When
Magnum released 2018's
Lost on the Road to Eternity, keyboardist
Rick Benton replaced
Mark Stanway, who'd quit (for the third time) in the middle of a tour. The album's razor-edged, riff-laden hard rock sound contrasted with the plodding bombast and balladry of 2016's
Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies that, frankly, sounded tired. Longtime drummer
Harry James left in 2017 and was replaced by
Lee Morris. The resulting tour was wonderfully documented on 2018's surprising
On the Road to Eternity live outing. Finally, in June of 2019,
Al Barrow, the band's bassist since 2001, stopped touring with the group. American
Dennis Ward claimed the spot just before
Magnum entered the studio to record
The Serpent Rings. Founding members guitarist
Tony Clarkin and singer
Bob Catley are the only remnants from the 20th century. As evidenced on their 21st studio album, the personnel changes stoked the fire in the bellies of these two mainstays.
"Where Are You Eden" opens with urgent chamber strings and
Morris' snares and tom-toms before
Ward charges in with sweeping organ and synth chords and
Clarkin delivers a crunchy, melodic riff. When
Catley begins to sing, it's as if the decades slip away. This is a fist-pumping anthem. The proceeding "You Can't Run Faster Than Bullets" highlights the promise of the opener, led by
Benton's meaty keyboard groove. "Madman or Messiah" makes it three burners in a row. Commencing with a keyboard vamp behind
Catley's strong, melodic singing, it's propelled with crunch and verve by
Clarkin's layered power riffs. The hook in the harmonic chorus is worthy of a singalong in the bridge, and it's exquisitely crafted. There are no weak cuts here, though the album possesses a very consistent tempo and intensity level. The raucous "Not Forgiven" contains a riff worthy of early
AC/DC, but the expansive keys and tight orchestration gird that open, ringing guitar vamp and cascading grand piano. They push
Catley to the edge; the track is designed to get concert audiences on their feet. "House of Kings" contains a startling brass section and a ringing grand piano that contrasts sharply with
Catley's growling, balls-to-the-wall vocal and
Clarkin's overdriven guitars. It also features a jazzy bridge where the horns and
Benton's inventive pianism are embossed by
Morris' (literally) swinging drums. The final two tracks, "The Last One on Earth" and "Crimson on the White Sand," are power ballads that fill out the album's dynamic portrait. The latter is especially ferocious, with
Clarkin's razor-wire guitar fills alongside layered chamber strings and majestic, earthshaking drums.
The Serpent Rings is arguably the most vital-sounding, musically consistent album by
Magnum since the '80s.
Clarkin and
Catley have been working together since 1972. Nearly 50 years later, they sound vital, hungry, and, alongside their new bandmates, prove that
Magnum has plenty of gas left in the tank. ~ Thom Jurek
