┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Grand Magus - Wolf God + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ 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.. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ 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. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ 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 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 00:38:48 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘