Grand Magus

On the same day that Nuclear Blast is releasing this Swedish band's new disc, Metal Blade and Rise Above are reissuing albums three (this one) and four (Iron Will). And they're worth hearing, as this whole band's catalogue is worthy of exploration. The new disc (The Hunt) is going to overshadow these ones, as it shows the band in their finest form yet, but if you're craving more after that, time to snag these reissues. This one finds Grand Magus getting to, but not quite nailing, that sweet spot between doom, stoner rock and traditional heavy metal ― tunes like "Ashes" even have a frilly shirt, folk metal vibe to them. When it originally came out in 2005, it sounded excellent, but, again, the new one has overshadowed it a bit. Still, those "best riffs Sabbath should have written," stomping stoner rock anthems and trad metal traditions make this one well worth checking out. Also, the killer production doesn't hurt. There are no bonus tracks, but none are needed.