SINS OF MAGNUS- Secrets of the Cosmos (Album Review)

Sins of Magnus - Secrets of the Cosmos
Sins of Magnus – Secrets of the Cosmos

Sins of Magnus writes their own origin as Black Sabbath hung out with Motorhead and had a Viking baby named Sins of Magnus.” I feel like that Viking baby was later abandoned and raised by Manilla Road, Monster Magnet, Ween, and a pack of wolves. Secrets of the Cosmos is a pleasantly weird soundscape of punk, hardcore, pure heavy metal, space metal, and early doom.

Out of Philadelphia, PA, Sins of Magnus has a solid discography. Their 2021 release, The Circus is well worth your time. Check out their cover of the Ghosts In The Valley song “Clockpunchers”—a track any working person can appreciate. The follow-up Secrets of the Cosmos covers much of the same ground and does it well.

Heavy Music Roots

You can’t really pin Sins of Magnus down to a single genre. I call it Heavy Music Roots. They have a fuzzy take on heavy music with deep roots in metal and punk.

Mother Knows Best” features a guest appearance from Peter Cortner. It’s a perfectly rowdy song for Cortner to pair with Eric Early on vocals. Cortner fronted Dag Nasty in the late 80s, replacing their original singer right before their tour with The Descendents. I loved their melodic hardcore masterpiece Wig Out At Denko’s I picked up on cassette on one of my first trips to the legendary Denver record store, Wax Trax. Dag Nasty was part of the Dischord Records family tree including punk heavy hitters like Minor Threat, Fugazi, and Doggy Style

Now Sam Pinola, who guests on “Is Anybody There?”, has a shorter resume, but is just as integral in his guest appearance. He’s in a Pennsylvania punk band called Black Friday Death Count and helped with earlier Sins of Magnus albums. He brings enormous energy to the raging, old-school punk track. The song is all about getting back to your roots, and it takes me back to mine.

But if you’re not as into punk, Secrets of the Cosmos sports plenty of heavy metal. The title track lifts off to an old-school space metal track. Rich Sutcliffe’s fuzzy solo is perfect for the track. If you like your metal with some serious groove, check out “Dying Breath”, with an ear out for Sean Young’s sensational drumming. If you’re looking for heavy metal thunder, listen to “No Sanctuary.”

While deeply rooted in heavy music, Sins of Magnus has a unique, modern sound. The parts of me that loved Bad Religion and The Minutemen are just as happy as the parts that were into Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. It’s loud, in-your-face, heavy rock and roll played by a band clearly having a great time making a racket.

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Also, find more of my CGCM reviews here: Dave Wilks

 

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