Band:	Grand Magus
Album:	Sunraven
Style:	Doom metal, Heavy metal
Release date:	October 18, 2024
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Skybound
02. The Wheel Of Pain
03. Sunraven
04. Winter Storms
05. The Black Lake
06. Hour Of The Wolf
07. Grendel
08. To Heorot
09. The End Belongs To You

Other fast food options are available.

A Grand Magus album is a lot like a Big Mac burger: enjoyable, sure, and every so often you will actively search out for one as it fills the spot perfectly, but while this predictably and middle-of-the-road culinary experience could be worse... it also could be better. The latest McMagus burger continues this trend, a filling and enjoyable meal, but one that will leave you wondering if there was something else on the menu worth trying.

Tonight, we feast on...a Sunraven? Well, at least we aren't eating crow. Still, the latest offering by Grand Magus follows the same recipe the band has refined over the years and on albums that have come and gone, though tweaking the presentation here and there to spice things up. This is immediately noticeable as the opening track and first single "Skybound" has Iron Maiden written all over it; it's not the strongest taster course, but enough to whet your appetite for the main course to come.

Still, whipping up another batch of Magus meals, Sunraven still has plenty to offer, and features moments that will be career highlights for years to come. The mini-epic that is "The Black Lake" is perhaps the highlight of the album; with its subdued start, it leads into a riff that will stick in your head before Christoffersson pulls out one of the strongest solos of his career, elevating the song to the next level, something that doesn't happen with enough regularity on Sunraven. Followed immediately by the contrasting upbeat "Hour Of The Wolf" and "Grendel", the album hits its peak here, with the Maiden vibe adding that extra seasoning to an already well-flavoured dish.

Christoffersson is still the key ingredient to this, with his guitar work among some of the best yet; long reliable for memorable and hard-hitting rhythms and riffs, Sunraven sees him up his solo skills to the benefit of listeners. The aforementioned moments will knock you off your feet, and also salvage otherwise middling tracks like "To Heorot". Skinner and Witt are by no means slouches themselves, serving up a tight rhythm section throughout that, while it doesn't often get time shine in the spotlight (except for the cover of "Denim And Leather"... wait no, I mean "The End Belongs To You"), makes for enjoyable listening as Christoffersson builds off of them.

Much like the aforementioned meal, Grand Magus do nothing particularly wrong on the album, though some moments aren't as well-seasoned as others, such as "The Wheel Of Pain", one that likely won't stick in your mind after the whole album has played out. Unlike Big Macs, however, Sunraven is produced and presented well, with the usual tone and sound coming through without a seed or lettuce piece out of place.

While you won't immediately be running for seconds, Sunraven will hit the spot and make for a satisfying meal, if one that is a little predictable.