Magnum: On The Thirteenth Day

There are some bands who just seem incapable of making bad albums, the odd inconsistent one maybe, the odd ill advised departure, but never bad. Well step up with pride those Brummie boys Magnum, who over the last 34 years (admittedly with a 5 or 6 year break) have regaled us with some of the best British pomp you could ever care to hear. Which judging by studio album number 17, is something that isn't liable to stop anytime soon!

To be fair, On The Thirteenth Day isn't the sort of album that is going to change any minds, I doubt very much that was intention. Instead it builds and ever so slightly expands upon the impressive catalogue Magnum have amassed over the decades and stands tall and proud alongside their most revered releases. Only nostalgia will stop long term fans of the band proclaiming that this release is as good as On A Storyteller's Night, or Wings Of Heaven (or whichever is their fave reminisce), but it is. Yes the formula runs pretty close to the last three Magnum offerings, Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow, Into The Valley Of The Moonking and The Visitation, but considering how pleasing on the ear they all were, the fact that On The Thirteenth Day betters them is recommendation enough.

Ease into the uplifting "Shadow Town", the ever building and instantly memorable "So Let It Rain" (the stick in your head song of the album), the wonderfully titled and welcomingly familiar "Blood Red Laughter", or stomping, melancholy intent of "From Within" for confirmation that this is a vintage motor still running at full tilt. Pleasingly there are a couple of curve-balls, with "Dance Of The Black Tattoo" having a chunkier riff than this band are known for, while "Broken Promises" follows a similar path, but with a bluesier edge.

The voice of the band, Bob Catley, maybe sounds a little lived in these days, but few frontmen can offer up the warmth and emotion of his delivery, while long standing (someone get him a seat please!) keyboard player Mark Stanway adds the layers of atmosphere that mark out the Magnum signature sound. The new (a decade of service still denotes newbies in this band!) lads also stack up well, with Harry James on drums and bassist Al Barrow proving once again that having the most solid of rhythm sections is priceless in any band of any genre. However without guitar player and songwriter Tony Clarkin, this band simply wouldn't be, so let's all doff our caps to "The Hat" and pay reverence to yet another cracking set of songs and another stunning six string performance.

On The Thirteenth Day is a fantastic blend of all of the elements with which Magnum have impressed, seduced and won our affection for almost as long as we can remember now and is an impressive statement from a band that would have every right to be sitting with their feet up and living off past glories at this stage of their careers. The fact that they are not is a reason to rejoice and so is On The Thirteenth Day!

Track Listing
1. All The Dreamers
2. Blood Red Laughter
3. Didn't Like You Anyway
4. On The 13th Day
5. So Let It Rain
6. Dance Of The Black Tattoo
7. Shadow Town
8. Putting Things In Place
9. Broken Promises
10. See How They Fall
11. From Within

Added: October 20th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Magnum Online
Hits: 5499
Language: english

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