KINGDOM OF MADNESS

This is an album that I have been longing to talk about for quite some time now. But before I do let me tell you how I got introduced to Magnum. It all started with one of my annual trips to Sweden Rock Festival. The 2005 festival was a real treat for any fan of progressive rock since I've got to see acts like Kansas, Dream Theater, Freak Kitchen, Trettioåriga Kriget, A.C.T, Styx and many more great artists and performances.

If I remember correctly it was the morning of the second day and I have just woken up to another great festival day. Today I was going to see Kansas and my second Dream Theater show after which the band would be signing copies of their latest album (Octavarium). But for my first concert of the day I decided to check out this relatively obscure band called Magnum.

Just before the show Tony Clarkin went up on stage to fix his gear and once he got it all in order the rest of the band joined him with the exception of Bob Catley who needed a special curtain call. Anyway, the show was really great despite the fact that I've never heard any of these songs but there was one track in particular that caught my attention which was Kingdom of Madness. The song stuck in my head for the next couple of days and so after the festival I got the 2-CD release of Kingdom Of Madness which proved to be a great purchase!

I just couldn't get enough of this album and played it for at least two month straight. There are just so many great compositions here like the semi-progressive opener In The Beginning, fast paced Invasion, the beautiful ballad Universe and how can I forget the great conclusion of All Come Together. It's just an excellent album all around!

Later I also found out that the album was originally recorded in 1976 but was shelved until 1978 which resulted in a release just as punk was becoming popular. It's truly a pity because I strongly believe that Magnum might have become just as big as Uriah Heep or most importantly the success of this album might have made the band pursue this direction. But this was of course not to be but at least we've got this great debut that I'll be enjoying for many years to come!

***** star songs: In The Beginning (7:52) Kingdom Of Madness (4:25) Invasion (3:22) All Come Together (4:52)

**** star songs: Universe (3:45) All That Is Real (3:50) The Bringer (3:58) Lords Of Chaos (3:21)

*** star songs: Baby Rock Me (4:05)