Grand Magus are a three-piece heavy metal band from

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden that draws influence from classic heavy metal bands and elements of

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

Career

The band was formed in 1996 under the name ''Smack'' by former Cardinal Fang vocalist Janne "JB" Christoffersson, bassist Mats "Fox" Skinner,Grand Magus
at

MusicMight MusicMight (formerly RockDetector) was a rock music website which provides artist and product information through a global website and an ongoing book series. Based in New Zealand, the site was founded by British writer Garry Sharpe-Young, and was ...

and Iggy on drums. Iggy departed in early 1998 and Fredrik "Trisse" Liefvendahl replaced him after responding to an advert for the vacant drummer position. A change in musical direction was also accompanied by a change of name to ''Grand Magus''. A

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

was recorded which received a positive response. This led to an appearance on the Waterdragon Records compilation, ''Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' (2000) and a split 7-inch LP with fellow countrymen

Spiritual Beggars Spiritual Beggars is a stoner metal band from Halmstad, Sweden, formed by Michael Amott, who is known from Arch Enemy, Carcass (band), Carcass and Carnage (band), Carnage. The band is heavily influenced by 1970s hard rock and incorporates ele ...

(who JB would later join on vocals 2002–2010) on

Southern Lord Records Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to include a ...

. Their debut album ''Grand Magus'' was released on 5 November 2001, through Rise Above Records (who would release the band's first four albums). This album continues to contribute to the band's cult status with doom and heavy metal fans. Two more albums would follow: ''Monument'' (25 November 2003) and ''Wolf's Return'' (14 June 2005). These would show a progression to a more traditional heavy metal sound but still retain the sound of their groove and stoner roots. Early 2006 saw Magus embark on a European tour supporting

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, along with

Electric Wizard Electric Wizard are an English doom metal band from Dorset. The band formed in 1993 and have recorded nine studio albums, two of which have been considered genre landmarks: '' Come My Fanatics…'' (1997) and ''Dopethrone'' (2000). Electric Wi ...

, accentuating the band's ability to perform live. In 2006 Trisse left the band with Sebastian "Seb" Sippola being recruited on drums. The band released their fourth album, ''Iron Will'', on 9 June 2008, which garnered critical acclaim from the rock and music press by achieving first place in Metal Hammer Germany‘s Soundcheck. This would be the last album to be released by Rise Above Records. It was announced in December 2009 that

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

was to release Grand Magus' fifth album, ''Hammer of the North'', the following summer. Released in 21 June 2010, ''Hammer of the North'' became a breakout for the band, triumphing in the Soundchecks of both German Hard Rock and Metal Hammer magazines. The album peaked at number 42 on the German album chart leading to a support slot on the joint tour of major acts Mötorhead and

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. The

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

track was regularly positioned as a conclusion to their live sets, due to its ability to elicit crowd participation. The album also yielded two other staple live songs in "Ravens Guide Our Way" and primary set opener "I, the Jury". April 2012 saw the amicable departure of Seb from the band in order for him to concentrate more on family life. This in turn led to long-time friend Ludwig "Ludde" Witt of Spiritual Beggars being recruited as drummer. Their sixth album, ''The Hunt,'' was released via

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

on 25 May 2012. The band's seventh album came in the form of ''Triumph and Power'', released 31 January 2014, which maintained the momentum of its predecessor. The cover artwork was created by artist Anthony Roberts. Grand Magus' eighth album, ''Sword Songs'' was released on 13 May 2016. The songs were recorded during the

midwinter Midwinter is the middle of the winter. The term is attested in the early Germanic calendars. Attestations Midwinter is attested in the early Germanic calendars, where it appears to have been a specific day or a number of days during the winter ha ...

months of 2015–16, produced by Nico Elgstrand. On the lead-up to the release, JB commented: ''"''We put all of our sweat, blood and tears into this new album and I think that you can hear that. For me, ''Sword Songs'' is the best Grand Magus album ever! The new songs are faster and more aggressive than on ''Triumph and Power'' — and we have also included some more extreme and harder stuff. I’m convinced that there are some future classics on the disc!" A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

's "

Stormbringer Stormbringer is a magic sword featured in a number of fantasy stories by the author Michael Moorcock. It is described as a huge, black sword covered with strange runes, created by the forces of Chaos with its own will. It is wielded by the doo ...

" was included as a bonus track on the limited edition CD version, the first cover released in the band's history. Their ninth album, ''Wolf God'', was released on 19 April 2019. The band had scheduled a European tour for March/April 2022, but due to COVID, they called off the tour and will instead spend the year recording a new album, to be released in 2023 and supported by a different tour that year.

Members

Current line-up

* Janne "JB" Christoffersson -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(1996–present) * Mats "Fox" Skinner - bass,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(1996–present) * Ludwig "Ludde" Witt -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2012–present)

Past members

* Fredrik "Trisse" Liefendahl - drums (1998-2006) * Sebastian "Seb" Sippola - drums (2006-2012)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Music videos

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Swedish heavy metal musical groups Swedish doom metal musical groups Swedish musical trios Swedish stoner rock musical groups Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups from Stockholm Nuclear Blast artists