#2- Top of 2016

Grand Magus- Sword Songs (Nuclear Blast Records)

Grand Magus are back with yet another explosive album, Sword Songs (their 8th!) which succeeds in packing all those epic and heavy elements characteristic of the Swedish metallers! "Freja's Choice" is an awesome intro song  showcasing JB's powerful vocals and amazing guitars riffs which are of course combined with Fox's bass and Ludwig's drums to create a mix that becomes better every time you hear it! "Varangian" has one of the most catchy and heavy introductory riffs ever made by Grand Magus while "Forged in Iron - Crowned in Steel" and "Born for Battle (Black Dog of Brocéliande)" are songs that are made for sing-alongs in lives that make you wish you were a Viking heading for Odin's hall! "Master of the Land" is equally heavy with a twist midway guitar solo though JB's vocals manage to steal the show! "Last One to Fall" is another instantly classic song with an epic chorus, followed by heavy-riffed "Frost and Fire" that will get you pumped with catchy tunes and lyrics! The instrumental "Hugr" is a nice twist that Grand Magus like to add to their albums to give you a break from headbanging! Last but not least "Every Day There's a Battle to Fight" with each amazing guitar solo and chorus could easily be the motto of the band and makes the perfect ending to this heavy-loaded album!
The limited edition adds two more songs (!), the aggressively epic "In for the Kill" and a surprise cover of Deep Purple's "Stormbringer" which is made heavier (while keeping the keyboard element) to perfectly fit JB's clear and heavy vocals! 


97/100

Below is the official  video for the song "Freja's Choice" and the lyric video for the song "Varangian".