VIGILANTE

Magnum

Prog Related

2.81 | 67 ratings

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SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator
Symphonic Team

Hold on, there's a new way a comin'

1986's Vigilante was in fundamental respect different from previous Magnum albums. The approach adopted here was a lot more commercial and the end result is a more streamlined Magnum sound. While I have always liked the title track, I initially dismissed the rest of the album as too poppy and simplistic. Hearing the album again now years later, I have a different, a more positive, impression. I initially gave only one star to this album, but I have now upgraded my rating to a more fair two stars. Some of the songs still leave me cold, but I have developed a new appreciation for several songs. The weakest tracks are the first three and the last, but the ones in the middle are all good ones; Midnight (You Won't Be Sleeping), Red On The Highway, Holy Rider, and When The World Comes Down are actually not bad at all! They are not progressive, but neither are they simple Pop Rock songs.

The album was produced by Roger Taylor of Queen and the sound of the album is very much of its time. The feel of the album is entirely different from On A Storyteller's Night; lighter, streamlined, as I said, but not without substance. Queen is one of my all-time favourite bands, and I'm sure that fans of 80's Queen will like this music. It must surely have been very interesting for the Magnum guys to work with someone that without doubt was one of their heroes.

The next Magnum album, Wings Of Heaven, would surprisingly be the band's best and a momentary return to the form of the bands earlier days. But Vigilante is a decent album in its own right, after all, and not their worst.

Recommended for fans

SouthSideoftheSky | 2/5 | 2008-12-14

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