Kingdom Of Madness

Not to be confused with the American soul group of the same name, the UK’s Magnum were squarely in the Kansas/Styx/Jethro Tull pomp rock camp on their debut. Later they’d evolve into more faceless hard rock. On their debut, however, they were at the top of their powers. Inspired by literary influences like Michael Moorcock’s Elric saga (“Lord of Chaos”) and HG Wells’s War of the Worlds (“Invasion”) as much as they were by their rock ‘n’ roll predecessors (“Baby Rock Me,” “All Come Together”), they craft a wild journey through keyboard and flute-driven, song-centric prog rock. The title track takes the listener deep into its insane empire, threatening to leave you there haunted by its heavenly hook. This is the kind of hidden classic rock gem crate diggers lust after.