Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Adored by the fans, respected absolutely by the wider community, and yet even when The Monster Roars, it seems that Magnum, the epitome of Midland Rock for half a century, still find they cannot receive the recognition from all. They are not alone in this, but with Magnum, for the listener and the fan alike, it rankles more because of all quality recordings they have made, through the seismic writing of Tony Clarkin and the sheer colossal style and vocals of Bob Catley, Magnum are arguably not just Birmingham’s greatest Rock Band, but they are themselves the monsters who roared.
The longevity of Magnum, which has seen members come and go and albums take on an even greater depth and meaning, is one of celebration, and as their 22nd studio album starts to weave its magic, the days in which they focused their attention on a small independent club in which all hopefuls of the burgeoning Birmingham scene were to be found and in which a Storyteller’s Night but was a distant dream, still run through the veins and ethics of the band; time may have moved ever onwards, the sound of the clock in the hall on the verge of striking the hour of midnight more often than not, but the song, the beauty, and the pomp remain intact, and so the monster roars on, and it captivating and striking in its delivery.
The Monster Roars, an opus for a new year, one in which the darkness of the past couple of years has eclipsed plans and put on hold certain ties, but never the belief, and as Magnum fully demonstrate through Tony Clarkin, Bob Catley, Dennis Ward, Rick Benton, and Lee Morris’ creativity and solid teamwork, is that sometimes the monster of the tale is actually the hero, that not all the sounds of a growl are for the benefit of the heart, but for the soul as well.
It is with soul, the large and passionate belief that has always been at the heart of the group, in whatever format, that songs such as All You Believe In, I Won’t Let You Down, The Present Not The Past, Your Blood Is Violence, The Day After The Night Before, Can’t Buy Yourself A Heaven, and the album’s title track The Monster Roars is offered and consumed, wolfed down from the hungry listener who has found salvation once more in the shape of Magnum.
An impressive, complete, shining example of Birmingham’s place in the pantheon of Rock, and who better by than the kings who can make a monster roar.
Ian D. Hall