{"id":52479,"date":"2016-07-17T21:13:02","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T02:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=52479"},"modified":"2016-07-17T21:13:02","modified_gmt":"2016-07-18T02:13:02","slug":"grand-magus-sword-songs-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/grand-magus-sword-songs-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Magus | Sword Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"GrandSword Songs<\/em> is a very appropriate title for the eighth full-length album from Swedish heavy\/doom metal trio Grand Magus. The band\u2019s evolution over the past few albums has found Grand Magus focused on shorter, catchier odes to Viking conquest and the glory of battle. Sword Songs doesn\u2019t just capture the character of this album, but the band\u2019s whole identity. <\/p>\n

There are exactly zero surprises on Sword Songs<\/em>. This is the logical follow-up to Hammer of the North<\/em>, The Hunt<\/em> and Triumph and Power<\/em>. If anything, it\u2019s a purer version of those albums. It\u2019s shorter, catchier and cheesier (in a good way). Aside from a brief instrumental track, Sword Songs<\/em> has eight riff-heavy battle anthems, all of which seem destined for huge sing-alongs at the major outdoor metal festivals. \u201cForged in Iron \u2013 Crowned in Steel\u201d in particular is probably the best metal anthem of the decade. \u201cVarangian,\u201d \u201cMaster of the Land\u201d and \u201cEvery Day There\u2019s a Battle to Fight\u201d are also sure to get the blood pumping.<\/p>\n

At barely 35 minutes, Sword Songs<\/em> is the shortest Grand Magus album, but there\u2019s also no wasted space here. No filler and no drawn out sections, only those relentless J.B. riffs and heavy rhythms. The vocals have always been a huge part of Grand Magus\u2019s identity, and they are just titanic on this album. J.B. serves as both narrator and Viking war chief here, bringing us all to distant shores to do battle.<\/p>\n

Sword Songs<\/em> is the perfect mix of heaviness and melody, and yet another triumph for Grand Magus. If you loved the direction of the last few Grand Magus albums, you\u2019ll love this album as well. If you\u2019re new to the band and enjoy heavy, melodic, anthemic Metal bands like Spiritual Beggars, Visigoth and Night Demon, Sword Songs is the perfect introduction to what may be the best discovery you\u2019ll make all year.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: The limited edition version of Sword Songs<\/em> comes in a digipack and includes two bonus tracks \u2013 \u201cIn For the Kill\u201d and a cover of the Deep Purple classic \u201cStormbringer\u201d that features Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, ex-Opeth) on keyboards. The cover is really nicely done, but the very \u201880s metal sounding \u201cIn For the Kill\u201d is also a great addition. You\u2019ll definitely want to spend the few extra bucks tracking down this version.<\/p>\n

Genre: Heavy Metal, Traditional Metal, Doom Metal<\/p>\n

Lineup:
\nJB Christoffersson (v) (g)
\nFox Skinner (b) (v)
\nLudwig Witt (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tFreja\u2019s Choice
\n2.\tVarangian
\n3.\tForged in Iron \u2013 Crowned in Steel
\n4.\tBorn for Battle (Black Dog of Broceliande)
\n5.\tMaster of the Land
\n6.\tLast One to Fall
\n7.\tFrost and Fire
\n8.\tHugr
\n9.\tEvery Day There\u2019s a Battle to Fight<\/p>\n

Label: Nuclear Blast<\/p>\n

Website: www.grandmagus.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Sr. Columnist — Sword Songs is a very appropriate title for the eighth full-length album from Swedish heavy\/doom metal trio Grand Magus. The band\u2019s evolution over the past few albums has […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":52480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13652],"tags":[12516],"class_list":{"0":"post-52479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2016","8":"tag-grand-magus-sword-songs-cd-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}