14 December 2011

Review: The Magnificent: The Magnificent

Pair up an amazing guitarist (Torsti Spoof/Leverage) with an equally amazing singer (Michael Eriksen/Circus Maximus) and you have the potential for something really amazing. Call the band “The Magnificent” and you have really set your sites high.
Rounding out the lineup is Rolf Pilve on drums, Sami Norbacka on bass and Jukka Karinen on keyboards.
Their debut album The Magnificent starts off on the right foot with a very catchy “Holding on to Your Love”. This song has very distinctive rhythms and I really like the lead guitar lick. There are two guitars playing in harmony and then doing an artificial harmonic trick that reminds me of Lamb of God’s, “Laid to Rest”. The vocals and harmonies make this song sound enormous. The balance between the guitars and keyboards is perfect. The whole feel of the song is intensified by all of the cymbals that are being knocked around in this tune.

“Bullets” is probably my favorite song on the album, because when you have this kind of fire power in a band you don’t want to waste it on a bunch of love songs. The lyrics, “some may fall, some stand tall, but there’re bullets enough to take us all down, down to the ground” is a reminder that no matter what station you rise to in this life you are just as mortal as the next person.

“Harvest Moon” is a great way to finish this collection. It’s a nice power ballad with lots of beefy guitars, bright keyboards and a bit of room to just sit back and take it all in. After all of the blistering guitar solos, deep drum fills and spine tingling bass runs this is a nice way to gently bring you back down to reality.

I would say the sound of this band could best be described as what the offspring of Whitesnake and Europe would sound like were they to hook up.

The musicianship and vocals are masterful, but where this album lacks is in the lyrics, if this band can come up with some meaningful lyrics that resonate with their listeners they will be unstoppable.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Key Tracks: Holding on to Your Love, Bullets, Harvest Moon

Kirk Bullough

Tracks:
1. Holding On To Your Love
2. Cheated By Love
3. Memories
4. Angel
5. Satin & Lace
6.Love`s On The Line
7. Bullets
8.Smoke & Fire
9.Tired Of Dreaming
10. If It Takes All Night
11. Lost
12. Harvest Moon

Artists: The Magnificent
Title: The Magnificent
Genre: Melodic Rock
Label: Frontiers Records

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