British rock icons MAGNUM share “The Seventh Darkness”, a new digital single from their upcoming studio album, ‘Here Comes the Rain’, out January 12th, 2024 via Steamhammer / SPV. The track is accompanied by a new lyric video.
“The Seventh Darkness” includes an amazing brass sections courtesy of guest musicians Chris ‘BeeBe’ Aldridge (saxophone) and Nick Dewhurst (trumpet), which lend the song brilliance and shape.
Guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin: “The recordings were great fun, especially the moment when Chris’s sax took the lead and my guitar responded. A real highlight on this album!”
‘Here Comes The Rain’ will be released via CD + DVD, double vinyl LP, as a box set and for digital download, proving once again that classic rock music could hardly sound more atmospheric.
The album’s highly inspired artwork is once more designed by the great Rodney Matthews, who has already created a number of MAGNUM sleeves to support the band’s atmospherically dense music. Says Tony Clarkin: “The back cover features a kind of avian battalion in attack mode, which I think is a great allegory!”
British rock icons MAGNUM share “Blue Tango”, the first single from their upcoming studio album, ‘Here Comes the Rain’, out January 12th, 2024 via Steamhammer / SPV (Pre-OrderHERE) . The track is accompanied by a new lyric video.
Tony Clarkin had this to say about “Blue Tango,” : “Apart from MAGNUM’s typical trademarks, ‘Here Comes The Rain’ also holds a number of thoroughly pleasant surprises in store, such as ‘Blue Tango’, which is a real riff-rock number that makes you want to move your feet.”
There are few great bands on our planet that can be infallibly identified within the first few bars of one of their songs. With unique melodic skill, tasteful instrumentation, an amazing balance of depth and catchiness, and, of course, that charismatic voice: MAGNUM are Magnum!
The same can be said of their latest studio album ‘Here Comes The Rain’, which will be released via CD + DVD, double vinyl LP, as a box set and for digital download, proving once again that classic rock music could hardly sound more atmospheric.
The album’s highly inspired artwork is once more designed by the great Rodney Matthews, who has already created a number of MAGNUM sleeves to support the band’s atmospherically dense music. Says Tony Clarkin: “The back cover features a kind of avian battalion in attack mode, which I think is a great allegory!”
Apart from MAGNUM’s typical trademarks, ‘Here Comes The Rain’ also holds a number of thoroughly pleasant surprises. First single, “Blue Tango”, is a catchy, guitar rock groover while “The Seventh Darkness”, is filled with awesome brass sections courtesy of guest musicians Chris ‘BeeBe’ Aldridge (saxophone) and Nick Dewhurst (trumpet), which lend the song brilliance and shape.
There is no doubt about it: ‘Here Comes The Rain’ sees the MAGNUM line-up consisting of Catley, Clarkin, keyboardist Rick Benton, bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Lee Morris, once again succeed in creating an outstanding, colorful, varied and inspired new studio album. “Everyone played their part without me dictating anything,” Clarkin enthuses, “everyone just instinctively played what their inspiration told them.”
MAGNUM have announced a new album, ‘Here Comes the Rain’, to be released January 12, 2024. There will be a new single & (lyric) video out on November 22! A European & UK tour will follow starting in April. *Check out the press info & tour dates below.
There are few great bands on our planet that can be infallibly identified within the first few bars of one of their songs. With unique melodic skill, tasteful instrumentation, an amazing balance of depth and catchiness, and, of course, that charismatic voice: MAGNUM are Magnum!
The same can be said of their latest studio album ‘Here Comes The Rain’, which will be out on Steamhammer/SPV January 12th, 2024 on CD + DVD, double vinyl LP, as a box set and for digital download, proving once again that classic rock music could hardly sound more atmospheric. The band surrounding frontman Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin is set to release two lead singles – “Blue Tango” on November 22, 2023 and “The Seventh Darkness” on January 3, 2024. Additionally, a tour has been scheduled to kick off in early April 2024.
The album’s highly inspired artwork is once more designed by the great Rodney Matthews, who has already created a number of MAGNUM sleeves to support the band’s atmospherically dense music. Says Tony Clarkin: “The back cover features a kind of avian battalion in attack mode, which I think is a great allegory!”
Apart from MAGNUM’s typical trademarks, ‘Here Comes The Rain’ also holds a number of thoroughly pleasant surprises. First single, “Blue Tango”, is a real riff-rock number that makes you want to move your feet while “The Seventh Darkness”, is filled with awesome brass sections courtesy of guest musicians Chris ‘BeeBe’ Aldridge (saxophone) and Nick Dewhurst (trumpet), which lend the song brilliance and shape.
There is no doubt about it: ‘Here Comes The Rain’ sees the MAGNUM line-up consisting of Catley, Clarkin, keyboardist Rick Benton, bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Lee Morris, once again succeed in creating an outstanding, colorful, varied and inspired new studio album. “Everyone played their part without me dictating anything,” Clarkin enthuses, “everyone just instinctively played what their inspiration told them.” It’s a good thing that these superb musicians can rely on their intuition!
‘Here Comes the Rain’ Track List: 1. Run into the Shadows 2. Here Comes the Rain 3. Some Kind of Treachery 4. After the Silence 5. Blue Tango 6. The Day He Lied 7. The Seventh Darkness 8. Broken City 9. I Wanna Live 10. Borderline ‘
Here Comes The Rain’ will be released on January 12th, 2024 through SPV/Steamhammer in the following configurations: > CD+DVD (‘Live At KK’s Steel Mill’) DigiPak > CD Jewel Case Version > Limited Box Set > 2LP Gatefold, 140 g, solid baby blue vinyl, printed inner sleeves > Download / Streaming > Exclusive CD/LP Bundles with a shirt only at the Steamhammer shop HERE > 2LP Gatefold exclusive colored edition only at the Napalm shop HERE
This 6 disc set of British rockers MAGNUM collect the band’s first 5 albums (on Jet Records), as well as includes loads of bonus material – outtakes, alternate takes, singles, live EPs, etc.. An awesome collection, and if you are not familiar with the band, since only a couple of these early albums saw release originally in Canada or the US, this is a good place to start. The band’s 1978 debut album Kingdom Of Madness is an absolute classic from beginning to end with standouts like “In The Beginning”, “All That Is Real”, “The Bringer”, and the title track. Magnum in those early days consisted of songwriter/guitarist Tony Clarkin, singer Bob Catley, bass player Colin (Wally) Lowe, keyboard player Richard Bailey (who also added flute on occasion), and drummer Kex Gorin. Interestingly, disc 2 of this box consists of archived recordings – 4 tracks from the band’s earliest sessions in 1974, as well as outtake material from 1976 and a great take of “Kingdom Of Madness” from ’79; these were previously released by Jet Records in 1993 as Archive. Magnum II, though I don’t find this as stunning as their debut, was still an excellent album, with classics like “Changes”, “If I Could Live Forever”, “Firebird”, and the Yes-influenced opener “Great Adventure”. This disc contains 5 bonus tracks, largely taken from single releases.
The band had recorded a new album in 1980, but Jet Records (at the time) opted to release a live album – Marauder. Bonus tracks on Marauder (here) include live tracks from the band’s 1980 Live EP, as well as Invasion-Live, which was recorded in 1982 on one of the band’s few tours of North America, where they opened for Ozzy Osbourne in the US. Recorded in 1980, and not released until 1982, Chase The Dragon was the band’s 3rd studio album, and marked a number of firsts, such as featuring Rodney Matthews cover-art, new keyboard player Mark Stanway, and their first to be released in Canada. CTD featured a bit more mainstream approach with favorites like “Soldier Of The Line”, “The Spirit”, and “Walking The Straight Line”. Bonus tracks on this disc include the non-LP single “Back To Earth” and it’s B-side “Hold Back Your Love”, as well as few other live tracks (more from Invasion) and oddities. The last album for Jet was 1983’s Eleventh Hour. A bit of a slide backwards, not so much musically, but with no North American release or singles. Eleventh Hour did feature a number of excellent tracks, with more of a hard-rock edge – “The Great Disaster”, “So Far Away” and “Hit And Run” all stand out, as does favorite “The Prize”. This last disc features 4 extras, notably the somewhat southern feel of “True Fine Love”, featuring slide guitar and piano.
A great collection of one of England’s finest, with undoubtedly some of their best studio albums. Following this period Magnum would go on to sign with FM (in the UK) & Polydor for a proper worldwide release of their legendary On A Storyteller’s Night album. Kex Gorin left the band before Storyteller’s Night, and would go on to record with Robin George, Leo Lyons, and Stanway (Guy Stanway). Gorin passed away in 2007. Magnum split in 1995, but resumed in 2001, but without Wally Lowe (retired). Richard Bailey (who’d previously been replaced by Mark Stanway) went on to work with Phenomena (Tom Galley), as well as Alaska and Whitesnake. Plenty of early pics included in the insert, with a brief history of the band’s early years. *For more check out the press release below, and to order go to: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/magnum-great-adventure-the-jet-years-1978-1983-6cd-box-set/
Magnum originally formed in Birmingham in 1972 around guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin and singer Bob Catley. Although a one-off single for CBS in 1975 failed to bring their singular brand of progressive but highly melodic hard rock to the masses, they eventually found a home for their debut – ‘Kingdom Of Madness’ (CD1) – on Jet Records in 1978, joining ELO, and later Ozzy Osbourne. The album had actually been recorded two years earlier, but the band were heavy enough to take advantage of the growth in popularity of hard rock and heavy metal in the late 1970s.
‘Magnum II’ (CD3) followed in 1979, promoted by the singles ‘Changes’ and ‘Foolish Heart’. Produced by Ten Years After’s Leo Lyons, who had previously produced UFO’s first three albums for Chrysalis. Regular touring with the likes of Judas Priest and Blue Öyster Cult built up a loyal following across the UK.
When their second album didn’t quite match the success of their debut, Jet recorded their December 1979 show at London’s legendary Marquee Club for release as a live album. ‘Marauder’ (CD4) made a suitable stop-gap until Magnum’s third studio record, and is expanded here with a further nine live bonus tracks.
Although recorded in 1980, ‘Chase The Dragon’ (CD5) didn’t get released until 1982. An early career peak, as well as one of the band’s formative masterpieces, the wait was well worth it, as it entered the UK Top 20, peaking at a creditable No. 17.
‘Eleventh Hour’ (CD6), their fourth and final studio album for Jet, was released in 1983. Tellingly it was their first not to feature any singles.
After leaving Jet, Magnum went from strength to strength, releasing their best seller, ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’, in 1985, before signing a major label deal with Polydor Records.
The new Magnum album will be titled The Monster Roars, and will be to be released January 14 of next year. The single “I Won’t Let You Down” will be released (+video) on November 12 (less than a month away). And a tour will begin in March of 2022.
Fans of British rock band Magnum will have to wait just a little longer before they finally get their hands on the much-anticipated new studio album. Titled ‘THE MONSTER ROARS’ it will be released January 14, 2022.
But there will be new music from the band this year: guitarist Tony Clarkin, singer Bob Catley and their comrades in arms Rick Benton (keyboards), Dennis Ward (bass) and Lee Morris (drums) have already announced a couple of singles: With the forthcoming ‘I Won’t Let You Down’ (including lyric video), out on November 12, 2021, Magnum present a typically deep melodic mid tempo song featuring a memorable chorus with stylish string accompaniment for added lustre. This will be followed five weeks later, on December 17, 2021, by a second pre-release track, ‘No Steppin’ Stones’, also including a lyric video.
‘THE MONSTER ROARS’ features twelve new songs in total, with a few little surprises thrown in! On top of the regular disc, Magnum are releasing a limited box set with three extra bonus tracks, including a new version of ‘Days Of No Trust’, the opener of the 1988 album classic ‘Wings Of Heaven’, a new remastered version of ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, the very first single of their career from 1975, and a previously unreleased track from the same era. And from March 2022, the band will finally be returning to Europe for a major tour (see below for dates).
Tracklisting: 1. The Monster Roars 3:57 / 2. Remember 5:05 / 3. All You Believe In 5:01 / 4. I Won’t Let You Down 3:57 / 5. The Present Not The Past 5:27 / 6. No Steppin’ Stones 3:57 / 7. That Freedom Word 4:52 / 8. Your Blood Is Violence 6:44 / 9. Walk The Silent Hours 4:51 / 10. The Day After The Night Before 4:23 / 11. Come Holy Men 5:01 / 12. Can’t Buy Yourself Heaven 5:00 “The Monster Roars” will be released on January 14th, 2022 through SPV/ Steamhammer in the following configurations:
Regarding the album’s cover art and title, which generated plenty of fan discussion online, Tony Clarkin posted –
“We actually did have a conversation with Rodney regarding the cover, and an exchange of ideas. Following this we set up a photoshoot that was originally intended to become a part of his artwork. Shortly after this Rodney called me very apologetic that he didn’t think he’d have time to do the cover as he was too busy with a children’s animation project he is doing ‘Yendor’ http://yendorsadventures.com/. But we loved the end result of the photoshoot so much we had decided to use it as the cover on its own instead, with no embellishment. We thought it was much more powerful that way. Plus we didn’t want to end up with some sort of poor imitation of Rodney’s work but rather go with something completely different instead. The monster is inspired by the lyrics of the title track and is a creature from a child’s nightmare. The monster was created by Kelly O’Dell, played by Martin Brennan and photographed by Rob Barrow. Rodney wants fans to know that he wishes the band all the best with ‘The Monster Roars’ and looks forward to working with them again in the future. In the meantime Magnum fans might like to know that Rodney’s 2022 calendar, featuring a couple of familiar images (Foundation box set cover and Magnum II), is now available to pre-order at: https://www.rodneymatthewsstudios.com/collections/calendars
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