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GRAND MAGUS
Sunraven
Nuclear Blast

At nearly 30 years into their career, Sweden's GRAND MAGUS appear to be one of the more consistently active bands coming out of the mid-90's Gothenburg doom metal scene. The trio, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Janne "JB" Christoffersson, bassist Mats "Fox" Skinner and drummer Ludwig "Ludde" Witt, and aside from their standard heavy SABBATH worship, have not only drawn comparisons to similar sounding latter-day bands such as CATHEDRAL and ELECTRIC WIZARD, they've also worked their touring experiences by being on the road with them. Indeed, such exposure around these particular bands, known for some of their own conceptual-styled albums, have inspired GRAND MAGUS in turn to create some of their own similar-minded storylines in album form over time. On the band's 10th studio album Sunraven, their latest Viking-driven inspiration came from the 5th century pagan Scandinavian poem Beowulf, its tales of epic bravery and sacrifice in full abundance throughout its tracklist of nine songs.

Opening number "Skybound" is a defiant testimony to the trio's legacy - a thundering battle cry echoing from Christoffersson's powerful voice chanting over chugging riffs and low-end rhythmic riffs and grooves. "The Wheel Of Pain" is a delicately-balanced hybrid of power metal and slow-churning heavy blues, perhaps best described as blues-inspired MANOWAR in parts, while the album's title track is unabashedly raw-sounding catchy anthemic battlecore at its finest. Yet, while Sunraven often stays within its proverbial flight path for the most part, it also makes some strident efforts to deviate towards new sonic progressions. "Winter Storms" opens with a melodic slow black metal-inspired riff that's featured throughout the song before climaxing in a rising and crashing finish while the languid groove of "The Black Lake" harkens towards the 90's doom era of the Deep South, echoing the swampy heaviness of DOWN and even early MONSTER MAGNET in parts; Christoffersson is even channeling Dave Wyndorf by the song's end, which could have otherwise used at least another minute and a half to fully develop. And not without their own individual charms, the fleeting fury of "Hour Of The Wolf" would fit in nicely on any of the last three JUDAS PRIEST albums while Beowulf's mythical nemesis Grendel is paid homage to in a DIO-era SABBATH-sounding banger of the same name. After the tale of their epic battle is displayed bare on the galloping and rousing track "To Heorot", both Beowulf and Grendel's saga comes to a close on the last number "The End Belongs To You", its opening drum intro signaling the post-battle tone before it carries the song Viking funeral style forward towards Valhalla's dark throes, with Witt's brief John Bonham-inspired rambunctious drum solo in between keeping the song interesting.

Credit where due on Sunraven is that its songs are precise yet also lyrically detailed and profound while also giving GRAND MAGUS some of its heaviest material since Iron Will, but one can't help but think that the album could have benefitted more from risking a closer flight towards the sun either. Nevertheless, Sunraven has still helped GRAND MAGUS' ongoing ascent to continue to reach greater heights and ensuring that the sun is nowhere close to setting on the accomplished trio's legacy any time soon.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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