The new studio record from Britain’s MAGNUM is on the horizon and by all accounts the band keeps getting stronger as time goes on. Must be something in the water over in the U.K. because much like fellow countrymen SAXON the band keeps churning out one album that is stronger then the last. Not to compare MAGNUM’s sound to the mighty SAXON because it is a whole different beast. The band has been around since the later 70’s giving fans a British progressive rock sound that has become almost legendary.

The band took a break in the mid-90’s but started their “second stint” in 2002 and have released seven albums since with “Escape From The Shadow Garden” hitting the record stores on April 1st in the U.S.

Opening the album is the opus “Live ‘Til You Die” where we see the band fully displaying all the elements that make them special. The unique vocals of Bob Catley sound as smooth as ever and the keyboards and guitars meld perfectly together. The band has a knack for delivering classy British hard rock with AOR flavors and light progressive elements. “Unwritten Sacrifice” has an awesome hook with those progressive elements throughout and is just what fans would expect from the band. “Falling For The Big Plan” is rocker with melodic chorus. The songwriting from the band has always been classy and top-notch and the songs featured on “Escape From The Shadow Garden” are no different.

“Crying In The Rain” has a more straightforward and slightly tougher approach with some unique keyboard sounds from Mark Stanway. The song has a bit of “groove” as supplied by Tony Clarkin’s playing. “Too Many Clowns” brings a quirkiness and bit of fun to the album. It has some progressive time changes but wrapped in a more “rock-n-roll” approach and Stanway provides some “honky tonk” piano sounds to round out the track.

The seven-minute long “Midnight Angel” builds to a near epic British-flavored number that is pure MAGNUM. Catley turns in a gruffer sounding vocal at times to add some character to the song but ultimately the acoustics interspersed keep the track on the mellower side. The song maybe never quite builds to its epic potential but is solid none-the-less. “The Art Of Compromise” is another tune that starts on the mellow side but shows it to be the epic number that the previous track didn’t quite achieve. It’s one of the stronger tracks on the album with an anthem-like quality and again it is signature MAGNUM at its best. It seems every album of theirs offers a track or two like this; it is accessible and melodic with tons of class.

“Don’t Fall Asleep” is a very mellow song with introspective lyrics while “Wisdom’s Has Its Day” is epic-ly subdued if that makes sense! The music and albums of MAGNUM take the listener on a journey sometimes and even when you get several mellow songs in a row they are easy to digest without getting disinterested in the proceedings. “Burning River” heavies’ things up a bit as Clarkin’s guitars awaken the tempo and Catley’s throaty vocals add to the attitude. It’s another strong track. The album ends with “The Valley Of Tears” and it starts on the mellow side with piano-based balladry but a couple minutes in builds to epic proportions. I’ve mentioned the epic word a few times in talking about the record but this is the most epic of tunes on offer. It all comes together on this final track as you get all things MAGNUM its six and a half minute capsule.  

“Escape From The Shadow Garden” is another strong album from the group of veteran British rockers. Back when I reviewed “The Visitation” album from the band in 2011 I gave it a perfect 5 star rating. In consideration of that masterpiece I rate “Escape” just slightly below that record. Now go and check it out for yourself and ENJOY!