Even the first plate of Magnum revealed the strengths that should be expanded later. The songwriting of Tony Clarkin was just great, and Bob Catley was already a very good singer. Fully developed but the recipe was not. Apparently the band was not quite conclusive about their musical style. The sound is rough and edgy, but also thinner than on the later works. Scattered prog elements confuse the Melodic fan particularly in isolated brief passages and the overlong "In the Beginning", which was added quickly until shortly before publication. The title track "Kingdom of Madness" was to live classics. Otherwise, the melodic "Universe" and the rocking "Lords of Chaos" very successful. Conclusion: I like it. Fans of "On A Storyteller's Night" should listen but only once. It's different.
