PAATBA (as we will refer to it) is an album that is thoughtful, emotional, and well done. While you may not be exactly breaking down doors to acquire this, it is the kind of record that you are glad you did experience once you've heard it. The songs tend to move along at a pretty steady pace throughout, not too fast or too slow but like a firm handshake, just steady. The lyrics tend to be more insightful then your average rock record, though, and combined with the musicianship creates an excellent combo. This can be attributed to the mastermind of the band, Tony Clarkin, who gets the writing credits for the Magnum material. One band that comes to mind when I listen to this is Savatage particularly during their less metal oriented period of the mid-90s. Another aspect to this is how Magnum are good storytellers within their music and this is evident on songs like the sentimental “When We Were Younger” and the emotional “Inside Your Head.” Overall the sound of PAATBA can be described as mellow, melodic rock. Certainly the band's core is rooted in 70's prog rock with bands like Hawkwind, yet this is an album that does not sound totally outdated.

Magnum has maintained a pretty steady following in Europe over the years. In fact when PAATBA came out in early 2007, it hit #70 on the UK charts. I thought this was interesting because I really felt the band has not had much exposure here in the US. However I hope that US rock fans and music fans all over will discover this band and record because it is definitely worth checking out. By the way look for a new album from the band due out soon (summer of 2009).

written by Joe Grammatico

Playing time: 62:38