Album Review: Grand Magus - Wolf God

Here we are again. Every few years, I find myself sitting down with a new Grand Magus record, and the same thing happens by the time I'm done with the experience. Each time around, I listen to the latest batch of songs, I enjoy their throaty traditional metal, and then I promptly forget to listen to them until the next record is due to come along. I don't know why this is, what about their music makes it fade from my memory, but for as good as the band is at what they do, it doesn't have nearly the staying power as I would think it should. Perhaps it's just because traditional metal is so ingrained in heavy music culture that it feels too familiar, and often doesn't have a hook of its own anymore. Perhaps the music is more of a hormonal experience than it is great songwriting. I don't know.

That brings us to "Wolf God", the latest effort by Grand Magus. For those who aren't familiar with them, Grand Magus is one of the best sounding traditional metal bands, and that doesn't change here. Their sound is thick and meaty, a bit rough around the edges, like JB's voice. He has a huge bellowing voice that is pure metal, nailing the split between gritty heft and melody. Grand Magus is as much about the sound, for me, as the songs.

On an already short album (38 minutes), the first two are spent on an introduction building up some tension. When the title track starts things off properly, it's exactly the Grand Magus we've grown accustomed to. The riffs are simple, the tempos in the middle, and the focus largely put on JB's voice. They don't do anything complicated, or fancy, nor should they. People use the phrase 'meat and potatoes' with a bit of derision, but there's no need for that. Simple music is just as satisfying, and often more so.

Plenty of bands write songs about mythology and battles, but few of them actually sound big enough to be the soundtrack to a sweeping landscape shot of such an epic encounter. When Grand Magus expands just a bit, like the do on the five minute "A Hall Clad In Gold", they absolutely do. That song has the scope and the power to score a colossal battle scene. It's what the band does so well, and it's why I'm never disappointed to hear a new record is on the way. With apologies to Sabaton, or Amon Amarth, or any of the other bands who tackle similar material, they don't do it this well.

"Dawn Of Fire" is a very similar track, and it reveals the biggest 'issue' Grand Magus has; namely, they are one of those bands that makes records that sound quite a bit like each other. That isn't a problem for everyone (myself included), but it will annoy some. It's also, perhaps, the answer to the question I posed to myself at the beginning. Getting truly excited about a new Grand Magus album is a bit difficult when I already know exactly what it's going to sound like. And when "Brother Of The Storm" features a melody I'm sure I've heard from them before, that is amplified.

None of that detracts from the main point, which is that if you like traditional heavy metal (and especially if you're sick of the high-pitched singers who populate many of those bands), Grand Magus is exactly what you're looking for. They are one of the most appealing traditional heavy metal bands out there. No frills, no extras, just classic heavy metal like we remember from the old days. I can't tell you if this album is better than the last one, or the one before that, because all of them they've made since shifting away from doomier material are remarkably consistent. If you've ever liked Grand Magus, you're sure to like "Wolf God". If you haven't heard of them before, you should give them a listen, because they are a great embodiment of the roots of heavy metal.

"Wolf God" is another rock solid outing.