GRAND MAGUS

Heavy metal has always been well suited to taking on the biggest stories. GRAND MAGUS are long-time students of the genre's original ethos and basic, musical rudiments, and so there is a pleasant symmetry to their decision to base their tenth studio album on "Beowulf", that much-loved, legendary and definitively epic poem set in 5th century pagan Scandinavia. The Swedes' windswept but resolute music has always been steeped in the essence of tales like this, and singer/guitarist JB Christoffersson has a voice that imbues every word with real pathos and power. Even before a note is played, "Sunraven" is a fucking brilliant idea and an almost guaranteed recipe for more heavy metal majesty, Stockholm-style.

What comes across instantly is how easily GRAND MAGUS have been able to channel the heroic themes of "Beowulf". On one level, this is more of the same blustery, big-hearted old-school metal that the band have peddled, in a variety of forms, since the late '90s. But there is also a strong sense that JB and his henchmen have found a perfect vehicle for their music, and the quality of songs on "Sunraven" reflects that "Eureka!" moment. "Skybound" is a magnificent opening salvo, with a towering chorus that sinks its talons in at the first time of asking and will have diehard metalheads of a certain vintage throwing claws, fists and horns with giddy abandon. Equally fantastic, "Grendel" pays scowling tribute to the mythical monster of its title by wringing fresh magic from BLACK SABBATH's greatest hits (and the DIO-era in particular) and casting new spells with comparable potency. On an album full of great heavy metal songs, "Grendel" may be the most joyously atavistic of them all.

GRAND MAGUS are clearly focused on telling a specific and timeless story here, but "Sunraven" works just as effectively as a collection of nine, sword-wielding anthems, irrespective of Christoffersson's grittily poetic lyrics. These are some of the heaviest tunes the band have released since "Iron Will" 16 years ago: "The Wheel of Pain" is a low-slung grinder with a bluesy edge, a triumphant vocal melody and thuggish sensibilities straight from the MANOWAR (circa 1983) handbook; the title track pops its chainmail with sheer sinewy might and noble sentiment, while JB throws down a frostbitten solo for the ages; "The Black Lake" is a masterful exercise in languorous old-school doom; and the closing "The End Belongs to You" slows things down to a determined forward march, drawing melancholy and menace from the ensuing tumult. Best of all, "Winter Storms" is as icy and contemplative as a night under ancient Scandinavian stars, but with an unwavering core of classic metal bombast and a startling, poignant chorus that ranks as one of GRAND MAGUS's finest.

Five years have passed since GRAND MAGUS released a new album, and everything that has earned them respect and admiration over the years is here on "Sunraven", as bold and belligerent as it ever was. Electrified by the spirit of "Beowulf", they hurtle towards Valhalla with the spirit of heavy metal safe in their calloused hands. This is the stuff.