Grand Magus' 'Sunraven' - Album Review

I often think that Sweden's Grand Magus should be held in higher regard than they seem to be. The three-piece, who can trace their history back to 1996, launched proper back in 2001 with their self-titled debut album - and have been releasing strong and honest slabs of heavy metal ever since. They are a well-liked band but, here in the UK at least, they still play some of the country's smallest venues - and this seems to be largely replicated across the world. They are not always the most active when it comes to touring, which perhaps has held them back somewhat, but on the strength of their catalogue they should be filling bigger rooms in my opinion. Grand Magus' catalogue, though, has shifted in tone somewhat over the years. Starting out as something of a doom band, with occasional stoner influences, the Grand Magus of today is much more rooted in traditional heavy metal - although slight hints of a doomier sound remain. They have certainly become more anthemic over the years, making good use of bandleader Janne 'JB' Christoffersson's rich, booming voice, and I think that Grand Magnus became a better band when they moved away from doom and towards a more traditional sound. The band's sweet spot for me consists of the run between 2010's Hammer of the North and 2014's Triumph and Power (which I reviewed here) - with these three albums easily being my favourite Grand Magus releases. Everything really fell into place from an anthemic and old-school metal perspective on those albums - and there is a reason why songs from them still dominate the band's live sets. Hammer of the North was the album which seemed to really 'break' the band, too, and it was a sleeker collection of songs in comparison to what had come before. The two albums which followed that run, though, were not quite as good. There is nothing wrong with 2016's Sword Songs (which I reviewed here), but it is not an album that ever stuck with me, whilst 2019's Wolf God (which I reviewed here) felt like an attempt to return to their older sound somewhat without ever truly meaning it. Both albums include some good songs, but they felt like steps down following the trilogy which proceeded them. Grand Magus fans the world over will be pleased to hear, then, that last month's Sunraven, the band's tenth album, sees them returning to the quality of their 2010-2014 run. Sunraven is the band's first album for five years, which is the longest gap between new releases in their career - having generally released a new album every two to three years up to this point. Perhaps the band wanted to regroup somewhat following the slightly muted reception that Wolf God received - but they were also a band that was on tour just as the pandemic hit, as they were the penultimate band I saw live before the lockdowns, which was likely financially crippling. Either way, though, Sunraven is great. It is very much classic Grand Magus from the early 2010s brought forward - albeit with the slightly rawer production style of Wolf God retained. There is very little flash or bombast here - just plentiful riffs and and the anthemic vocal hooks of JB, who sounds as great as ever.

The album, then, is very much a case of a band just doing what they do best. There are no surprises here for long-time Grand Magus fans, but Grand Magus are not a band I listen to for inventive arrangements or envelope-pushing songwriting - and instead they focus on the rumbling and anthemic sound they have mastered over the years. Lead single Skybound kicks things off, and it was clear when I first heard the track a few months ago that Grand Magus really had their mojo back. There is no standing on ceremony, with the first of many big JB riffs opening the track - whilst Ludwig Witt's mid-paced double bass drum pattern creates a strong 1980s heavy metal vibe. The drums sound organic, with little of the overproduced sound that is so prevalent in metal these days, and the album really has the feel of three musicians standing in the same room recording the album essentially live as a result. JB's guitar tone is crunchy but also rooted in an organic sound - whilst the pulsing bass playing of Mats 'Fox' Skinner essentially fills in for a rhythm guitar player as well as providing basslines. The chorus is anthemic, and one of the album's biggest sing-a-long moments, whilst the verses do feel a little doomier again - but the mix of doom and anthemic vocal lines works well, especially given the vocal power of JB. A great guitar solo pulls everything together - and Skybound is very much Grand Magus 101, but it is a track that is sure to become a live favourite. The Wheel of Pain is a crunchier song, and it feels heavier overall than the opening cut. It is perhaps less anthemic, but it is still a very memorable track vocally - with a muscular chorus set against a crunchy, chugging guitar pattern. Infectious vocal hooks which are well-harmonised drop in occasionally, but generally JB just leads the charge alone with his baritone vocals - whilst the fat bass tones really thicken up the song nicely. The song feels heavier, though, due to Witt's drumming. He does not use his double bass drums this time, but instead just pummels the drums in an old-school Black Sabbath-esque manner - and the cracking snare sound keeps the song moving along, especially whilst JB shreds through a busy guitar solo. The title track follows, and it somewhat returns to the sound of Skybound. Witt's drum pattern is similar overall, but instead of leading with a heroic riff the song is instead based around a folk metal-esque guitar lead. This guitar melody sinks into the brain after a couple of listens - and the track is one of the album's best overall as a result. The guitar riffing is perhaps less busy than usual, though, with a slightly smoother overall verse which focuses more on pulsing bass playing and JB's big voice - but the chorus is anthemic as ever thanks to the busy footwork of Witt and the return of the folky lead behind JB's hooks. It is a song which is packed full of memorable moments, then, and it also contains one of JB's best and longest guitar solos on the album - which builds nicely from the lead guitar moments elsewhere in the song.

Winter Storms slows the pace down somewhat and returns to the band's doomier roots with a creepier overall arrangement and a much more precise and plodding sound. Like the previous song, though, parts of the song are very lead guitar driven - and the track opens with a slow-burning and Candlemass-esque guitar lead which resurfaces throughout the song on occasion. That being said, though, the arrangement is more of a mix of guitar leads and riffs - which makes the track a bit more varied than some of the others here. Grand Magus songs tend to be on the shorter side, and that is largely the case here, but this track feels like it has a bit more room to stretch out in - with a lengthier intro which features both lead guitar moments and slab-like riffing. This riff later forms the basis of a doomy chorus which sees JB singing in a less anthemic mode than usual to fit in with the song's slower overall feel - but there is also more focus on instrumental transitions, too, with riffs being lingered on for a little longer and another strong solo spot. The Black Lake is similar and the track is another which harks back to the band's early days a little - whilst still retaining everything which makes the band's current sound so powerful. It opens with the slowest moment of the album so far, with JB's clean guitar chords creating something of an early riff - over which he sings in a semi-whispered manner, creating an unsettling and different early vibe. Grand Magus do not tend to do this sort of thing often, but it works well here, and when the song kicks in proper it gets going in all its doomy glory. The main riff is a heavier version of the slow-burning intro - and this guitar pattern essentially repeats itself throughout the song with few exceptions. There is a very old-school Black Sabbath feel about the song, then, and the organic, raw production only exemplifies this. I quite like the fact that the mix on this album is a bit fuzzy at times. I like it that sometimes the guitar solos get a little buried as it gives the album an old-school feel - and this song really doubles down on that overall feel production-wise, whilst an occasional riff that pops up to briefly change the song's overall pace is more early Black Sabbath than Tony Iommi has been for years. Hour of the Wolf speeds things up again following two slower-burning pieces - and it is easily the fastest track on the album up to this point. Grand Magus sometimes employ a NWOBHM-esque chug in their songwriting, and this track certainly feels influenced by that movement - with a main riff which is quite Saxon-inspired. The band's trademark rumbling metal sound is still present, though, with Fox's bass cutting through the mix and JB throwing in a few hypnotic lead guitar moments and a rumbling chorus. The verses really speed ahead, though, and they are proper headbanging moments with choppy chords and some strident drumming - whilst the chorus is a bit more mid-paced to allow JB's booming voice to really ring out.

Another real favourite of mine here, though, is Grendel. Sadly the song is not a Marillion cover, as that certainly would have been interesting, but Grand Magus bring the mythological character to life in similar fashion - albeit with more of a metallic crunch. Whilst not as fast as the previous song, it is certainly still one with plenty of fire in its belly - and it steams along at a decent pace thanks to Witt's hard-hitting drumming and some anthemic riffing from JB. There are lots of anthemic moments on this album, but perhaps this song is the most anthemic overall when considering all of the parts added together. The riffing is energetic and gets the blood pumping, whilst JB just sounds so fired up vocally. The chorus is simple but it is the sort which once gets in the brain it will stay there - and it was one of the songs which stood out on my first listen to the album as result. Another potent guitar solo helps to bring everything together - but in truth the song is just a great old-school metal anthem that lives and dies by a strong vocal performance. To Heorot is more of a mid-paced piece, and it is another that has a slight folk metal influence thanks to JB's approach to lead guitar playing. It is a song that is not very riff-driven, then, with the song's main hook being a folky guitar melody - and this melody resurfaces quite often throughout the piece, acting as the chorus. JB's vocal melodies throughout the song are also quite folky. He does not tend to sing in such a way so the difference here is quite notable. The song has a bit of a swinging feel throughout, then, which is not typical of metal - but it works well in the context of the track. The bass and the drums help with this swing, too, adding something of a bluesy vibe to the track - whilst big chords and the repeating opening melody keep the track honest. JB's solo also builds on some of these folky vibes, too, and it is packed full of melody to keep the song's different vibe ticking along. The album then comes to a close with the heavy, mid-paced The End Belongs to You - which opens with a drum intro from Witt. It is not a barrage but more of a lone beat, similar in style to Black Sabbath's Headless Cross, and the booming, organic drums perfectly set the tone for the mid-paced cruncher which is to follow - with JB soon crashing in with a memorable chugging riff whilst Fox's bass fills every nook and cranny. It is another song which includes some of the band's early doom influences, with a deliberate pace and riffing which feels doomier overall, but there is still plenty of classic anthemic metal here - with the chorus being another shout-along moment to bring the album to a close, whilst JB's last guitar solo is much more cinematic and slow-burning than typical of his style. This fits in with the song's overall vibe, though, and the crunchy piece ends the album on a heavy note. Grand Magus albums are always enjoyable even if the band are not at their best, but I do feel that this one sees them back at their best - and Sunraven is up there for me with albums like 2012's The Hunt. There is a good mix of anthemic metal and doomy heaviness here, and I like the few folky touches thrown in to keep things interesting. As always, too, the album is quite short - so it is one that can be put on at any time and enjoyed.

The album was released on 18th October 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Skybound.