Magnum – ‘The Serpents Rings’ (Steamhammer)

By DJ Monk

When a band has a career that stretches back more than four decades, there are inevitably moments therein that veer from those of sublime genius to those of “wtf were they thinking”… Brummie pompadours Magnum most definitely fall into that category, having released 21 studio albums that have raised the bar of excellence (‘The Eleventh Hour’, ‘Wings Of Heaven’), have seen them treading water (‘Sleepwalking’, ‘Sacred Blood “Divine” Lies’) or just been downright awful (‘Rock Art’, ‘Princess Alice…’).

Having seemed to rediscover their passion with 2018’s ‘Lost On The Road To Eternity’ – described by the notoriously hard to please Jonni D as “highly consistent from start to finish, the album is one of the finest achievements of a band whose career is already littered with plaudits and due far more recognition than they currently receive” – Catley, Clarkin et al have unfortunately taken a step back into the realm of initially potential mediocrity with this latest opus…

The first thing that strikes you is that it lacks any sense of impetus or urgency: yes, ‘Where Are You Eden?’ kicks in with their characteristic pomposity, but there is something severely lacking, most notably in the keyboard department. Mark Stanway was known for his ability to develop huge swathes of sound behind the crunch of Tony Clarkin’s guitar, but here there is just twee parping which ruins the initial impact; yes, it slowly develops into a massive-sounding faux rock opera, in traditional Magnum style, but there’s a massive danger of even the most diehard of fans having lost interest beforehand. Meanwhile, Bob Catley sounds like he is just going through the motions: there is no sense of depth or passion in his vocal delivery.

‘You Can’t Run Faster Than The Bullet’ emphasizes the point that ‘The Serpent Rings’ is much heavier than ‘Lost On The Road…’, with Clarkin’s guitar truly badass in its bottom end, while ‘Madman Or Messiah’ does see the band exploring their more traditional, prog-based boulevards (sic), with a pair of superb performances from both Catley (in perhaps his strongest rendition on the album) and Clarkin, who once again proves he can wrench out a neat, laconic solo.

At its best, such as on ‘Madman…’ or follow up ‘The Archway Of Tears’, ‘The Serpents Ring’ is as rich and sumptuous as you would expect from Magnum in their glory days. But, there is too much that is not seen through to its logical conclusion: ‘Not Forgiven’, for example, should follow its two predecessors with a glorious sweep, but instead sounds mundane and disjointed – and why the fuck Catley sounds like he’s singing “Pokemon” instead of “Forgiven” is beyond me…. And the title track is just a complete mess, which just loses itself in the middle and end sections, while, with the exception of the suitably bombastic closer, ‘Crimson On The White Sand’, the second half of the album just passes by in a blaze of unconvincing incongruity.

At the end of repeated listenings, ‘The Serpents Rings’ is very much a curate’s egg of an album. There is much here to appeal to long-standing Magnum fan (of which I am one), but little that will help to widen that base. It is a confounding listen, as it is hard to grab a hold of, especially with the instantaneousness of many of the band’s previous albums. It’s an album on which you have to concentrate in order to reap its rewards, which is part of its downfall, but also perhaps will prove to be its ultimate redemption. Time may well tell…

‘The Serpents Rings’ is released on Friday 17 January. You can get your copy HERE.

Magnum tour the UK and Ireland in March and April:

19 March – Glasgow, Garage
20 March – Belfast, Limelight 1
21 March – Dublin, Voodoo Lounge
22 March – Cardiff, Tramshed
24 March – Sheffield, Leadmill
25 March – Hull, Welly
26 March – Manchester, Academy 2
28 March – Holmfirth, Picturedrome
29 March – Cambridge, Junction
30 March – Birmingham, Town Hall
31 March – Norwich, Waterfront
2 April – Exeter, Lemon Grove
3 April – Southampton, Engine Rooms
4 April – London, Islington Assembly
16 May – Nottingham, Rock City

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