### Grand Magus: Iron will

#### 21/07/11 || Habakuk

When was the last time you listened to a good, honest, ballsy heavy metal album? You know, one without those tongue-in-cheek or overly nerdy inclinations. One that doesn’t branch out into either punk territory, proggy experiments or technical wankery. One that relies on the powers of the riff, the voice, the groove. No matter what your answer is, be it “yesterday” or “never”, you should not miss out on this album.

What these Swedes deliver in classic three-piece fashion is nothing short of spectacular in its simple but striking awesomeness. Practically everything about “Iron Will” works. Just look at the cover, for starters. Hell, they could black out about a quarter of the space and still get their message across: “This is going to be bad-ass”. Open the case, slip the CD in the drive of your choice and behold message number two: “This is bad-ass”.

The music lives off awesome hooklines alternatively brought forward by guitar and vocals (both done by the same man, JB Christoffersson), hard-hitting, no frills drums that push the songs forward relentlessly, and yes – there even is a bass guitar. And what a rumbling monster it is. It eliminates all need for a second guitar on this album, providing enough punch for about three guitars, plus, Christofferson’s voice / guitar combination makes up for any (falsely) perceived lack of twin melodic sections.

With this stripped-to-the-basics framework, there is only one way to make an album work, which is songwriting. And this is where everything has been done right, without a doubt. Not a single song stands out, as none of them sports flashy attention grabbers. There simply is no need. All songs profit from the same virtues: focus, coherence and tastefully crafted elements. No two tunes seem to follow the same formula, yet all of them fit together perfectly, leaving the album practically without weak spots. Sometimes it’s the verse that sets the quality bar, sometimes the chorus, and in some cases both are so greatly connected you won’t even bother about song structure and just enjoy the perfectly assembled whole.

On to the last possible obstacle: the vocals. And let me assure you, never have they been less of an obstacle. This is one of the most un-annoying but fitting singing performances you’ll find on a metal album. You can find Ozzy’s snarl irritating, Dickinson’s howl obtrusive, death metal vocals stupid and I’ll show some understanding, maybe. However, if you say you don’t like JB Christofferson’s voice on this album, please expect my answer in sign language.

Apart from a 39 seconds interlude, this album truly is fillerless. A modern classic already in my book, and in the top 20 of our Best of 2000-2009 list for good reason.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Rise Above Records
- Website: www.grandmagus.com
- Band
- Janne “JB” Christoffersson: vocals, guitars
- Fox Skinner: bass
- Sebastian “Seb” Sippola: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Like the Oar Strikes the Water
- 02. Fear Is the Key
- 03. Hövding
- 04. Iron Will
- 05. Silver into Steel
- 06. The Shadow Knows
- 07. Self Deceiver
- 08. Beyond Good and Evil
- 09. I Am the North