Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Can a group go on forever making storming album after album? Eventually time catches up with all, the ticking of the clock counts down and the music stops; sometimes suddenly with no expectation from the fans and sometimes with the gradual decline of a group who knows that time has caught with them but still have the power to charm and beguile.
Along the way the five members of Magnum have found a way to hold that at bay, the contract they signed with the Gods of great lyrics and powerful moving music seems to make the Midlands band one of the finest and long lived of their generation. Since Brand New Morning was released in 2004, the group have been so consistent with their output that it surely makes other bands in the same genre look upon them with a puzzled look but one openly that suggests that the appreciation of Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley is one that will never fade. Nothing has changed on that score since the band returned with Brand New Morning to the new tremendous release Escape From The Shadow Garden.
Whether the longevity has been because of the infusion and addition to the group of one of the finest drummers in Britain, certainly one of the most watchable and entertaining, Harry James and the humour and grace of the brilliant Al Barrow providing bass lines that complement both Mr. James and more crucially the enigmatic Mark Stanway on keyboards, is perhaps one that will be forever up for debate. The coming together of these five men, the lyrics of a man who seems to be able to turn his hand to any subject, in much the same way as Rush’s Neil Peart, and the vocals of a man who in perfect rhythm with his songwriter, then you know what ever God they made a pact with, it works and long may it do so.
Escape From The Shadow Garden though has one crucial difference to it than perhaps any other release in the last ten years. To have the talent of Mark Stanway on the album has always been one of good fortune for Magnum and for the listener, an experience in which to take great pleasure in, now all of a sudden, it feels as if the man has risen up and come up fighting. His playing on keys is the best arguably he has ever done and it is so refreshing to hear.
The album continues the fine run of records since 2004 and with tracks such as Live ‘Til You Die, Midnight Angel, Wisdom’s Had It’s Day and Don’t Fall Asleep, the music glides along with power and determination, with style and thought. There will always be those that find it easier to knock bands such as Magnum and hear them say, “It all sounds the same”, are completely missing the point. What Magnum bring to the table is the perfect marriage between songwriter and vocalist with the most attentive musicians around them bringing true sophistication to the rock genre. For that Magnum and Escape From The Shadow Garden should be congratulated for always bring the pomp to the rock arena.
Ian D. Hall