KINGDOM OF MADNESS

Formed in the early 1970's, Magnum paid their dues as the resident band in a night club in Birmingham, UK. As they grew in confidence, their set incorporated increasing numbers of self composed material written by Tony Clarkin, the band's principal songwriter even today. After the release of a one off CBS single which sank without trace, the band eventually secured a contract with Jet records. "Kingdom of madness", which was mostly recorded in 1976 but not released until 1978, was the first of five albums they recorded for that label.

The opening track "In the beginning" has a Fish era Marillion like feel to it, this 8 minute introduction to the band perhaps misleadingly giving the impression that they are an out and out prog band. The pure prog synth runs and varied tempos combine with an upbeat main theme to form a really meaty number by any standards. The track also offers an early opportunity to feast on the fine guitar work of Tony Clarkin.

Although Magnum have indulged in prog like styles and themes on many occasions since, they are not and never have been a prog band, hence their Prog Related classification here. The reason for this distinction quickly becomes clear as we move from the wonderful opener to "Baby rock me". Suddenly we are presented with a poorly put together and very rudimentary pop rock song which appears to deliberately set out to redefine the word annonymous. As mainstream rock songs from the mid-70's go, it is adequate, but it is totally devoid of any character.

"Universe" offers our first chance to discover the softer side of Magnum, and they waste no time in getting deep and meaningful. "Who holds the answer to the universe" is the question posed by the lyrics, Bob Catley's vocal style being uncharacteristically accented and rather pop orientated. The title track reverts to the prog type structure of the first track. A brief flute and acoustic guitar interplay gives way to a harder riff which in turn leads to an infectious chorus. "All that is real" also has a surprisingly ambitious arrangement, the keyboard orchestrations emphasising the band's willingness to develop their songs to the full.

The latter part of the album is home to a trio of decent but undistinguished numbers. Bob Catley's fine vocal performance on "The bringer" does lift the song nicely though. The lyrics of these songs are suitably mysterious, "Invasion", which owes a lot to Uriah Heep and Queen, dealing with aliens from other planets while "Lords of chaos" deals with more temporal threats. The closing "All come together" starts with a fine piano and mellotron duet introducing an otherwise adequate (but no more) pop rock piece.

In all, a fine first album which combines some excellent individual tracks with genuine but as yet unfulfilled potential. Tracks such as "In the beginning" and "Kingdom of madness" highlight the prog leanings of the band, while others like "Baby rock me" indicate that some tightening of the quality control would not go amiss.

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