ON THE 13TH DAY

Magnum's previous album, "The Visitation" had a special significance for me last year- it was the first album of 2011 I listened to. Considering that was one of my greatest years of growth musically speaking, I think that's something I'll always remember Magnum for. On their own merit however, I can't say Magnum's music ever leapt out at me. Although their approach to melodic rock may be ambitious for the style, it is only moderately so, and their sixteenth album "On The 13th Day" follows suit. Particularly to contemporary standards, Magnum's anthemic sound feels tame and dated, to the point where its crisp production and performance standards don't quite compensate. Even so, it's a remarkably consistent record, and there's nothing wrong with a good bit of melodic rock now and again!

As I imagine also goes for many of Magnum's other younger listeners, I was exposed to this band through vocalist Bob Catley's guest performance on Ayreon's "01011001". His voice was the strongest part of "The Visitation", and it remains the cornerstone of Magnum's work on "On The 13th Day". Guitarist Tony Clarkin's songwriting offers plenty of room for Catley's melodic lines, and considering that he's now at an age where some meeker folk are considering retirement, it's impressive that his voice retains such power to it. With age has come a bold sense of charisma and sincerity to his voice. With regard to compositions, Magnum's sound is instantly accessible and even radio friendly. Although that may be enough to describe something like pop-era Journey, Magnum balance this tame formula with a heavy metal edge to the performance. Many songs on "On The 13th Day" should spark the fancy of lovers of the 'classic' metal sound. "Dance of the Black Tattoo" is a powerful mix of symphonic ambiance and crunchy rock rhythms. "Blood Red Laughter" and "See How They Fall" build their anthemic choruses around some pretty rocking riffs that could play alongside some of Black Sabbath's Dio-era tunes.

Clarkin's songwriting is always well-structured, but it's really surprising. Melodic, or 'AOR' rock has long been built around the cult of the chorus, and the tunes here are no exception. The instrumentation is crisp and well done, with a particular kudos going to the lead guitar playing, which manages to make the mandatory four measures of solo-time engaging and rich, in spite of the constraints placed against it. Overall, Magnum deliver a consistent, tight performance to back up these songs. Although there is some interesting depth to the piano and 'symphonic' arrangements that back up the rock instruments, there's never the feeling of 'moving forward' on "On The 13th Day". It may be a sliver better than "The Visitation", if only for the fact that the songwriting feels a little more consistent. Other than that, it's new Magnum you're getting- no more, and no less. It won't make a believer out of anyone who already finds themselves disposed against the melodic, 'anthem' brand of rock, but there's nothing offensive here. It's well played, well produced, and well-enough enjoyable, but it's safe to say the album hasn't changed my impression of the band.

Magnum are surprisingly prolific these days. After their return in 2002 (after a hiatus of several years) they have released as many as six studio albums (including this one). This recent eruption of productivity even seems to have accelerated over the last couple of years, with the present album following hot on the heels of last year's The Visitation (and between these they released Evolution - an album of re-recorded songs plus two brand new songs). Hearing this new album, a Prog fan is bound to wish that they had slowed down a bit and put more effort into making more elaborated music. The opener All The Dreamers starts out promisingly enough, but it soon becomes clear that On The 13th Day is a melodic Hard Rock album in typical Magnum style with little or no signs of any desire to make anything more adventurous. The band's previous five albums all had at least a few tracks with somewhat higher ambitions, but On The 13th Day is an album of rather straightforward and catchy tunes. Some songs could even be called "Party Rock". There are still some minor twists and quirks that set Magnum apart from many other Hard Rock bands, but nothing that could reasonably be called progressive. (But Prog fans will surely recognize the distinctive style of Rodney Matthews who designed the sleeve.)

However, the band seems very happy doing this kind of music and there is no feeling of them just going through the motions. The songs are energetic and the delivery inspired. So even if I would have wanted them to do something different, it is hard to deny that they do what they do very well. They don't venture outside their comfort zone, but they do not sound tired or uninspired. As such it is recommended to fans of the band. But Prog fans should probably stay away, at least until they have checked out some other, more interesting Magnum albums. This is not the best place to start.