Random Avenger

Magyar Posse’s third album Random Avenger out on vinyl for the first time ever in July via Svart RecordsLooking back, it was the golden age ofMagyar Posse. The albumKings of Timehad received a tremendous response from both critics and music lovers. The band was touring intensely in Finland and abroad. By now, the band was a well-oiled machine, ready to capture the successor to their celebrated second album. The band decided to follow a different path compared to the creation ofKings of Time: they would record their third album alongside the well-known, slightly eccentric engineer and producerJani Viitanen.The recognizable Magyar Posse style was present in the pieces ofRandom Avenger, but something was slightly different. The new music was more rhythm-based, more riff-based and in places more joyous than the dynamic minor key avalanche ofKings of Time. Consciously or unconsciously, the band members saw that they had travelled the Slavic melancholy road as far as possible with the previous album. The success ofKings of Timefelt like a positive push, not an extra pressure on their shoulders. It was only natural to strike again while the iron was hot. Many of the pieces had been already developed by the timeKings of Timewas released, which eased the production ofRandom Avenger.After the meticulous but relatively swift mixing and mastering process, the band members were satisfied with the result. The only component that made some of them blush was the cover art – graphic designerTom Backströmhad glaringly used photos of empty stages in forgotten community centres and the like. The beauty or the ugliness is once again in the eye of the beholder. Right after its release,Random Avengergot a very positive response, but not as overwhelming asKings of Time– which was to be expected, as the previous Magyar Posse album had probably been the most universally praised Finnish album of the whole decade.Mikko Elo, musician / journalist, Pori, Finland, March 1st 2026