Band:	Magnum
Album:	Into The Valley Of The Moon King
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	June 15, 2009
A review by:	Jeff

01. Intro
02. Cry To Yourself
03. All My Bridges
04. Take Me To The Edge
05. The Moon King
06. No One Knows His Name
07. In My Minds Eye
08. Time To Cross That River
09. If I Ever Lose My Mind
10. A Face In The Crowd
11. Feels Like Treason
12. Blood On Your Barbed Wire Thorns

Magnum is an old band now, and a really productive one. Every two three years, a new album is released. "Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow" was released in 2007, two years later "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" comes to our hands. And no surprise here, this is Magnum and the new album is some kind of melodic Hard Rock with Progressive touches. This is neither bad at all nor amazing too. Well, if you're a fan, it should be ok but if you want to discover the band, let's have a look at their previous albums first and this one should work better.

Magnum has never been the most popular band from United Kingdom and it's a bit sad because it features one of the best singers from the country, Bob Catley. Some of you, who're not into "Metal and Rock history", have probably discovered him through his performance on the last Ayreon. And the funny thing here is that "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is a bit in the same category. The music is half melodic Rock, half progressive Rock, this is really melodic, with sweet cute melodies but let's be honest, this is not outstanding too. I mean that ok, the songs are nice but they won't kick your ass too. I don't know in general I really like melodic Prog Rock but even if I don't hate "Into The Valley Of The Moon King", I'm not really attracted by its music. Maybe that the problem comes from the vintage aspect of the music, some songs even if it's probably a wish of the bands, are just too old school for me. But this feeling is just a matter of taste you know, I like to listen to 70's bands in general, it didn't just work with me here, the gods of Rock only know why?

"Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is a sensitive album, from the music to its production which is clean and pure. The voice of Bob Catley is really good too one more time and his band mates all do good work too. There is nothing to say on this side, we're in front of a really well produced album which features great musicians.

In the end what will you find on "Into The Valley Of The Moon King"? Answer: A really good singer, good Rock (but not Metal) songs, great musicianship, a good old of vintage music and some nice tunes. But it doesn't mean too that this release is amazing or something, this is not bad but Magnum was better in the past in my opinion. The fans should be happy with this release and if you don't know Magnum yet, have a look at their old releases first. "Into The Valley Of The Moon King" is not the album of the year but features good songs, that's up to you to decide if its deserves your consideration or not.