ‘The Valley Of Tears’ is the timbre of Bob Catley’s voice. Understandably a little less silky these days but now with a vulnerability that suits the material rather well. Perhaps sensibly there is an emphasis on post-1990 work, although a live version of ‘When The World Comes Down’ and a new, acoustic, version of ‘Lonely Night’ creep in to the mix. The inclusion of a track each from ‘Sleepwalking’ and ‘Rock Art’, two criminally neglected albums, is also very welcome and both have been re-recorded.This is understandable in the case of ‘Sleepwalking’ (1992) which the band weren’t totally happy with in terms of audio quality. But perhaps that’s a good enough reason to go back and re-record the whole album which would give a new lease of life and encourage the band to return a few songs to the live setlist (‘Stormy Weather’, ‘The Flood’, ‘Only In America’..?) 2017 will mark its 25th anniversary…It is a shame though that ‘Goodnight LA’ isn’t touched, although it contains some cracking ballads.No doubt some Magnum fans will soon be mentally compiling their own alternative and loading up their iPod or Spotify playlists. Perhaps we’ll get a Volume 2 in due course?More than anything, ‘The Valley of Tears’ attests the band’s versatility, Bob Catley’s vocal sensitivity and Tony Clarkin’s way with a song. The ballads album might only be topped by Magnum with a full symphony orchestra. Now that would certainly pluck the (heart) strings.

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin - Guitars
Bob Catley - Vocals
Mark Stanway - Keyboards
Al Barrow - Bass
Harry James - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Dream About You [Remastered]
02. Back In Your Arms Again [Newly Re-Recorded Version]
03. The Valley Of Tears [Remixed, Remastered]
04. Broken Wheel [Newly Re-Recorded Version]
05. A Face In The Crowd [Remixed, Remastered]
06. Your Dreams Won't Die [Remastered]
07. Lonely Night [Acoustic Version] [Newly Re-Recorded]
08. The Last Frontier [Remixed, Remastered]
09. Putting Things In Place [Remixed, Remastered]
10. When The World Comes Down [Live]




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Lost On The Road To Eternity (2CD) (Digipak Edition) (2018)













Year : 2018
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

The release of their latest album, "Lost On The Road To Eternity", sees British hard rock band Magnum celebrate a very special anniversary. It will be the 20th studio recording by the band surrounding founder members Bob Catley (vocals) and Tony Clarkin (guitar) since their 1978 debut "Kingdom Of Madness". At the same time, Clarkin, Catley and bassist Al Barrow are set to introduce their current line-up featuring new additions Rick Benton (keyboards) and Lee Morris (drums). Benton joined the Magnum camp in December 2016 to replace long-standing member Mark Stanway, while Morris took over from Harry James only a few months ago."Lost On The Road To Eternity" contains eleven new songs, among them the first single release "Without Love" and a duet by Catley and Tobias Sammet on the title track, a kind of artistic thank you by the Edguy/Avantasia frontman in appreciation of Catley's guest stint on a number of Sammet's releases.The release will once again be complemented by Rodney Matthews' atmospheric cover artwork as well as a total of four live bonus tracks on the CD digipak version recorded at Magnum's 2017 performance at the Leyendas Del Rock festival in Alicante, Spain.

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin - Guitars
Bob Catley - Vocals
Rick Benton - Keyboards
Al Barrow - Bass
Lee Morris - Drums

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Peaches and Cream
02. Show Me Your Hands
03. Storm Baby
04. Welcome To The Cosmic Cabaret
05. Lost On The Road To Eternity
06. Without Love
07. Tell Me What You've Got To Say
08. Ya Wanna Be Someone
09. Forbidden Masquerade
10. Glory To Ashes
11. King Of The World

CD2:

Live at the Leyendas Del Rock festival in Alicante, Spain:

01. Sacred Blood - Divine Lies
02. Crazy Old Mothers
03. Your Dreams Won't Die
04. Twelve Men Wise And Just




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Live At The Symphony Hall (2CD) (2019)













Year : 2019
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

Last year legends MAGNUM presented their 20th studio album, “Lost on the Road to Eternity”. Coming forty years after the release of their debut album it was a great CD that demonstrated that they’re still making great music and got the fire. The release of the album was followed by a two month tour which concluded with a show on 19th April 2018 at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. The event was recorded and is now being released tomorrow as "Magnum : Live At The Symphony Hall".The setlist of the show (and now track listing for the album) included four songs from the last CD alongside other tunes from their career. However, the band aren't just playing a slightly tweaked versions of the set from their previous tours – Magnum are a band that do like to vary things, so for example “On a storytellers Night” doesn’t get an airing this time despite being a fan favorite.Magnum have enough material to vary the setlist a fair amount and still keep the fans happy. They also vary how they play the songs too to keep things interesting.With Lee Morris and Rick Benton now firmly embedded we’ve noted before the band have been given another new breath of life. This rejuvenation is also evident in the rendering of the time-worn core setlist. Benton has gone to some lengths to replicate (and in some cases enhance) the original keyboard textures (‘Don’t Wake The Lion’ in particular sounds fresher than ever, and now with a Celtic infusion).I always felt that with Mark Stanway in the band, the keyboards were too low in the mix. Part of the reboot is that Benton is allowed more scope. Tonally, Tony Clarkin has never been a particularly convincing soloist and now, more than ever, needs a proper counterpoint. This is evident on ‘How Far Jerusalem’.That other old mainstay ‘All England’s Eyes’ coupled with ‘Vigilante’ reinforces all that is good about Magnum and recalls past glories and fan favorites. If Bob and Tony will understandably never recapture the sheer exuberance of 1991′s live outing ‘The Spirit’ Lee and Rick will certainly keep them on their toes for the foreseeable future.Every music lover knows that the closing concert of a long tour is always a very special event.Harsh words have sometimes been said about Catley’s ageing vocal style – especially in the live context – but here he’s on a roll with Al Barrow always supportive on backing vocals and bass.A real highlight is the guest appearance of Tobias Sammet (Avantasia, Edguy) who reprises his duet with Catley on ‘Lost On The Road To Eternity’ and reappears for the finale, another excellent version of ‘When The World Comes Down’.Rebecca Downes (from whose band Benton was “stolen”) adds vocals to ‘Without Love’ together with another Birmingham based “veteran” Lee Small (Shy / Phenomena).Magnum are never a band to stand still – Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin will always see to that. We’ve said before that they always seem to shun significant anniversaries. Other bands (via management and labels) make sure we know about them, via album recycling and live shows.This year marked the 40th anniversary of Magnum’s debut album (the title song ‘Kingdom Of Madness’ the only connection in this set) and don’t let’s forget Wings Of Heaven: thirty years young and recalled on ‘Don’t Wake The Lion’.Let us celebrate, then, a band who – forty years on – can still deliver.Perhaps Sammet gets it right when he hollers enthusiastically “Magnum – the greatest band in the world”. I don't know, but one of the most talented for sure.

Line-Up:

Bob Catley – vocals
Tony Clarkin – lead guitar, vocals
Al Barrow – bass guitar, backing vocals
Rick Benton – keyboards
Lee Morris - drums

guest vocals:

Tobias Sammet
Rebecca Downes
Lee Small

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. When We Were Younger (Live)
02. Sacred Blood 'divine' Lies (Live)
03. Lost On The Road To Eternity (Live)
04. Crazy Old Mothers (Live)
05. Without Love (Live)
06. Your Dreams Won't Die (Live)
07. Peaches And Cream (Live)
08. How Far Jerusalem (Live)

CD2:

01. Les Morts Dansant (Live)
02. Show Me Your Hands (Live)
03. All England's Eyes (Live)
04. Vigilante (Live)
05. Don't Wake The Lion (Too Old To Die Young) (Live)
06. The Spirit (Live)
07. When The World Comes Down (Live)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - The Serpent Rings (2020)













Year : 2020
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

From the opening bars of opener ‘Where Are You Eden?’ you can tell Tony Clarkin is particularly inspired as Magnum his baby since the early 70’s see in the new decade. It’s a solid opener, lushly orchestrated and as well as sounding a little heavier than recent offerings, also has a lushness that glides over the refrain giving it a feel of, say ELO. ‘You Can’t Run Faster Than Bullets’ which follows retains that heaviness and takes the mood down with a hypnotic verse and soaring chorus 21 albums into their career, it’s my favourite opening certainly this century.Clarkin this time as you might expect, has kept working the way he always has over the years – starting writing as soon as the previous album is put to bed and seeing the album from demo to finished article. It’s a process that has produced ten albums over the last two decades and this could just be the best of those.‘Madman or Messiah’ that follows is the perfect mid-tempo rocker and cements the harder sound as it pushes melodically, driven by Catley’s inimitable vocals and Clarkin’s guitars, it’s perfect Magnum and the sort of sound that no one does as well as these guys over the years. As well as songs like that, that talk about the cult of personality and self proclaimed messiahs, there are also contemplations on ecology like ‘Man’ which contemplates what we are doing to the planet in the name of short-term greed.It wouldn’t be Magnum though without the fantasy element, as Clarkin states – “The Serpent Rings also presents Magnum from their dreamy, magical side, the title song being a perfect example – and a direct reflection of the amazing cover artwork courtesy of Rodney Matthews. Clarkin: “‘The Serpent Rings’ started out as a science fiction story but continued to evolve over time and even features a slightly bizarre side today. I’d describe the song as an eerie and somewhat creepy fairy tale.”The new album also features a line-up change with bassist Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome, Unisonic) joining Clarkin, Catley, keyboardist Rick Benton and drummer Lee Morris, to replace Al Barrow for the album and the extensive UK Tour and European dates with Gotthard that follow.Getting back to the album ‘The Archway of Tears’ takes you right back to those sweeping epics that Magnum has excelled at over the years and has some simply wonderful guitar in Clarkin’s most inspired solo here; whilst ‘Not Forgiven’ is a nice stomping rocker with a great breakdown, before the epic title track sweeps in on the back of a gathering storm and some atmospheric keys and just underlines the unerring quality here.‘House of Kings’ has a great swing that is inescapable and makes you wonder what Catley would sound like singing the Blues as he blusters through the verses and for all its simplicity its amongst my favorites here and I love that crescendo of horns at the close. ‘The Great Unknown’ is the closest we get to a ballad here and its the sort of song to get lost in. ‘Man’ as we mentioned is a contemplation of capitalist greed at the price of our future and whilst I know Tony never gets political its a subject we all should be concerned about, and eloquently explored here.The album closes out on as much of a high as it started out: ‘The Last One on Earth’ is the shortest song here but is packed with melody and swelling with emotion. The last word comes with ‘Crimson on the White Sand’, I’m always intrigued with how Tony closes and album and this time he chose to do so with what at first sounds like a contemplative ballad but the song quickly soars away in classic Magnum tradition.On an album where the average track length is well over the five minute mark there’s plenty to get lost in here, but equally nothing here is overdone, Magnum are it seems at their very best striking out into the 20’s – melodic, powerful, wonderfully embellished and all a little harder than in recent times which just gives the compositions all that crisper an edge. This is Magnum at their finest and an absolute must. It might be far too soon to call contenders for album of the year, but I know this will be in that mix…

Line-Up:

Tony Clarkin – guitar
Bob Catley – vocals
Dennis Ward – bass guitar
Rick Benton – keyboards
Lee Morris – drums

Tracklist:

01. Where Are You Eden?
02. You Can't Run Faster Than Bullets
03. Madman Or Messiah
04. The Archway Of Tears
05. Not Forgiven
06. The Serpent Rings
07. Ouse Of Kings
08. The Great Unknown
09. Man
10. The Las One On Earth
11. Crimson On The White Sand




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Dance Of The Black Tattoo (Digipak Edition) (2021)













Year : 2021
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

What do inveterate songwriters do in Lockdown when they’ve no band to steer in a live direction and time on their hands? Well Tony Clarkin doesn’t do a spot of gardening, that’s for sure. Since earlier this year he has used the COVID hiatus to revisit some of Magnum’s heavier tracks for this new compilation.Thought of as a companion to the earlier ‘Ballads’ release, Clarkin has plundered 14 of the back catalogue and served up on heavy duty magenta vinyl with printed inner sleeves and a Rodney Matthews cover. It could almost be 1982.The studio catalogue is mainly plundered after 2014 so this is essentially Millennium Magnum, dusted off, brushed up, remastered. Only a live version of the classic ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’, ‘Born To Be King’ (originally on Goodnight LA) and ‘On Christmas Day’ (Rock Art) recall earlier times.The inclusion of “fan favourite” ‘Born To Be King’ might seem a little arbitary (it’s the version that appeared with the Christmas single in 2014). If it’s a fan favourite how come it hasn’t appeared in millennium setlists to prompt a more recent live recorded version?For the more casual fan it does mean they get the previously released bonus tracks from the live album ‘Escape From The Shadow Garden’. ‘Black Skies’, ‘Freedom Day’, ‘All My Bridges’ and ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ are from the DVD whilst ‘Dance Of The Black Tattoo’ is from the vinyl version.Two bonus tracks are taken off the limited edition ‘Sacred Blood – Divine Lies’ (CD/DVD). It’s certainly one of the band’s finest albums of recent times and ‘Phantom Of Paradise Circus’ and ‘No God Or Saviour’ are both good tunes. Fans (and collectors) might be grateful the other bonus ‘Don’t Grow Up’ is excluded.There are also two other live bonus tracks ‘Your Dreams Won’t Die’ and ‘Twelve Men Wise And Just’ both originally appearing on the bonus ‘Lost On The Road To Eternity’ disc.The album is rounded off with radio edits of ‘Show Me Your Hands’, ‘Not Forgiven’ and ‘Madman Or Messiah’, all hardly essential, whilst ‘On Christmas Day’ will miss the festive season as the album is out in January.I don’t know whether it’s our advance copy (or my advancing years) but the new (CD) package is somewhat let down by the lack of recording information or narrative and with no inner liner. And the track listing on the reverse is rendered in a type size that will have ancient rockers (surely at least 50 per cent of the band’s audience?) reaching for their reading specs and then a magnifying glass.The “all tracks digitally remastered” tag also begs the question why weren’t the millennial tracks properly mastered in the first place?There is a definite sense of “nothing to see here, move along please” for fans, but newbies can certainly hear what all the fuss is about.There is no re-recording as with the Ballads collection but as with that earlier collection this is a good enough introduction to contemporary Magnum and an adequate side dish before the next big helping of studio beef.No doubt – currently isolating in his COVID-free cocoon – Clarkin is probably readying the band’s next magnum opus. In the meantime we can all enjoy these refreshed recordings as a reminder of a still great and future band.

Line-Up:

Bob Catley - vocals
Tony Clarkin - lead guitar, vocals
Rick Benton - keyboards
Lee Morris - drums
Dennis Ward - bass guitar, backing vocals

Tracklist:

01. Black Skies (Live)
02. Freedom Day (Live)
03. All My Bridges (Live)
04. On A Storyteller’s Night (Live)
05. Dance Of The Black Tattoo (Live)
06. On Christmas Day (Radio Edit)
07. Born To Be King
08. Phantom Of Paradise Circus
09. No God Or Saviour
10. Your Dreams Won't Die (Live)
11. Twelve Men Wise And Just (Live)
12. Show Me Your Hands (Radio Edit)
13. Not Forgiven (Radio Edit)
14. Madman or Messiah (Radio Edit)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - The Monster Roars (Digipak Edition) (2022)













Year : 2022
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

I try not to start every Magnum review talking about the past because let’s face it we all know so much about albums like ‘Storytellers’ and the great landmarks of the 80’s but the truth is it’s hard not to reference a band’s glorious past even decades later. The truth is of course that Magnum’s output this millennium has always been quality, and if not hitting the highs of almost 40 years ago they constantly fail spectacularly to sound like “old men just going through the motions” like any of their contemporaries!The press release is surprisingly accurate this time: “Even after difficult months marked by pandemic-related concert cancellations, contact restrictions and uncertain perspectives for the whole music industry, the English rock act have succeeded in creating a vibrant, homogeneous work that impresses its listeners from the first to the last note and includes a number of surprises.” It’s the surprises that we’ll touch on later…We open as you might expect with a ‘roar’ and like on previous albums the opening salvos are enough to let you know that the unique sound of Magnum is back. ‘Remember’ that follows is one of a number of Hard Rockers (probably half the album are straight ahead rockers) that will please fans if not exactly upping the bar, though in all honesty Magnum’s bar has always been set rather higher than most. All the songs too are similar in construction – the majority clocking in around the 5 minute mark and whilst some might find that rather unadventurous I know others will find it rather pleasing!If you like to Rock out I’d single out ‘The Present Not The Past’, ‘The Day After The Night Before’ and ‘That Freedom Word’ as hitting the spot rather nicely. But this is an album where the real wonder comes from when Clarkin strays from the formula.And of course Magnum has always excelled at the slower numbers and ‘Walk The Silent Hours’ is wonderfully orchestrated and right up there with their best of recent times. Bob is sounding so very good too here and throughout. Elsewhere there’s the very interesting ‘No Steppin’ Stones’ sat innocently mid-album with its real Magnum ethos yet it’s a song shot through and bolstered by horns! Yes horns! And it just sounds so right! I have to say that I need more of this! (is that enough !!!! ?) Another two of my standouts on a very satisfying album are the mid-tempo closer ‘Can’t Buy Yourself Heaven’ which rounds things out in real style and the piano-led anthem ‘All You Believe In’ which brings to mind former glories with it’s wonderful melodies. It’s one of my favourite Magnum tracks this side of the millennium.There’s some wonderful lyrics as always from Tony, but here you can really feel the passion as he tackles the politics. ‘The Monster Roars’ does what you’d expect on the tin, but I’d wager this time Tony has created the perfect storm for Magnum fans – I’ve loved the last few in the main, but this one I’ve fallen for completely.

Line-Up:

Bob Catley - vocals
Tony Clarkin - lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Ward - bass guitar, backing vocals
Rick Benton - keyboards
Lee Morris - drums

Tracklist:

01. The Monster Roars 3:57
02. Remember 5:05
03. All You Believe In 5:01
04. I Won't Let You Down 3:57
05. The Present Not The Past 5:27
06. No Steppin' Stones 3:57
07. That Freedom Word 4:52
08. Your Blood Is Violence 6:44
09. Walk The Silent Hours 4:51
10. The Day After The Night Before 4:23
11. Come Holy Men 5:01
12. Can't Buy Yourself Heaven 5:00




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Goodnight L.A. (1990) (Music On CD Edition 2023)













Year : 1990 (Music On CD Edition 2023)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Videos
Size : 228 mb

Bio:

Influential British melodic hard rockers MAGNUM will release their 19th studio album, "Escape From The Shadow Garden", on March 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be made available as a limited digipak edition with bonus material, as a double colored vinyl LP, standard jewel case CD and download. The cover artwork was once again created by famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews (ASIA, NAZARETH, ELOY)."We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says MAGNUM mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with MAGNUM again."Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". Just like his simple-yet-logical work ethos. "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar," he says. "As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating." The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs which blend all the typical MAGNUM ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic."This band has certain unmistakable trademarks," Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."Only a month after the release of its predecessor, "On The 13th Day", Clarkin started with the preparations for "Escape From The Shadow Garden" — as always, an exciting phase in his life."Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result," he says."When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album."Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews, this is a release which forges an arch to the early days of MAGNUM's career. And that's wonderful!"I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of SLADE came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?'"It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work — life could have gone a totally differently way."

Abum:

Now we have here in exclusive the fresh CD reissue of MAGNUM awesome 1990 album “Goodnight L.A.” made by really good Dutch label Music On CD. This company has been doing a great work lately making available again on disc hard to find melodic hard rock albums / bands. As usual, Music On CD reissues are not freshly remastered, they just use the best masters available.However, the sound quality of this modern digital transfer results into a much better, ‘fat’ sounding CD, far superior than the original CD pressings. And considering “Goodnight L.A.” never has been remastered, this Music On CD release is the best sounding you can get.For this new album Polydor Records wanted a late ’80s bright sound to Magnum finally broje into the North American charts. With genius Keith Olsen producing, co-write contribution from the likes Russ Ballard, Jim Vallance, plus harmony vocals / backings from talented Tommy Funderburk and Saga’s Michael Sadler, Magnum created a wonderful piece of AOR here.While not reaching the masterpiece status of ‘On A Storytellers Night’ or ‘Vigilante’, “Goodnight L.A.” is a fantastic album not only for Magnum standards, but also one of the finest Melodic hard rock / AOR albums from the 1989 / 1990 period, with that polished production and impeccable arrangements.All songs are good, and if you like the band and this golden period from the genre, Magnum’s “Goodnight L.A.” is mandatory in your collection.

Line-Up:

Bob Catley - vocals
Tony Clarkin - lead guitar, vocals
Wally Lowe - bass guitar
Mark Stanway - keyboards
Mickey Barker - drums

+ guests:

Tommy Funderburk - backing vocals
Michael Sadler - backing vocals
Paulinho da Costa - percussion
Deric Dyer - saxophone

Tracklist:

01. Rockin’ Chair
02. Mama
03. Only A Memory
04. Reckless Man
05. Matter Of Survival
06. What Kind Of Love Is This
07. Heartbroke & Busted
08. Shoot
09. No Way Out
10. Cry For You
11. Born To Be King

+ Video "Heartbroke and Busted" (Official Video)
+ Video "Rockin' Chair" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Magnum - Here Comes The Rain (2024)













Year : 2024
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 125 mb

Bio:

Magnum are an English hard rock and AOR-band. They were formed in Birmingham by Tony Clarkin (guitar, songwriter) and Bob Catley (vocals) in order to appear as the resident band at the Rum Runner nightclub in the city. Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years; however, the core of Catley and Clarkin remain.Magnum's most significant early success was Chase the Dragon in 1982, which reached number 17 in the UK Albums Chart.It included several songs that would become mainstays of the band's live set, notably "Soldier of the Line", "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit". On a Storyteller's Night gave the band its breakthrough in Europe, and achieved a Gold certification in the United Kingdom.The band's 1986 album Vigilante represented a further move towards the mainstream before the band achieved their commercial peak in 1988 when they entered the UK Top Ten for the first time with the album Wings of Heaven, which reached number five and featured three Top 40 singles, "Days of No Trust", "Start Talking Love" and "It Must Have Been Love". It was followed by Goodnight L.A., which was produced by Keith Olsen and reached number nine in the UK Album Chart in 1990. It produced another Top 40 single for the band, "Rockin' Chair".In 1995, Clarkin announced Magnum's split; however, Clarkin and Catley continued working together, now under the name Hard Rain, until 1999. Magnum reformed in 2001 and has enjoyed late-career commercial success. Their most recent album, The Monster Roars, was released in January 2022.

Abum:

There are few great bands on our planet that you can infallibly identify within the first few bars of one of their songs. The unique melodic skill, the tasteful instrumentation, the right balance of depth & catchiness and then of course that charismatic voice: Magnum is Magnum! The same can be said of the upcoming studio album "Here Comes The Rain", which will be out on Steamhammer/SPV, proving once again that classic rock music could hardly sound more atmospheric. The album’s highly inspired artwork is once again designed by the great Rodney Matthews, who has already created a number of Magnum sleeves to support the band's atmospherically dense music. Says Tony Clarkin: "The back of the cover features a kind of avian battalion in attack mode, which I think is a great allegory!" Apart from Magnum's typical trademarks, "Here Comes The Rain" also holds a number of thoroughly pleasant surprises in store, such as "Blue Tango", which is a real riff-rock track that makes you want to move your feet, or "The Seventh Darkness" with some awesome brass sections courtesy of guest musicians Chris Aldridge (saxophone) and Nick Dewhurst (trumpet), which lend the song brilliance and shape. There can be no doubt about it: "Here Comes The Rain" sees the Magnum line-up consisting of Catley, Clarkin, keyboardist Rick Benton, bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Lee Morris once again succeed in creating an outstandingly colorful, varied and inspired new studio album. "Everyone played his part without me dictating anything", Clarkin enthuses, "everyone just instinctively played what his inspiration told him." It's a good thing that these superb musicians can rely on their intuition!

Line-Up:

Bob Catley - vocals
Tony Clarkin - lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Ward - bass guitar
Rick Benton - keyboards
Lee Morris - drums

Tracklist:

01. Run Into The Shadows
02. Here Comes The Rain
03. Some Kind Of Treachery
04. After The Silence
05. Blue Tango
06. The Day He Lied
07. The Seventh Darkness
08. Broken City
09. I Wanna Live
10. Borderline




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