Sunraven is the tenth studio album from Grand Magus, full of their brand of epic heavy/doom metal. It is a workmanlike affair with their signature booming bottom end and fat, chunky guitars but starts in a strangely reserved fashion. Songs like "Skybound" and "Winter Storms" aren't bad but not anywhere near as good as this band is capable of and the production feels dialed back, leaving the performance kind of just floating in the air. It isn't until "The Black Lake" that Grand Magus picks up the axe and war hammer and wades into battle. Easily my favorite on the album, this track has a crushing guitar tone and singer JB Christoffersson finally leans in hard to his vocal lines. The second half of Sunraven is better than the first with cuts like "Grendel" and "The End Belongs to You" not reaching the level of "The Black Lake" but being strong efforts. At this point in their career, Grand Magus don't seem capable of producing a bad album, but Sunraven feels a bit formulaic by the standards the band has previously set. I like it well enough, but if you're going to start on your Grand Magus journey, start with Triumph and Power or Iron Will.
