In retrospect: Ronnie James Dio

Hi and welcome back to a new round of "In retrospect:". This time I'm tackling the career of Ronnie James Dio, although not all of his career. This might sound weird, but truth be told - the man's legacy started way before Elf, which is kind of the first band people usually know him from. Back in the 1950's and 1960's, Ronnie James Dio was already an active singer, but since this was in a time long-before hard rock and heavy metal, the music was more what you could imagine from that time.

Judging by the fact that Dio's pre-Elf career is too hard to fully trace, not to mention having an interest and patience in hearing it all, leaves me determined to not include his early, mostly unknown career in music. Actually, the same goes for his first little-to-fairly-known band Elf, which I simply haven't heard enough from, and what little I've heard didn't really interest me that much either, I'm afraid.

What I will cover is Ronnie's well-known career and legacy, from Rainbow to Black Sabbath to his solo act Dio. The only releases I will exclude from these bands are live and compilation albums, since they rarely interest me anyway.

A small shoutout before I begin, however, for Rainbow's "On Stage" album which in fact is a good one. Nonetheless, I will not include it in the list, but it's very worth checking out.

Here we go...

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Rainbow


1975 - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

Ronnie James Dio's first well-known album, and his first mainstream introduction to the public, is quite a landmark. Though this album was a major factor in Dio's career, it was also important for band leader and legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had left Deep Purple to form his own band. The release itself, however, is not quite as good to my ears as many other people think. Truth be told, I always found Deep Purple and Rainbow to be somewhat of a hit-or-miss kind of bands. It's solid and got some great tracks, but nothing awesome as a whole.


1976 - (Rainbow) Rising

Now this is a lot better than the band's previous effort, I believe. If anything, it's certainly heavier and more to my taste. While it's got a shorter amount of songs (six in total), half of the album is made-up of eight-minute songs. Back in my early teens many years ago, I was often bored of lenghty songs, but as I grew older I really started to appreciate those musical-journey style songs many bands do. This album really has got that, with music just as epic as the most classic album cover art. One mighty fine hour in Dio's career, not to mention in the rest of the band members' careers as well.


1978 - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

Dio's last album with Rainbow has got quite an ironic title, doesn't it? Not because rock 'n' roll died, at least not as early as 1978, but because it was the last album of Dio-Rainbow. It doesn't quite matter that Rainbow switched members from every record to record (at least up until "Difficult To Cure", after that I'm not sure), the Dio-Blackmore collaboration was all that counted, really. The album itself is a good closure for Dio's tenure in Rainbow with some of both Dio's and Blackmore's best songs ever.


Black Sabbath (take 1)


1980 - Heaven And Hell

Starting off his career in a band like Rainbow, only to then go on and replace Ozzy Osbourne in the mighty Sabbath. That is one hell of a career move, right? Well, Dio had the chops to did, and he bloody well did. As a major fan of Sabbath I love every album they did with Ozzy except for "Never Say Die!", which is a bit bland. I can understand why some people didn't like a few more of their last Ozzy-fronted albums, though. Anyway, with Dio in the fold, they put themselves back on the map - big time. This album is one of the best albums of all time, particularly within the metal community. Anyone denying its mastercrafted heavy metal sound of grandeur is an idiot. Dio himself stated at several times that this was his very favorite album, as well.


1981 - Mob Rules

While it doesn't really seem like an unknown album, it's certainly underrated and overlooked in comparison to its predecessor. I sometimes wonder if I don't even like this one slighty more, but it's a close call any way. Where this album perhaps went by more quietly, however, it was an important career step for Dio, who met his future long-time drummer Vinnie Appice who plays drums on this album. This would also be the last Dio-fronted Sabbath album in ten years to come, but what a great closure of Dio-Sabbath (mark one) it was. Very heavy and powerful album!


Dio


1983 - Holy Diver

One of the most legendary metal albums of all time. The debut of Dio's solo band really showed the world that the little man with the big voice could make it on his own. An album that surely helped out a lot with putting American heavy metal on the map, because after all, Ronnie James Dio was American. While Dio himself was American, however, his new and sensational young talen Vivian Campbell came from Ireland. Viv Campbell is today more known as one of the guitarists in Def Leppard, something that is quite far away from the style of Dio. Anyway, this album showed everyone that the Dio band was just as good, if not better, than both Rainbow and Black Sabbath had been with Dio. Most worthy of mentioning is also Dio's classic rhythm section with Jimmy Bain on bass and Vinnie Appice on drums. Just one of the great rhythm sections of all time, what a band!


1984 - The Last In Line

For a long time this was my favorite Dio album. I don't know if it still is, but it's one damn good album to say the least. Coming from "Holy Diver" which largely lacked keyboards, something which was pretty crucial and prominent in the soundscapes of Dio's former bands, this one saw keyboardist Claude Schnell recruited and a lot of more keyboards being present in the music. I believe this really helped cementing the Dio band's sound, especially with Ronnie's fantasy-themed lyrics which fit the 1980's heavy metal scene very nicely. This album is a very heavy and atmospheric journey of heavy metal music that everyone should own. A great mix of heavy, speed, and poppy metal.


1985 - Sacred Heart

Somewhat unintentionally controversial, this album would prove to be the last album featuring the classic Dio line-up. Guitarist Vivian Campbell and Ronnie had clashed by this point, for whatever reasons (they are widely discussed throughout interviews if you're interested). It's a most typical Dio album in a musical sense, but it does perhaps feature a somewhat more commercial sound. The album's lead singles are quite poppy and the fans were largely split with opinions about this one. This fact along with the ultimate demise and departure of Vivian Campbell's tenure in the band made it somewhat of the controversy it is. But I am one of those fans who love this album. A few tracks do tend to sound a bit more filler than usual, but still - it's a pretty fucking good album anyway.


1987 - Dream Evil

Marking the first album without guitarist Viv Campbell, this was the first (and ultimately at the time the only) album to feature Craig Goldy. I've always been very fond of this album, especially considering it's Craig Goldy who plays on it. That might come across as I don't like the guy's playing, but I'll come back and explain that on later albums. What this album sounds like is a mix between Dio's previous three solo albums and his Rainbow albums. Goldy seemed to be very influenced by Ritchie Blackmore, and perhaps even a bit too much so. The guitar playing is just phenomenal but not really as original or interesting as on previous albums. At the end of the day, however, this release does feature some of Dio's most underrated songs, and for any fans who loved Dio in Rainbow, this one would surely be the album to check out from Dio's solo records.


1990 - Lock Up The Wolves

Dio's fifth album once again showed a change within the band, albeit a much larger one this time around. For this album, Dio had changed out his whole backing band. Some of the old guys got fired for whatever reasons and the rest felt uncomfortable playing with the replacing guys. I can only suppose it was inevitable and a much needed change at the time. But how does it affect the album then? Well, it sounds quite different (obviously). Compared to the previous albums, this one is way much more guitar-driven, with hardly any prominent keyboards at all. Perhaps a sign of the times as the 80's was over, I dunno. The guitarist here, Rowan Robertson, was infamously only seventeen years old at the time he joined the band, and boy was he full of great talent! Ultimately, it's not the strongest Dio release. It took me a few years to truly get into this, but when I finally did, it became a very good more hard-rock/glam metal-influenced record than its predecessors.


Black Sabbath (take 2)


1992 - Dehumanizer

Dio let-go of his solo band in favor of rejoining Sabbath during the early 90's. I suppose the reason was that both the Dio band as well as Black Sabbath had been struggling somewhat throughout the last few years, and while they assured everyone it wasn't about the money, well ... I beg to differ, especially considering how ill they spoke of each other during the 80's. But it all happened anyway, and the end result was one hell of a heavy album. Perhaps even the heaviest Sabbath album of all time, but in the end I always felt this album fell somewhat flat in comparison to Dio's previous Sabbath-albums. It's a solid album, but nothing too spectacular. Sabbath simply did better doom metal with Ozzy in the 70's (without disrespecting Ronnie's performance or place in the band). This reunion was, however, very short-lived.


Dio (take 2)


1993 - Strange Highways

Without a doubt this is the most overlooked and underrated album of Dio's career. I suppose the reasons for it were maybe not all that surprising, though. Seeing as how the 90's obviously changed the music market for this kind of metal, and Dio and his solo band were largely associated with "dragons and rainbows", I just guess nobody was interested anymore. Well, that sure as hell was their huge loss, because this album is fucking awesome. Once again, the old trademark-keyboards are almost completely gone on this one as well, and it's way heavier than any solo record Dio ever did. This one is a lot more like Sabbath's Dehumanizer, p. 2. The only difference is - I think this one turned out way better, to be honest. For this album, Dio used his new guitar player Tracy G. along with former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, and his former long-time drummer Vinnie Appice came back to the fold as well. Some fans ultimately disliked Tracy G. and his playing (strongly), but I guess it's mostly because the guy played his own solos on old Dio and Sabbath tracks when they played live. Otherwise, I think the guy had a great guitar tone and I love his "loose" riffing style.


1996 - Angry Machines

And without a doubt this is Dio's worst album of his (more well-known) career. I've tried to get into this but I just can't. It sounds like a further exploration within doom metal, this time taking an even heavier approach. The end result is just plain bad. The songs are boring, uninspired and most of all - it doesn't sound very much like a Dio album. I can only suppose that for those who disliked Tracy G., this album did nothing but further cement that opinion of theirs. This was ultimately the last album to feature Tracy G. (as well as Vinnie Appice), who left some years later due to even Ronnie getting tired of his solo-style during live performances. I liked the guy and his personal playing, but this album was pretty bad. Him not playing the older songs' solos properly either, well ... fans were obviously gonna be pissed.


2000 - Magica

This album marked four noteworthy things: the return of guitarist Craig Goldy, as well as drummer Simon Wright (who played on "Lock Up The Wolves") and the former classic and long-time bassist Jimmy Bain, and most of all: the return of Dio's trademark fantasy-style metal. The end result, however, is a bit hit-or-miss. Seeing as it was 2000, with new ways of making digital recording cheaper to use, as well as Dio having not had any greater success for almost ten years by this point, the album sounds rather cheaply recorded. The production is very flat-sounding. On top of this, Craig Goldy's return to the band is more of a disappointment than it is a success. The riffs just tend to sound very much the same over and over. His old Ritchie Blackmore-influenced style of riffing is long-gone on here, and while it was maybe Ronnie who wrote the riffs, it's still a pretty boring performane from Goldy. Simon Wright's stellar-rather-than-loose playing style (if compared to Vinnie Appice) just further makes this album stiff and a bit lifeless. It's sad because this album really had potential in its songs.


2002 - Killing The Dragon

Following much in the same vein as "Magica", this album is more of a success to my ears. It sounds more inspirated and more true to Dio's 80's albums than any Dio album has done post-80's. Maybe this was because of guitarist Doug Aldrich, who temporarily replaced Craig Goldy for a few years while the latter became a father. Still present, however, is the somewhat of the stiff sound from the previous album. It's not nearly as much, however, as the production is a bit more "full" and the guitars (especially) are more varied and alive on this one. Not really a superb album, but without a doubt the best album Dio did after "Strange Highways" in 1993.


2004 - Master Of The Moon

Ultimately what would become the last Dio album, this one once again sees the return of bassist Jeff Pilson as well as Craig Goldy(!), and along with him comes (once again) a more stiff performance like "Magica". Now these two albums have really left me wondering sometimes what this guy did to lose his amazing performance-style from "Dream Evil". It's just sad to see such a promising guitarist become so uninspiring and boring fifteen-to-twenty years down the line. This particular album itself, however, is not bad, but not very good either. Just like with "Magica", this is somewhat of a hit-or-miss kind of album. It's a bit more keyboard-oriented which is nice, but otherwise there's not really one single track that truly stands out as memorable.


Heaven & Hell (a.k.a. Black Sabbath, take 3)


2009 - The Devil You Know

Sometime soon after the mid-2000's, Ronnie once again reunited with his former Black Sabbath bandmates. Sabbath had not too long ago stopped playing with Ozzy Osbourne, whom they had reunited with in the late 1990's. Needless to say, Sabbath was most likely facing another rather unsuccessful bunch of years ahead of them, while Dio had already been working too hard for too little for several years at this point. The guys reunited once more, opting to change their name after the legendary "Heaven And Hell" album this time instead. They released their first and ultimately only full-length album in 2009, which I suppose was successful (judging by time of illegal downloads, etc). The album itself is also a very good one, being the best album by the Sabbath guys (Tony and Geezer) and Dio (with Vinnie Appice) in a long, long time. It's a very heavy doom metal album and a great way for Ronnie James Dio to (sadly) end his career.

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That was it for this time, guys. These are my reflections and presentations of Ronnie James Dio's albums in short. I hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

//J.

In retrospect: Magnum (UK)

Welcome to my second round of "In retrospective:", which today will feature non other than the excellent British band Magnum. If you're European, especially British, German or Scandinavian, then there's a good chance you know about these guys. If you're American and never heard of them before, then I wouldn't be surprised. Magnum tried and they failed at breaking the American market back in the day, but in Europe they were fairly successful or at least well-known with a dedicated fan-base.

My introduction to Magnum was through my old man, who was a big fan of Magnum as he grew up in the 80's. When I grew up and got a liking to hard rock and metal music in 2002, I eventually discovered his old vinyl stash, and with practically every Magnum album from studio to compilation being included (except for "Chase The Dragon", sadly), it wasn't long before I was another fan of the band.

The thing I've always loved the most with Magnum is the vocals. Bob Catley's such an amazing artist with a most passionate voice full of emotion, like Ronnie James Dio for instance, but with another character to it of course. His stage presence is also rather unique, as my girlfriend pointed out after watching old and new live videos of them. Then of course we have guitarist and song-writer Tony Clarkin, who is yet another (sadly) way underrated veteran in the genre. Writing all the music and lyrics for Magnum, I think his talent is very apparent, especially if you consider how all the other members the band has had throughout the years, were alright with him being the sole writer.

Musically speaking, Magnum is usually referred to as simply hard rock, or more often (and probably correctly) melodic hard rock or pomp-rock. Personally, I dislike the latter because of the word pomp's meaning in my native language; Swedish. I don't know how many ways and meanings you use it for in the English language, but in Swedish the word pomp, which is translated into "pompös" or "pampig" most of the time, can have both a positive and a negative meaning. Generally, however, I believe the word is mostly used in a more negative sense, like describing something or someone who is pompous in a bad or irritating way.

But enough of my talk now and let's instead go into their discography. Just like last time, I will present their releases (excluding some compilations and live albums) and make brief comments about my opinion regarding them, but also try to add a fair score to each and everyone of them. Let's go!

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Album / (year) / score (out of 10)
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Kingdom Of Madness (1978) - 7.0

Comment: The debut album which was actually recorded in 1975 already, but delayed for three whole years. I can only assume it was because of label bullshit, or a lack of one altogether perhaps, but this album is rather special in their discography. It doesn't quite sound like the classic Magnum, leaning more towards a progressive rock sound and sounding quite like a product of its time. Some tracks are really good, especially the title-track (though it was later remade) which is a classic live-staple of theirs. A solid release but the best is yet to come.


Magnum II (1979) - 8.5

The band's second album a lot closer to the classic Magnum sound, although still leaning a lot towards the progressive influences. This album was done before the band's long-time and classic keyboardist Mark Stanway joined the fold, but it's still a very keyboard-driven album. Actually, I would even say that it's at times more keyboard-driven rather than guitar-driven, and the keyboards do not rarely give me vibes of how the likes of Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis or Tangerine Dream sounded at the time. A very good album.


Marauder (1980) - 7.0

A rather classic release from the band, this one happens to be a live album. To be honest, I am not too big a fan of live albums but I do enjoy some classics, with Judas Priest's "Unleashed In The East" being the perhaps best live album ever made. So, with that said, this is not a bad one by any means, but it just doesn't quite interest me that much either. However, I thought it was important to include this one since it appears to be well-appreciated among the band's fans, not to mention that several of the live takes on here are featured on several compilation albums instead of their studio-album counterparts. But once again, like always with live albums, I have no clue how much of this album is actually recorded live (or not).


Chase The Dragon (1982) - 9.8

Just like the debut record, this one was recorded in 1980 but delayed until 1982 because of label bullshit. This is in several ways somewhat of the "real" debut album for the band, as it was the first to feature long-time keyboardist Mark Stanway, which would cement the classic ever-going trio of Catley-Clarkin-Stanway. The album itself also features the true trademark sound of Magnum, not to mention it's heavier (perhaps their closest one to being heavy metal, without quite being that). The songs are all just excellent compositions and Bob Catley's vocals are really powerful on here. Why he didn't get more recognition for his amazing voice is beyond me. Needless to mention to other Magnum fans, this album also features several live-classics for the band, with particularly "Sacred Hour" being in mind, and what an amazing intro it's got!


The Eleventh Hour (1983) - 8.5

This one always struck me as being a classic release by the band, but from what I've come to understand through several fans and the band themselves, this album is many times closer to being "disliked". I personally can't imagine this to be very true. Sure, the band themselves were quite bitter at their label during this album's release, and thus maybe associate it and its music with bad times, but for me as a fan, this one is just another great album. What I particularly like about this one is how it once more manages to sound different while still maintaining Magnum's trademark essence. Musically, I always thought this album sounded like "English pub folk-rock music", something that would fit perfectly into the painting for the band's next album.


On A Storyteller's Night (1985) - 9.2

The band's first breakthrough came with this one, featuring classics like "Just Like An Arrow", "Les Mort Dansant" and particularly the ever-going live-staple epic "How Far Jerusalem". While it's certainly a somewhat more easy-accessible record and cleaner-sounding in the production department, I think it still manages to maintain a complete Magnum trademark sound, not to mention it feels like a natural progression for the band. Perhaps this one is more AOR-oriented, but it's still driven by a duel between guitar and keyboards, with heavy pounding drums and Bob Catley's fantastic voice in a very good performance. This would probably, really, be the best introduction you could get into the band's music.


Vigilante (1986) - 7.0

Another classic to many, somewhat of a sell-out to others, but to me this one is most of all a typical sign of the times album. Featuring an ultra-clean(ed up) production and lots of rather cheesy keyboards, this one was very much a typical 80's AOR album. Compared to the band's previous efforts, this one has more in common with the likes of Bon Jovi rather than Magnum themselves. Sure, some of the tracks are really good and well-worth getting the album for alone, but some tracks sound like leftovers from Billy Idol's then-new "Whiplash" album. Not bad, actually pretty good for what it is, but far from Magnum's finest hour (or trademark sound).


Wings Of Heaven (1988) - 6.0

At its time, this one was the band's most successful record in England, but in most other countries as well, I believe. I always found it rather ironic, however, that their most commercially successful album would prove to be the one I like the least (at least thus far). Once again, it's not at all a bad album, but its particular ultra-80's AOR sound doesn't really appeal that much to me.


Goodnight L.A. (1990) - 6.5

A continuation of the band's more easy-accessible sound, and also their most American-friendly release. Specifically aimed at the (north) American audience to try and break there, it does sound like a mix of recent Magnum albums with some typical American radio-rock. I actually prefer this one over the previous album since this at least is a bit rockier again, but it's kind of a hit-or-miss album. To summon it as best as I can; if I look at the album's track-list, I recognize a few songs all of which I like. The rest I cannot even recall what they sound like.


Sleepwalking (1992) - 6.8

A good step away from what the band (or label, rather) tried to do over the last three albums. This is certainly sounds more like the good ol' Magnum again, but in a somewhat more "mature" approach. I mean, the guys were like 40 years or so at this point, so it's understandable the sound matured a bit with them. But overall this is not something that I truly appreciate, yet. Some songs are really good and while the album maintains a better standard than the previous few albums, it's simply (still) not quite appealing to me.


Rock Art (1994) - ?

I don't recall ever listening to this on or its tracks. I don't have in my collection either, so I'll let this one pass for now. (After a quick Googling, I found out at the band themselves are very fond of this particular album, looking back on it today. I will have to get my hands on it.)


Breath Of Life (2002) - ?

The second (and last) album from Magnum which I currently don't have. I have heard some stuff from it, like the two songs which are featured (remixed or re-recorded) on the Evolution (2011) compilation, and a snippet or two perhaps, I don't remember. From what I've heard about this album from the band themselves, however, this album doesn't really sound like Magnum, but rather a mix of Mag and Hard Rain (the band Tony and Bob were in with current bassist Al during the 90's). I haven't heard the Hard Rain records either, so I don't have many clues about what this album is like, but the band themselves don't seem too interested in this one these days. I'll leave its rating blank for the moment.


Brand New Morning (2004) - 7.0

Widely considered to be the first "real" Magnum album since their reformation in 2001 by the band and fans alike. To my ears, it sure does sound like a modernized Magnum as well. The album itself, however, is not really their strongest effort since their reformation. Apart from perhaps Breath Of Life (I wouldn't know), this is their weakest post-reformation album. Some songs on this one, like the opening/title-tack for instance, are the best songs by Magnum since 1985. Some other songs just tend to not be as strong, and that's both alright and understandable, but at this point, Tony Clarkin and Magnum were just getting started with crafting their modern sound which we're familiar with today.


Princess Alive And The Broken Arrow (2007) - 8.8

This is officially, to me and many other fans alike, the best Magnum album in a very long time. To me, it's the band's best since 1985, but some fans hold this one as the band's best album, period. It's a bloody fantastic record which shows the return of the band's long-time artwork maker Rodney Matthews (one of my favorite artists, I might add). The album continues in a very similar direction like the previous album, but with more focus and better songs, I believe. Some of the band's strongest tunes to date are present here, and this was luckily just the start for a completely reborn Magnum.


Into The Valley Of The Moonking (2009) - 8.0

A slight step down from the previous record, but it's neither surprising nor a bad thing. It was kind of expected considering how good the previous one turned out. What is a bit weird, however, is why they chose "Cry To Yourself" as an opening track. I honestly have a hard time coming up with another example of opening tracks this inappropriate. It doesn't suck you in at all and it's a rather low-pace, ballad-esque tune. Otherwise, this album is very strong. It's a bit more ballad-esque overall I think, but they're all strong songs. The more rockier numbers also give me strong vibes of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, which is a good thing. Another thing I've gotten the impression of is that this album is somewhat overlooked among Magnum fans. No one seems to talk about or listen to this one, and that is very odd considering how good it is.


The Visitation (2011) - 8.0

Another just-as-strong effort from Magnum, and yet another proof that the new-born Magnum is a force to be reckoned with. Compared to the previous album, this one is both less Rainbow-esque and ballad-esque in its approach and sound. The rockier numbers, particularly the opening track "Black Skies" are heavy-riffing melodic hard rock and has a similar vibe to (the track) "Brand New Morning", both of which in turn remind me of Led Zeppelin somehow. Overall, however, this album manages to vary itself more compared to the previous one, but instead loses somewhat of Moonking's consistency. At the end I'd say they're both equal in quality, though.


On The 13th Day (2012) - 8.2

Once again Magnum takes a slight turn musically and once more delivers a more varied album, but also a very colorful one. This album has got an excellent album art once again done by Rodney Matthews and it's full of lovely colors in almost a carnival-esque setting. The music sounds very fitting in relation to the album art, for sure. So this basically covers several areas in a wider stretch compared to most of the band's albums. There are some typical Magnum anthems such as the opening track "All The Dreamers", classic Magnum ballads, and even a real heavy one this time around in "Dance Of The Black Tattoo". It's got a lighter atmosphere at times compared to the recent three albums or so, but also darker moments. Overall a very good mix.


Escape From The Shadow Garden (2014) - 9.5

In a way, this is Magnum's very finest hour in my opinion. There are a few of their records that come close, but the only one that would possibly beat this one is Chase The Dragon, and that's out of a sheer nostalgia factor. This album is absolutely lovely and somewhat of a contrast to On The 13th Day. If that one was mostly light and joyful, then this one is darker and viler. I just love everything about this one from the tunes to the very dark artwork (by Magnum standards). Most of the guys in the band were around 65 when they did this one, and they rock harder on this one than they've done in a long time. It's an absolutely fantastic record and every song is great, making the album all-around very consistent and interesting.


Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies (2016) - 9.0

The band's most recent album as of today. I honestly didn't doubt they would come back with yet another great album, but I maybe expected another 8:er. I certainly did not expect the band to follow up their previous triumph with an album worthy of a solid 9, but they did. This album kind of follows the last one in style and sound/production, but it's not quite as dark-sounding this time around. Still, the songs aren't really as colorful as On The 13th Day, either. What it is is a melodic hard rocking journey through Magnum's lovely trademark keyboards and riffs, with some (still) amazing vocals by Bob Catley. Seriously, the man's voice is still as passionate as ever, and it's a crime by everyone who doesn't acknowledge his chops.


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If you're knew to Magnum and love 80's hard rock, melodic rock, AOR or NWoBHM, I suggest you check out Magnum. Either use this guide to buy an album or two, or go digital via iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. It's a lovely band with lovely music, and it's a great shame that they never made it bigger.