Not only musicians and freelance artists know this phenomenon: it's impossible to deliver top creative performances at the push of a button. You need peace, leisure, and - most of all - a certain amount of serenity to create truly great works of art. "We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies," says Magnum mastermind Tony Clarkin. "They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn't work on demand. Now we're with SPV, where it's a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That's probably the reason why I enjoy working with Magnum again."

Clarkin's regained joy in his band is omnipresent on the latest Magnum offering, Escape From The Shadow Garden. Just like his simple yet logical work ethos: "I simply told myself: you're a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar. As the band's guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating."  The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs, which blend all the typical Magnum ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic. "This band has certain unmistakable trademarks,"Clarkin explains. "Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob's unique vocal style."

Only a month after the release of its predecessor, On The 13th Day, Clarkin started with the preparations for Escape From The Shadow Garden - as always an exciting phase in his life. "Before you haven't recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you'll be happy with the result. When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album. Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews (Asia, Nazareth, Eloy), this is a release, which forges an arch to the early days of Magnum's career. And that's wonderful! I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of Slade came to visit me at the studio again and said: 'You've done it again?' It doesn't matter whether by sheer luck or hard work - life could have gone a totally differently way."

'Escape From The Shadow Garden' will be release on Steamhammer / SPV on March 19th in Scandinavia, March 21st in Germany, March 24th in Europe and April 1^st in the US/Canada.

'Escape From The Shadow Garden' will be available as a limited digipak edition with bonus DVD, as a double gatefold coloured vinyl LP set incl. bonus track, standard jewel case CD and download.

TRACKLISTING:

Digipak Version:

CD:

1. Live 'Til You Die
2. Unwritten Sacrifice
3. Falling For The Big Plan
4. Crying In The Rain
5. Too Many Clowns
6. Midnight Angel
7. The Art Of Compromise
8. Don't Fall Asleep
9. Wisdom's Had Its Day
10. Burning River
11. The Valley Of Tears

​DVD:

1. Bonus Features
2. Recorded Over Six Nights In Europe Live Footage
3. (Black Skies - Freedom Day - All My Bridges - On A Storyteller's Night)
4. Extras (On tour Footage)
5. (Too Many Clowns - Dance Of The Black Tattoo)

​

Jewel Case Version:

1. Live 'Til You Die
2. Unwritten Sacrifice
3. Falling For The Big Plan
4. Crying In The Rain
5. Too Many Clowns
6. Midnight Angel
7. The Art Of Compromise
8. Don't Fall Asleep
9. Wisdom's Had Its Day
10. Burning River
11. The Valley Of Tears

​LP Version:

LP 1 Side One:

1. Live 'Til You Die
2. Unwritten Sacrifice
3. Falling For The Big Plan

​LP 1 Side Two:

1. Crying In The Rain
2. Too Many Clowns
3. Midnight Angel

​LP 2 Side One:

1. The Art Of Compromise
2. Don't Fall Asleep
3. Wisdom's Had Its Day

LP 1 Side Two:

1. Burning River
2. The Valley Of Tears
3. Dance Of The Black Tattoo (live) - bonus track

​

The band once again worked with famous fantasy artist Rodney Matthews(Asia, Nazareth, Eloy) on the album artwork.

Three weeks after the release of 'Escape From The Shadow Garden"MAGNUM set off on a huge European Tour.

MAGNUM Live 2014:

07.04. FI-Helsinki - Tavastia

09.04. DK-Copenhagen - Amager Bio

10.04. SE-Gothenburg - Sticky Fingers

11.04. SE-Borlange - Liljan

12.04. SE-Sandviken - Backstage Rockclub

19.04. GB-Southampton - The Brook

20.04. GB-Buckley - Tivoli

22.04. GB-Oxford - O2

23.04. GB-Bristol - O2

24.04. GB-Norwich - Waterfront

25.04. GB-Leamington Spa - Assembly Halls

26.04. GB-Manchester - The Ritz

28.04. GB-Nottingham - Rock City

29.04. GB-Glasgow - Garage

30.04. GB-Newcastle - O2

02.05. GB-Holmfirth - Picturedome

03.05. GB-Wolverhampton - Wulfrun Hall

04.05. GB-London - Islington Town Hall

06.05. NL-Uden - De Pul

07.05. B-Vosselaar - Biebob

MAGNUM live 2014 (Double Headline Tour with SAGA):

08.05. D-Dortmund - FZW

09.05. D-Cologne- E-Werk

10.05. D-Emden - Nordseehalle

12.05. D-Hamburg - Docks

13.05. D-Berlin - Huxley`s Neue Welt

15.05. D-Saarbrücken - Garage

16.05. D-Filderstadt - FILharmonie

17.05. D-Offenbach - Capitol

19.05. D-Regensburg - Airport Obertrautling

20.05. D-Nürnberg - Rockfabrik

22.05. D-Munich - Circus Krone

23.05. CH-Pratteln - Z7

24.05. D-Ravensburg - Club-Oberschwabenhalle

MAGNUM live 2014 (Festival):

04-07.06. SE-Sölvesborg - Sweden Rock Festival

Line Up:

Tony Clarkin - guitars

Bob Catley - vocals

Mark Stanway - keyboards

Al Barrow - bass

Harry James - drums

www.magnumonline.co.uk

www.spv.de