CHASE THE DRAGON

i have been a fan of magnum since i saw them live during the period "chase the dragon" was released. recorded at the town house studio, london, i was very impressed with "the spirit" and indeed the entire album, and the cover art by rodney matthews. at the time the NWOBHM scene was in full flow though i never considered magnum of that ilk, i thought of them then and now as having prog leanings, the critics labelled them "pomp rock". i have always highly regarded "chase the dragon" and considered it magnum's "opus" (sorry i couldn't resist that!) . the first track on side one (this review is based on original vinyl lp) "soldier of the line" comes in after some creepy atmospheric sound effects and power chords, military style marching drum beats and many changes of tempo here. "on the edge of the world" drifts in, "eloy" style synthesisers introduce the song, "and you'r still dreaming all your precious time away" ..wish i'd taken their advice! some nice keyboard and guitar intejections here. my favourite track on the album, "the spirit" with its acoustic guitar intro comes crashing in, like i said this was brilliant live and the studio version doesn't disappoint. the sound quality on this album is very good, the drums have plenty of punch and nothing is too over exagerrated or piercing. another favourite of mine, " sacred hour" has a sweeping piano/synthesiser intro, some great drumming and powerful guitar, on par with "the spirit". on side two "walking the straight line" kicks in with plodding beat and some nice guitar riffing , then follows on with "We All Play The Game", boogie-style " The Teacher", and " The Lights Burned Out". all these are excellent songs but not quite as oustanding as the tracks on side one. nevertheless a stunning album and a recommended addition to any prog collection.