Grand Magus: Hammer of the North (2010)

Review

In a lot of reviews, I discuss whether a band is death metal, black metal, sludge metal, power metal, doom, or whatever else. It's not too often I just get to say, "This is a heavy metal album." Grand Magus's Hammer of the North is just that, plain and simple.

Grand Magus is a Swedish three-piece, and this is their debut for Roadrunner. I may give the label a hard time, but however mainstream-oriented they are they still manage to sign and promote some great acts along with the bad ones.

Their sound is directly descended from Iron Maiden, Dio, circa-1981 Sabbath, and especially Judas Priest. It's not extreme metal, so it owes nothing to Venom like 9/10 of the albums I review here. And it also never goes over the top into power metal territory--not even a little--so you can listen to it without feeling like a complete dork.

It could just as easily have come out in 1980 as 2010.

It's just good heavy metal, with great songs, and a great feel. It's mostly high energy, like the title track, although it treads a bit into more ominous territory ("The Lord of Lies"). Especially check into the unforgettable "Northern Star"; the bridge is badass. The production is perfect too, as you might expect from a Roadrunner release, and the bass is integral to the sound (much like Maiden).



The Verdict: This is an excellent album, full of memorable songs built on a simple platform. Terrorizer's article in #198 suggests Grand Magus could be the new heavy metal standard-bearers, as the Dickinson and Halford camps age. If they keep releasing albums of this caliber, that will happen. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.