:: Magnum - Wings Of Heaven Live

Magnum

Following on from the success of their twentieth anniversary celebration of their classic ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ album from 1985 (which was played in its entirety on the band’s 2005 DVD release ‘Livin’ The Dream’), melodic/progressive rock outfit Magnum have once again revisited the past by performing another of their landmark albums in its entirety. As the name suggests, this time it’s the band’s ‘Wings Of Heaven’ release from 1988. Recorded over various dates on the band’s U.K. tour in November 2007, ‘Wings Of Heaven Live’ is by far the group’s strongest live album to date, with the band clearly sounding at the top of their game.

On the first disc of this double album effort, Magnum offer up a collection of both the old and the new. Tracks such as ‘When We Were Younger’, ‘Like Brothers We Stand’, ‘Dragons Are Real’ and ‘Out Of The Shadows’ from their ‘Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow’ album from last year proves that even after thirty years, the band still have plenty to offer. Elsewhere, Magnum still manage to inject plenty of energy and passion into classics such as ‘Kingdom Of Madness’ (from the band’s 1978 debut album ‘Kingdom Of Madness’), ‘How Far Jerusalem’, ‘All England’s Eyes’ (both from ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’), ‘Vigilante’ and ‘Back Street Kid’ (both from 1986’s ‘Vigilante’).

As expected, the second half of this live set is made up of the band’s classic ‘Wings Of Heaven’ album. After a quick keyboard introduction (‘Intro’), the set opens up with the unforgettable ‘Days Of No Trust’. Sounding a little heavier than the original (Which was fairly slick and pop orientated), Magnum help put a modern spin on the old classic, and it sounds great. The heavier edge placed on ‘Wild Swan’, ‘Pray For The Day’ and ‘One Step Away’ certainly doesn’t sound out of place. Instead, it helps the songs sound a little more in line with the band’s current output, while the melodic edge of ‘Start Talking Love’, ‘Different Worlds’ and the huge ballad ‘It Must Have Been Love’ is still very much intact, with Catley’s efforts out front in particular standing out. But the one track that really impresses the most is the original album’s closing track ‘Don’t Wake The Lion (Too Old To Die Young)’, where Magnum show off more of their progressive side with the eleven minute track revealing a constant shift in moods, before finishing up in a anthem like rocking fashion.

As a grand finale, the band concludes the album with ‘Sacred Hour’ (From 1982’s ‘Chase The Dragon’). Recapturing the original feel and sound of an album after twenty years is almost impossible. But somehow, Magnum has done exactly that, with ‘Wings Of Heaven Live’ a live album that every Magnum fan should own.