MAGNUM – The Visitation

One of the oldest Rock bands from England still producing albums is Magnum. Tony Clarkin and singer Bob Catley have been rocking the world together for almost 40 years, including a short stint as Hard Rain. The Visitation is their 17th album together, and the 15th under the banner of Magnum. Apart from a short time during the eighties when AOR had its biggest successes, the music of Magnum has always been positively timeless. Even in the early nineties when AOR tunes became just too Poppy and mellow, and ever since the album Brand New Morning marked the return to their former glory, fans of Magnum have been at peace with this British band’s output.

For three albums now, the band continues to play their signature style of Melodic Rock, and the new album is no exception. So what is different compared to their last releases … if anything at all? The opening track “Black Skies” is only slightly misleading, as it is unusually slow and calm, but it sets the tone for the album. The Visitation is less Rocky and slightly more relaxed than the band was before, and puts a greater emphasis on the fantastic vocal melodies Bob belts out like a sorcerer wielding his staff, and the result is nothing less but enchanting.

Still, fans will get what they expect from this 15th album. First there are those strong, straight Rock songs they do so well, and “Wild Angel”, which could have been written during the Goodnight L.A. phase especially because of its chorus parts, “Spin Like A Wheel”, and “Midnight Kings” fit the description. Then there are emotional ballads that let Bob’s extraordinary voice take over the room, and “Doors To Nowhere” and “The Last Frontier”, which reminds a bit of the glorious On A Storyteller’s Night era, fill that gap.

But, the most important ones are always the bombastic, epic songs… the ones which make the heart beat faster, make one raise their first, and evoke deep emotions. The Visitation has three songs of that caliber: “Freedom Day”, which puts a light touch in contrast to heavy bombast, “Mother Nature’s Last Dance”, and the title track. Especially the latter is a typical hymn that the band is loved for, and it stands in direct line with all time classics like “Sacred Hour”, “Don’t Wake The Lion”, “The Scarecrow”, and “Le Mort Dansant”.

There is only one song which taints the overall reception of the album. The last track “Tonight’s The Night” is too much like a Christmas Carol and has a horrible chorus. Not even Bob’s voice can save this song. Apart from that hiccup, The Visitation proves again that no one needs to tell Magnum how to create a great Melodic Rock album… as they just did it again.