Grand Magus - Bristol Review

When it comes to good old-fashioned heavy metal, there are few stronger modern exponents of the genre than Sweden's Grand Magus. While the three-piece's early work is somewhat doomy, much of their material is a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s - a time when traditional heavy metal was king and the impact of the NWOBHM was still being felt. This sound, intertwined with stories of their homeland and mythology, is what makes Grand Magus an enjoyable band to listen to, and is why they have a loyal legion of fans - particularly here in Europe. Grand Magus have also always made a considerable effort here in the UK. Many of the band's influences are from the UK, and therefore they have always seemed determined to 'make it' over here. With many of their peers happy to include a one-off London show as part of a wider European tour, and leave it at that, Grand Magus have always included a proper UK tour in their schedule - something which is certainly appreciated by their UK fans. The band are not huge over here, but have enough pulling power to schedule dates in a number of small UK venues in one go - and this perseverance with the UK market has clearly reaped rewards. The band are always welcomed with open arms when they return to the UK, and each recent album touring cycle has seen the band successfully trek around the UK entertaining their fans. The band's current European tour, which kicked off in Bristol last night, is in support of their ninth studio album Wolf God which was released last year. Wolf God is a strong album, and one that saw the band incorporate some of their doomy influences into their sound once again. It is probably the band's heaviest album since 2008's Iron Will, with the band regaining some of their early heft after focusing on a more melodic and 'epic' sound in recent years. Grand Magus excel at either style, and Wolf God is likely already a firm favourite among the band's fans. While I have been a Grand Magus fan for a good number of years now, they are not a band that I listen to all that often. I caught the band on the Triumph and Power tour in 2014, but did not see them on the tour that followed 2016's Sword Songs. I listened to Wolf God quite a bit last year however, and meant to catch the band at Bloodstock Open Air but was too tired following a full-on day that culminated in an excellent set from Sabaton to properly appreciate their late-night second stage closing slot. Not long after Bloodstock however, their UK tour was announced and a kick off date in Bristol was too good an opportunity to miss. I always enjoy going to a gig in Bristol as it makes a change from long trips up to London or Birmingham - and the city is home to some excellent venues. Grand Magus' venue of choice was The Fleece, a venue I have been to a handful of times over the years and one that is somewhat familiar to the band.

Joining Grand Magus on this trek were the fellow Swedish metal act Wolf - and band who I briefly saw at Bloodstock in 2015 but was not sufficiently enchanted by their set to stick around for long. I was keen to check them out properly this time however, as I have always thought that Wolf are a band that I would probably quite like if I gave them a proper chance. The four-piece hit the stage about half an hour after the venue opened, and played for around 45 minutes to a good-sized and fairly vocal crowd - some of whom were clearly Wolf fans already. Niklas Stålvind (vocals/guitar) is the only original member of the band left, but he led the current incarnation of Wolf through a strong selection of fast-paced old-school metal numbers that featured a lot of excellent twin guitar work from him and Simon Johansson (guitar/vocals), as well as a few anthemic choruses. With a new album Feeding the Machine due out in a couple of weeks, the band took the opportunity to debut some of the new material - with the single Midnight Hour and the slower, more epic The Raven standing out. Wolf are another band who tour the UK fairly regularly, so there were many in the crowd who probably were more than familiar with the band and their back catalogue. This certainly helped a strong atmosphere to be created from the off and towards the end, when some older numbers where wheeled out, there was a bit of crowd interaction which helped everyone get warmed up for Grand Magus' set. For me however, it was actually the newer material that impressed the most. Shark Attack, from the band's last album, was the only track that I really knew - but the four brand new songs that were played all impressed. I will make an effort to check out the new album when it is released later this month, and I will keep an eye out for Wolf's future dates - as I quite enjoyed their 45 minutes on stage in Bristol.

Despite Wolf's strong showing, it was Grand Magus who the majority were there to see. After a fairly quick changeover - Wolf had had to use some of Grand Magus' gear after some of theirs had not arrived in time - the intro track Gold and Glory filled the venue and the band's three members trooped onto the stage in the dark and immediately lunched into the lumbering and powerful riff of Wolf God. The title track of the new album was a great way to kick off the show, and it was clear that the band were really up for the gig. It was their first show of the year, and the first showcasing this new headline-length setlist, so they were clearly keen to see how the crowd reacted. Clearly proud of Wolf God, two numbers from that album - the aforementioned title track and Untamed - got the set underway; but from then on the setlist mostly took choice cuts from a selection of their previous albums. One thing that I have noticed about Grand Magus setlists over the years is that there seems to be little deviation from tour to tour. Many of the songs the band showcased in Bristol were the same ones that I saw them play in London six years ago - which seemed a bit strange considering that the band now has nine albums to their name. The songs played were all fan-favourites however, with each one being received strongly like an old friend, but it would be nice to see the band mix it up a bit more. It was only the three new songs and a rare outing for the older Wolf's Return that were different to my previous live Grand Magus experience - but thanks to a strong performance and the anthemic nature of many of the songs played this repetition did not hamper my enjoyment of the night. In fact, I would say that this show was better than the one I saw them play in 2014. A powerful live sound mix gave presence to Janne 'JB' Christoffersson's (vocals/guitar) without diminishing the impact of Mats 'Fox' Skinner's (bass guitar/vocals) bass. In fact it was Fox that probably impressed me the most throughout the evening, with his rumbling and complex playing helping to give the band their big sound. Grand Magus make a lot of noise for a three-piece, and it is partly down to his inventive and full bass lines. The only negative was that JB's voice was sometimes a little buried in the mix, although this is a problem that came and went so thankfully did not impact the show too much. The crowd often helped him out in any case, with the choruses of Iron Will and Steel Verses Steel both being sung back at the band loudly by the large crowd. Each song received a big cheer, which in fairness justified the band's conservative setlist, with the cheers only increasing as the evening moved on. Towards the main set's end the atmosphere was electric, with Valhalla Rising prompting a big a sing along and the fast-paced Like the Oar Strikes the Water kicking the set into final crescendo that left everyone wanting more. A three-song encore followed, with the perennial favourite I, The Jury kicking things off before one more new track in Dawn of Fire impressed with its sledgehammer riff and infectious chorus. Hammer of the North has long been the band's signature track however, so it was fitting that it was left to that song to close the evening out. The mid-section was sung passionately by the crowd, and the song's main melody continued to be sung while the band took their bows. The setlist was:

Gold and Glory
Wolf God
Untamed
Kingslayer
Sword of the Ocean
Iron Will
Steel Verses Steel
Ravens Guide Our Way
On Hooves of Gold
The Shadow Knows
Wolf's Return
Valhalla Rising
Like the Oar Strikes the Water
-
I, The Jury
Dawn of Fire
Hammer of the North

Grand Magus' music is uncomplicated by they are a band that knows how to impress a crowd with the power and delivery of their songs. Their set at The Fleece reminded me of this, and it was great to catch up with the band live again after six years. They are one of those ever-reliable bands where you know what you are going to get when you purchase a ticket, and it is that that presumably keeps the fans coming out year after year. I really enjoyed my time with the band in Bristol, and I hope to catch them again when they next tour the UK.