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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Grand Magus - Wolf God + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
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│║ ║ │
│║ Rls Date..2020-01-23 Encoder......LAME 64bits version ║ │
│║ Genre.....Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year......2019 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........10 ║ │
│║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │
│║ Url.. ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Grand Magus ║ │
│║ Album : Wolf God ║ │
│║ Label : Nuclear Blast ║ │
│║ Cat.No : GQCS-90704 ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Wolves: dangerous outsiders, canny tacticians, or lonely ║ │
│║ dogs? The animals that steal sheep from the flock, that ║ │
│║ form packs with social positions, that howl mournfully into ║ │
│║ the night. Already, on the journey through childhood, our ║ │
│║ heads are packed with thoughts of wolves, from the devilish ║ │
│║ Big Bad Wolf of fairy tales to the wolf who founded Rome by ║ │
│║ suckling Romulus and Remus. The animal seems just to hold ║ │
│║ us in a perpetual state of awe, a breathlessness caused by ║ │
│║ its uncanny stare or a vivid flash of grey against the ║ │
│║ treeline. And yet, there are still more tales of its ║ │
│║ ambiguous glory, as upheld here by Grand Magus, who seem a ║ │
│║ wolf in kind: distant from the pack, they have wandered the ║ │
│║ treeline of heavy metal in comparative solitude, unable to ║ │
│║ feel at home in any grouping, whether that be of classic ║ │
│║ metal, doom, or Nordic bands. With Wolf God, however, it ║ │
│║ feels that the Swedes have just about got it right. Past ║ │
│║ albums seemed always solid, if unspectacular, attempts to ║ │
│║ blend the slow, epic qualities of doom with the stomping, ║ │
│║ chest-beating grandeur of true metal. Varying degrees of ║ │
│║ success have attended their efforts over the past 20 years, ║ │
│║ peaking perhaps with Iron Will and The Hunt, albums that ║ │
│║ showed the band at their heaviest and most anthemic ║ │
│║ respectively. Importantly, a sense of continuity has ║ │
│║ followed Grand Magus during their career, perhaps due to ║ │
│║ the distinctive sound of a three-piece struggling to imbue ║ │
│║ their music with a sense of the epic. As sole guitar player ║ │
│║ and vocalist, JB Cristoffersson carries a great deal of ║ │
│║ weight on his shoulders, belting out his masculine tones ║ │
│║ like Butch Balich of Argus with either a battle-ready roar ║ │
│║ or battle-weary sigh, though crusading riffs and ║ │
│║ hair-raising singing rarely overlapped owing to his dual ║ │
│║ focus. The pure simplicity of marching riffs often made the ║ │
│║ songs easy to grasp yet flimsy once held. Ultimately, the ║ │
│║ successor to 2016Æs Sword Songs sticks to the same mindset, ║ │
│║ just moulding the natural Grand Magus sound into a slightly ║ │
│║ more refined form. Wolf God contains no surprises like the ║ │
│║ more modern 'FreyaÆs Choice' or 'Master of the Land' from ║ │
│║ that previous effort, pushing ahead with a swaggering ║ │
│║ momentum that suits the massive themes chosen for the ║ │
│║ lyrics. Songs of victory and remembrance such as 'A Hall ║ │
│║ Clad in Gold' and 'Glory to the Brave' truly stride in like ║ │
│║ kings thanks to the immense drum sound and Ludwig WittÆs ║ │
│║ bravado behind the kit, while an outstanding balance ║ │
│║ between guitar sharpness and bass ballast makes the slow ║ │
│║ chords thunderous and û crucially, since this technique ║ │
│║ often fell flat in the past û the silence between thrusts ║ │
│║ echoes just as potently. 'Brother of the Storm' is ║ │
│║ compelling evidence that the pauses form a primary ║ │
│║ component of the music. The first portion of 'A Hall Clad ║ │
│║ in Gold' proves that Grand Magus have learned about ║ │
│║ simplicity, a pounding kick drum setting the tone for Fox ║ │
│║ Skinner to rumble in with a fanfare of bass before the ║ │
│║ guitar enters with the power of an aurulent monarch. The ║ │
│║ procession drops down a notch as the throne is ascended, ║ │
│║ then the assembly unites for a poignant group chorus, a ║ │
│║ trick repeated in many songs and one that lends Wolf God a ║ │
│║ distinctive medieval atmosphere at times. Grand Magus have ║ │
│║ never been all about grandeur though. In truth, a full ║ │
│║ album of marching and bowing and scraping would be dull, so ║ │
│║ the shorter, more vicious songs play their part, just as ║ │
│║ they have on past efforts. Again, ingenuity is not the aim ║ │
│║ of the trio, merely an expression of the opposite side of ║ │
│║ their philosophy: a savage, instinctive release from the ║ │
│║ pomp and nostalgia of the heartier cuts. The contrast ║ │
│║ occupies similar ground to the split of songs on VisigothÆs ║ │
│║ latest. On Wolf God, 'Spear Thrower' proves to be the ║ │
│║ archetypal attack of this kind, taking the speed up several ║ │
│║ notches and dashing through a quick bout of bloodshed. ║ │
│║ Corresponding with the terrific instrumental tones, this ║ │
│║ kind of song has no opportunity to go wrong, while ║ │
│║ 'Untamed' stands as perhaps the finest album closer since ║ │
│║ Iron WillÆs 'I Am the North', kicking off with a fierce ║ │
│║ drum fill and massive chugging riff, squirting a solo over ║ │
│║ that, and ensuring a glorious ending with an anthemic ║ │
│║ chorus of ôFrom the North / Now hear us roarö. But what of ║ │
│║ wolves in all this? Grand Magus distil just about all the ║ │
│║ aforementioned features into the loping stomp of the title ║ │
│║ track, positioning the song somewhere between the low end ║ │
│║ shudder of doom and the relentless charge of glory habitual ║ │
│║ to Manowar. The weight of the theme grows with lyrics that ║ │
│║ command us to ôTremble as the moon grows every night / Now ║ │
│║ itÆs shining like a dagger,ö while the shimmering solo that ║ │
│║ Cristoffersson peels off is one of several that shows his ║ │
│║ band can do anything Argus can, even with only one guitar. ║ │
│║ Despite Grand Magus having fewer options than some other ║ │
│║ epic metal groups, that dogged persistence at mastering ║ │
│║ their own particular sound û the effort from their underdog ║ │
│║ position û marks them out as the genuine article and soaks ║ │
│║ their music with character that reveals itself little by ║ │
│║ little. And from that underdog position, as the outsiders, ║ │
│║ it makes perfect sense that Grand Magus have offered up ║ │
│║ this latest work to their spiritual guide, the Wolf God. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 1. Gold And Glory 2:17 │
│ 2. Wolf God 3:49 │
│ 3. A Hall Clad In Gold 5:01 │
│ 4. Brother Of The Storm 3:15 │
│ 5. Dawn Of Fire 5:12 │
│ 6. Spear Thrower 2:55 │
│ 7. To Live And Die In Solitude 3:41 │
│ 8. Glory To The Brave 5:15 │
│ 9. He Sent Them All To Hel 3:37 │
│ 10. Untamed 3:46 │
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│ Total Length : 00:38:48 │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
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│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
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