ON THE 13TH DAY

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.

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