MAGNUM - "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" (2018)

MAGNUM - "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY"
(Running time: 66:51 minutes; 11 songs; Bonus CD: 24:39 minutes; 4 songs)
("SPV"/"Steamhammer"; 2018; Double CD):

Hey folks, yes, time to get back to work again up here and so I now do and so here now comes my review on the (brand)new 2018 masterpiece that the British AOR legends MAGNUM (titled "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY") released at the 19th of January of 2018 via "SPV"/"Steamhammer" and I have the (limited?) Double CD that I bought recently when it was released this January and that so is up now for being reviewed here by me for you. Back in 2015 MAGNUM took me by storm with their fantastic "SACRED BLOOD, 'DIVINE' LIES" longplayer (my review on it I finally did last summer up here) and so I was very hungry and curious for their new album to finally see the light of the day and enthusiastically I cheered up loudly when it finally was to be found in/on the shelves of the local record/media store here where I live and I took it promptly with me. And what shall I say, MAGNUM's "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" conquered me massively and 'overwhelmingly' and this even more than "SACRED BLOOD, 'DIVINE' LIES", yes, even more. "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" is filled to the max packed up full from start to finish with larger than life monsters of songs that will manifest and establish an overwhelming and exciting grip on you and won't let loose of you again even when the nearly 67 minutes are over and the goosepimples run down your neck and back without an end so that you can't do anything different then just simply press the 'play-button' one more time again- and again and again and again... This is fantastic and in all and every ways and manners highest skilled and highly authentic as well as 'engagingly' sympathic AOR (or name it Melodic Rock, Classic Rock, Hard Rock or Heavy Rock, what-ever term suits your gusto better) in absolute perfection filled with an incredible hugh amount of manifold biggest and mightiest honest and heartfelt emotions, full of rousing passion and bursting with life due to a bright shining heavily beguiling soul that breathes life and fresh-alive/lively air into the whole album so that it 'formally' comes fiery hopping out of the speakers sheer exploding (be)for life and it completely takes over with an adorably fresh and high amount of highly dynamic energy so that it will nothing else but take you by storm and maybe even as much as it took and conquered me. The brilliant songwriting that this fine gentlemen and highest skilled formidable musicians in 'persona-union' that form MAGNUM deliver us here on "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" is just mindblowing and breathtaking and so incredible rich and multi-faceted, multi-layered and highly diverse, packed up full of/with an amazing amount of awesome fresh ideas and exciting and grapping twists'n'turns all along the ride, while at the same time and over the whole time being so massively stunning and intense and highly atmospheric as well as full of gifted melodies and unobstrusive and yet so even more 'conquering triumphantly' hymnal/anthemic catchyness, yes, it will leave your mouth wide open, your eyes shining, and your ears sounding and clinging for/of joy, yes, and the instrumentation as well as the variety of 'musical influences' (for example enrich gifted Folk arrangements and great slightly Medieval melody lines as well as a ton of dreamlike fantasy impressions the brandnew MAGNUM compositions here on "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" heavily and massively and even more than before) is just stunning and so wide'n'broad and all is at the same time so perfectly flowing and highest skilled 'inter-woven' into the AOR music that it only furthermore prevents your mouth from closing again. Something that also definitely needs to be mentioned here explicit and precise are the just sheer fantastic and heavily rousing pace arrangements and the almighty forceful rhythm structures that mark all the songs and the whole album in a just sheer fantastic way'n'manner. That's perfect, nothing else, period. 'Instrumentation-wise' the biggest trademarks are surely (at least so in my book) the highest gifted and incredible soulful, passionate, heartfelt, and playful, rich, varying, and diverse as well as above all else highly characteristic guitar work, the mighty and powerful vocals with a very own and strong character of their very own, as well as the fantastic paino/organ/keyboard arrangements, yes, and this is all 'just' absolutely amazing and totally fantastic. The powerful and precise, tight and yet also very diverse, playful, and nicely and refreshing 'airy-loose' rhythm section is the perfect and much needed backbone of it all. Ah, yes, and the title-track also offers first class guest vocals by no one else than AVANTASIA's very own Tobias Sammet, yes, just that you know it. Fantastic, thoughtful and throughtprovoking, expressive and interesting lyrics, a drop-dead gorgeous artwork (I'm totally in love with it), and a very warm and natural, round and yet still nicely heavy production sound then round it all (perfectly) up. My personal favorites? Ha, the whole album, period. (Even the absolutely amazing larger than life and incredible powerful "STORM BABY" is my total love affair up here on MAGNUM's "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY".) The Bonus CD features a bunch of fantastic older MAGNUM opus' in a formidable live quality and is a very welcome nice bonus goody. Even we now have just reached March of 2018 I am pretty sure that you will definitely find MAGNUM's "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" in my 2018 top ten list, and so I think I've said it all and I can now only leave you with my highest and honest recommendation(s) and so in my book every fan of honest and passionate Rock music simply needs to call this giant of an album his/her very own and so you better get it way earlier than any later in case you still don't have it. A masterpiece of one of a kind. Cheers.
(10 of 10 Points)
www.magnumonline.co.uk/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

MAGNUM - "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY" (2018, "LOST ON THE ROAD TO ETERNITY")