4.5 out of 5 Stars!

Like the majority of releases by Magnum, I rated Chase the Dragon (the group’s third studio album) with a near-perfect score of 4.5 Stars. Each track is engaging and memorable, especially “Sacred Hour,” a five-and-a-half minute masterpiece, along with Pomp-Rock/Prog-Rock opener “Soldier of the Line,” plus “The Spirit,” “Walking the Straight Line,” “The Teacher,” “On the Edge of the World” and…well, hell, each track is special in its own right, so I won’t bother to list them all.

Even back in 1982, it became stunningly clear that this U.K. band had that “special something,” excelled in creating ultra-classy Hard Rock, with AOR, Pomp, and Progressive Rock thrown in for good measure, and Chase the Dragon is the album that hooked me on the group, immediately enticing me to run out and grab the band’s first two studio releases.

Additionally, Mark Stanway’s performances and keyboard tones often inspired my own playing, and with Chase the Dragon, he immediately shot to the top of my “idols” list (where he still remains, along with Colin Towns, Greg Giuffria, etc.) as one of my favorites in this particular musical genre. Moreover, guitarist Tony Clarkin also proved with this album that his songwriting capabilities had reached exemplary levels, which he continued to display album after album after album.

As I always state in my reviews for Magnum releases, this group has to be one of the most professional, most consistent acts in rock history, never failing to deliver the well-produced goods even after 40+ years. May this exceptional band live on forever!

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