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/
