The band was formed in 1996 under the name Smack by former Cardinal Fang vocalist Janne "JB" Christoffersson, bassist Mats "Fox" Skinner,[1] and Iggy on drums.

Iggy departed in early 1998 and Fredrik "Trisse" Liefvendahl replaced him after responding to an advert for the vacant drummer position.

1 (2000) and a split 7-inch LP with fellow countrymen Spiritual Beggars (who JB would later join on vocals 2002–2010) on Southern Lord Records.

Early 2006 saw Magus embark on a European tour[3] supporting Cathedral, along with Electric Wizard, accentuating the band's ability to perform live.

The band released their fourth album, Iron Will, on 9 June 2008, which garnered critical acclaim from the rock and music press by achieving first place in Metal Hammer Germany‘s Soundcheck.

[6] The eponymous track was regularly positioned as a conclusion to their live sets, due to its ability to elicit crowd participation.

[9] Grand Magus announced on July 25th their 10th studio album set to be released October 18th 2024, it was processed by the first single called Skybound.