Whatever It Takes

Magnus Rising are a pretty consistent band - high-energy, melodic, hard-hitting (ha!) metallic goodness. They're the kind of band that doesn't write what you might call 'filler'. This is their 3rd outing - the first in about 6 years. That's a good chunk of time - so how does time and experience not really breed a stronger product? I don't really have the answer, I only know that - while solid - this one trails a little bit behind its predecessors.

All of the principle components that make up a Magnus Rising album are present here. The bass is suitably chunky and strong in the mix, with that certain groove to it that reminds one of Cowboys-era Pantera (incidentally, they've been known to cover that album's title track live). Drums are clear and well-fitting, if fairly standard. Aaron Hawkins' distinct and powerful voice is on full display. Roger's guitar tone is heavy and the solos are slick and sick as ever, like on "Dinner is Served" or the short-but-sweet treat on "Frankenstein's Monster". The obligatory Magnus half-power ballad is rockin', with decent lyrics. Something, though, seems a bit off. What, then?

Two things I noticed about this album - A) the amount of memorable songs is slightly diminished and B) the riffage on some tracks (mainly on verses) is simpler/less ear-catching than I'd hoped. Sometimes the simpler approach works, a la the aforementioned "Frankenstein's Monster", where it's kinda catchy, but sometimes it makes me zone in on Aaron and Matt, such as on "The Drill". Another miss is on track 9, where the riffage AND vocal lines don't really go anywhere interesting. Songs like "Jaws of Life" and and the beautiful "Journeyman" (nice acoustic work here, too) are, however, right up there with past Magnus stand-outs. There a couple other instances of things not clicking quite as well as in days of old - but a few misses aren't much to gripe about.

All-in-all, a pretty strong release, even if it is the lesser of 3 efforts. Recommended.