For many groups, the 2000s rhyme with reformation. Indeed, we can't count anymore the number of old glories that have been re-formed when the new millennium arrived, either to satisfy the fan or to satisfy their wallet.
Magnum, one of the spearheads of the melodic hard rock of the eighties, whose disappearance from the radar screens since 1994 and the album "Rock Art", thus comes back to life seven years later, as the title of their new opus cleverly suggests. We'd be lying if we pretended that we missed the English so much that we were clamouring for their return, all the more so as Hard Rain, the project that the two thinking heads Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin had founded after the split, had somehow kept its legacy alive.
But it's still a pleasure to be able to count on Magnum again, all the more so since "Breath Of Life", without being a must-have, nevertheless conceals a handful of nuggets that brings us back a few years. Let's mention the racy 'Cry', as an opening, the catchy 'Everyday', the restless 'That Holy Touch' close to Deep purple or the epic (as in the good old days) 'Night After Night' and its majestic six-string lines.
The band remains faithful to its fundamentals, to a tried and tested recipe, that of an almost FM hard rock, with parsimonious progressive touches. The songs are chiseled by the riffs, sometimes effective ('Just Like January'), always melodic, of Clarkin and illuminated by the decidedly superb organ of Catley, which one recognizes from the first notes.
Certainly, it is a music from another age, which will struggle to reach a young audience, a music that one would sometimes wish was more peachy, more nervous ('After The Rain'), too clean, too smooth, but, benefiting from a current production. The fact remains that "Breath Of Life", although a bit too long (amateurs will probably contradict this remark), is able to seduce those who still believe in the primacy of melody over power. The musicians enjoy themselves, seem happy to play together again and their happiness is communicative.
A comeback that is only half successful, but which has the merit of pointing out that Magnum is back in the running. The opus is a gift for the fans, and its successor "Brand New Morning" will be far superior to it.