THE BAND
Grand Magus is a well established heavy / doom metal band from Stockholm (Sweden) with 9 cool albums:
– “Grand Magus” (2001),
– “Monument” (2003),
– “Wolf’s Return” (2005),
– “Iron Will” (2008),
– “Hammer of the North” (2010),
– “The Hunt” (2012),
– “Triumph and Power” (2014),
– “Sworn Songs” (2016),
– “Wolf God” (2019, already released).
I recommend their newest longplay in sake of memorable melodies and excellent, vibrant, true metal sound.
source: Nuclear Blast Records https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn0o8Ly95UE
LINE-UP
Current Grand Magus line-up features:
– JB Christoffersson (guitars, vocals); he had been singing in Spiritual Beggars from 2002 to 2010 (albums: “On Fire” (2002) and “Demons” (2005)),
– Fox Skinner (bass, additional vocals),
– Ludwig Witt (drums); he have been playing in Spiritual Beggars almost from the very beginning of this band and still makes it; in Grand Magus since “The Hunt” album.
Disclosure: I use affiliate links and banners. When you buy something using link from this website, price stays exactly the same for you but I receive a small commission which supports Musictivity. Thanks! Full privacy policy: https://musictivity.org/privacy-policy/
As we can see, Grand Magus is strongly related to Spiritual Beggars although Grand Magus play much more heavy while Spiritual Beggars stays under the influence of stoner hard rock. High quality music.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
Upcoming Grand Magus concerts:
09.11.2019 Oldenburg in Holstein, Germany
05.03.2020 Bristol, England
06.03.2020 Manchester, England
07.03.2020 Dublin, Ireland
10.03.2020 Glasgow, Scotland
11.03.2020 Sheffield, England
13.03.2020 Birmingham, England
14.03.2020 Norwich, England
15.03.2020 London, England
17.03.2020 Paris, France
more about Paris: https://musictivity.org/2019/09/01/alter-bridge-paris-09-12-2019/
19.03.2020 Utrecht, Nederland
more about Utrecht: https://musictivity.org/2019/07/24/jethrotullinnetherlands/
20.03.2020 Cologne, Germany
more about Cologne: look below
21.03.2020 Aschaffenburg, Germany
22.03.2020 Munich, Germany
more about Munich: https://musictivity.org/2019/09/28/phil-campbell-and-the-bastard-sons/
24.03.2020 Stuttgart, Germany
25.03.2020 Berlin, Germany
more about Berlin: https://musictivity.org/2019/08/22/mustasch-in-berlin/
26.03.2020 Hamburg, Germany
more about Hamburg: https://musictivity.org/2019/08/13/jessy-martens/
16.05.2020 Vienna, Austria
more about Vienna: https://musictivity.org/2019/08/17/rage-wings-of/
COLOGNE
We can see Grand Magus planned in Cologne on March 20th, 2020. It is a fourth largest city in Germany (population around one million people) after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. It belongs to North Rhine-Westphalia land/state (with capital in Dusseldorf). Cologne was found in 38 BC and is known as a major city of Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region (Cologne/Dusseldorf/Dortmund/Essen/Bochum etc., population around ten million people).
source: Travel Penguin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER2yy8gh1oE
The most famous touristic hot spots:
– Gothic St. Peter and Mary Cathedral designed by Friedrich von Schmidt (who also built beautiful City Hall in Vienna and restored St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna). Originally construction began in XIII century but project was suspended after 225 years of work. Finally Cathedral was completed in XIX century. I call it the most significant architecture masterpiece in Cologne because there is no higher church in northern Europe. Looks stunning indeed;
– Hohenzollern Bridge supplement Cologne Cathedral. The best pictures of Cologne show both together. This bridge is crossing by 1200 trains each day but there are also sideways for pedestrians who enjoy attaching love locks;
– Rheinauhafen District is a modern waterfront district with great restaurants and art galleries. Maybe not as impressive as granary in Hamburg, but note Siebengebirge – granary in the shape of seven steeply sloping gables. Boat cruise along the Rhine River allows you to explore Cologne from the water with live commentary in different languages.
– Old town was almost completely destroyed during World War II but you can find there traditional old houses, many interesting museums and City Hall. There are also 2 positive figures from Hanneschen Theater called Tünnes & Schäl.
German people are famous with their sense of humor so let me cite one joke: “Schäl got a job as a tour guide. One day he is showing an American tourist the major sights of Cologne. All the big buildings they see, the tourist asks, “How long did it take to build that?” Each time Schäl answers honestly how many years it took. Each time the tourist says, “Oh, in America we could build that in half that time.” Finally they come to the Cologne cathedral. The tourist asks, “How long did it take to build that?” Schäl: Yesterday when I came past here, it wasn’t here yet”.
“Ancient forces
Sleeping deep within my heart
Been searching
Through the ages in the dark
A secret
That will put me to the test
And guide me
So much stronger than the rest“
Grand Magus “Brothers of the Storm”
FEEL INFORMED
“Get a welcome to Cologne from a friendly and passionate local and discover the city like a resident. Learn the secrets about where to buy groceries, how to get around and much more.”
There are plenty of fantastic bakeries everywhere in Germany which offer nutritious sandwiches but Cologne has own traditional cuisine with few delicious regional dishes. Perhaps the most popular is Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth): black pudding, fried onions, mashed potato with apple sauce.
In case if you fly to Germany to see Grand Magus, I would add yet the list of international airports around Cologne:
– Cologne Bonn Airport CGN 18km from Cologne,
– Düsseldorf International Airport DUS 68km from Cologne,
– Maastricht Aachen Airport MST 105km from Cologne,
– Dortmund Airport DTM 108km from Cologne,
– Liège Airport LGG 130km from Cologne,
– Frankfurt – Hahn Airport HHN 185km from Cologne.
Infrastructure in this area is so developed! It’s a pleasure to commute in western Germany.
Enjoy Grand Magus and don’t forget to make great use of your time whenever you travel to see the concert!
author: Sam O’Black
