Artist: MAGNUM
Album: THE SERPENT RINGS LTD. EDIT. (DIGI)

Year: 17.01.2020
EAN/UPS: 886922672620
Media type: CD

Magnum guitarist Tony Clarkin is a man who seems to never stop working. He is responsible for writing all the material released by the band, and on top of that he produces their albums from the very first demo to the final mix. “As soon as an album is finished, I start to collect new ideas,” he explains. “That’s how I’ve worked since the early seventies, for me that’s the ideal method.” On their latest album The Serpent Rings (available on Steamhammer/SPV from 17 January 2020 on CD, double vinyl LP, limited box set and for digital download), Clarkin and Magnum’s other original member, vocalist Bob Catley, prove all over again just how perfectly this established system works.

The new album, The Serpent Rings, presents Magnum the way the musicians themselves like it: rocking and at the same time melodic, straightforward but also a little playful, powerful as well as sensitive with enchanted lyrics but also with a socio-critical approach. ‘Madman Or Messiah’, for example, is about the phenomenon of self-proclaimed saviours. Clarkin: “You have to approach these kinds of gurus with a lot of caution, because in reality they’re taking their followers for a ride and in a worst-case scenario even seducing them into performing dubious acts, as the case of Charles Manson in the late 1960s shows.”

The new album was recorded by the Magnum line-up consisting of Clarkin, Catley, keyboardist Rick Benton and drummer Lee Morris, plus their latest addition, bassist Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome, Unisonic, among others), who joined the fold to replace Al Barrow. “Unfortunately Al had to leave the band because he didn’t have enough time. He lives in the US, which had always caused organisational problems,” Clarkin explains the background of the line-up change. “Tobias Sammet of Avantasia recommended Dennis, who is a great musician and vocalist, exactly what we were looking for. His contribution to The Serpent Rings surpassed our wildest expectations. We’re really looking forward to touring with him.”

DigiPak Version 267262:

1. Where Are You Eden? 5:37
2. You Can't Run Faster Than Bullets 5:40
3. Madman or Messiah 5:18
4. The Archway of Tears 6:21
5. Not Forgiven 5:48
6. The Serpent Rings 6:47
7. House of Kings 4:47
8. The Great Unknown 5:27
9. Man 5:31
10. The Last One on Earth 3:43
11. Crimson on the White Sand 4:53