Magnum

Vigilante is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1986 on Polydor. Capitalising on the success of On a Storyteller's Night, Magnum changed to a more commercial direction with Vigilante. Produced by David Richards and Queen drummer Roger Taylor, the band's sound stepped towards that of 1980s Queen, with keyboards much higher in the mix than guitar. The album was recorded at Queen's famous Mountain Studios in Montreux.

Vigilante is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1986 on Polydor. Capitalising on the success of On a Storyteller's Night, Magnum changed to a more commercial direction with Vigilante. Produced by David Richards and Queen drummer Roger Taylor, the band's sound stepped towards that of 1980s Queen, with keyboards much higher in the mix than guitar. The album was recorded at Queen's famous Mountain Studios in Montreux.

Wings of Heaven is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1988. The original choice of producers for Wings of Heaven was Roger Taylor and Dave Richards, who had produced Vigilante. This was not realised because of conflicting schedules. Albert Boekholt was suggested at Wisseloord Studios, the Netherlands. The album was mixed at Sarm West Studios in London in January 1988. One song was announced, "That's How The Blues Must Start", but was dropped from the album. The album is certified Silver in the UK.

The Eleventh Hour! is the fourth studio album by English rock band Magnum, released in 1983 by Jet Records. The production of this album caused a lot of tension between the band and Jet Records, following the two-year delay to the previous album, Chase the Dragon in 1982 and their first album, Kingdom of Madness, in 1978. These tensions were further strained when Jet Records denied the band a big name producer, leaving them to produce the album themselves. The Eleventh Hour! was released in May 1983, peaking at No. 38 in the UK charts, disappointing considering Chase the Dragons peak of No. 17 in 1982. The Eleventh Hour!'s original title was to be Road to Paradise. The 2005 expanded version of the album was reissued on 22 September 2006 in Japan with mini LP/paper sleeve packaging through Arcangelo.

From the fantasy cover art by Rodney Mathews to the fuller production and focused songwriting, 'Chase The Dragon' is an album that deservedly put Magnum on the map. Songs such as the medieval war-themed opener 'Soldier Of The Line', 'The Spirit' and 'Sacred Hour' would become live staples for decades to come while uplifting rockers like 'On the Edge of the World' struck a perfect balance between the guitar and keyboard histrionics. The album cracked the UK Top 20 but it would be a slightly bumpy road to the bigger success they enjoyed in the late '80s.

The debut from this Birmingham, England band featured a flute-laced progressive rock sound similar to that of Jethro Tull. (The band's sound would later become more mainstream.) The songwriting ranges from imaginative, mythical tales on "The Beginning" and the title song, to deeply philosophical tracks like "Universe" and "All That Is Right," to downright senseless on the track "Baby Rock Me," which is perhaps the worst song the band has ever recorded. Despite this one track, it is a very good album, especially for a band's first effort.

If a band in their already since 1972 (!) lasting career is still able to completely inspire the fans with every new album, this can only be called an absolute sign of quality.