Having just paid tribute to Magnum’s past, bittersweetly revisiting their masterpiece fifth album, On a Storyteller’s Night, it makes sense that I tackle the present day, even if it’s currently mired in melancholy. I’d like to preface this review by saying I’ve already listened to their latest album, Here Comes the Rain, a couple times prior to Tony Clarkin’s untimely passing. Considering the current circumstances, I figured it was only right to listen to it one more time prior to publishing this review. Tragedies aside, I like to give albums of this nature a thorough listen before haphazardly releasing my ramblings too the world.
Here Comes the Rain is the 23rd and most likely final album in the storied canon of British AOR legends, Magnum. The ’20s have been an interesting decade for this veteran band, who have managed to remain musically prolific even despite the setbacks of COVID. They started off strong with the heavily Storyteller’s flavored The Serpent Rings: A genius exercise in pomp and bombast. This was followed two years later by The Monster Roars, which came off as a tad more pop oriented to my ear, but still enjoyable nevertheless. Here Comes the Rain holds its own unique place in the Magnum catalog, for reasons that may come as a surprise.
For one, this has to be the most ballad-heavy album Magnum has ever released, with at least half of Rain‘s songs falling into this category. Granted, being that this is Magnum, these are not your run of the mill, copy-paste, middle of the road AOR ballads. They boast the depth, passion, and genius that has been synonymous with this band from the beginning. Whether it be the arena-shaking AOR of “I Wanna Live”, symphonic metal drama of “The Day He Lied”, or delicate intricacies of “Broken City”, Magnum manages to craft their ballads with the same unique charm as their rockers.
Speaking of rockers, there’s no shortage of those on here either. Cuts like “Run into the Shadows” and “After the Silence” are pure classic Magnum, the latter being the band’s finest song since “Where Are You Eden?” off The Serpent Rings. “Blue Tango” unleashes some wicked heavy rockin’ reminiscent of their ’70s heyday, and “The Seventh Darkness” can only be described as sophisti-AOR with its in your face brass arrangement and undeniably suave demeanor. Rounding it all out is the hauntingly grandiose “Borderline”: A song that now gives me chills considering the current state of affairs.
Assuming Here Comes the Rain is Magnum’s final album, the band closes their 45 year studio output with an absolute homerun. Fans both young and old couldn’t ask for a better parting gift, as it packs all the elements of classic Magnum into one incredible collection of songs. While so many of their peers succumbed to ill-fated trends and half-assed mediocrity, Magnum made it a priority to stay true to themselves, never pretending to be something they weren’t for the sake of a quick hit single. For that, we here at Defenders salute Magnum and thank them for their immeasurable contribution to the world of hard and heavy music. Rain on and rock on, in this world and beyond.
8 out of 10
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Styx, Kansas, Pallas