M.ILL.ION
Kingsize
5.8
“It's a band that combines classic heavy and melodic hardrock with rock´n roll energy and powerful playing. Their stageshow has nothing in common with the 90's grunge/alternative scene. Here we have an act far from "the bored drug-addicts looking at their feet style"! We´re talking energy, crowd participation and lots of pyro!”
—From the bio on M.ILL.ION’s site.
“The world is on fire/The flames are getting higher/We all need a place to get away. Lock up all your problems/And throw away the key/Tonight we’re gonna break free. Cause we came here to party, raise your hands in the air”
–From “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nation”
Even if you’ve missed M.ILL.ION’s previous albums, the above quotes should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from this Swedish act. Bright and shiny power metal combined with throwback hard rock is the order of the day. Here’s a litmus test for you: Have you ever heard a good band complain about the ascendancy of the grunge movement of the early 90’s? Answer yes, and this band is worth looking into. But for most of us, grunge was a big fucking shot of penicillin that killed off much of the vapid, radio friendly, so called metal; and the only ones who bitched were those who were rendered irrelevant faster than they could say Aqua Net.
M.ILL.ION is content to deliver an updated take on the style, adding to their power metal base the influence of “classic” bands like Dokken, Europe, and late 80’s era KISS. Antiseptic, suburban defiance abounds. The organ gives a nice touch, and there are scattered moments on the album that have a heavier approach or catchy groove. The choruses are of course, fist pumping, sing along mammoth, and there is the requisite ballad. The material is well played and produced, and overall, the band has offered a competent version of the style. But that’s like me saying that I just finished beating every game in the Sega Genesis catalog. Like most everything, there’s a market for this. The band’s site has a long list of positive reviews for the album, most of which came from European sources. If you like your filth clean, check this out. But most of us will find this a little embarrassing, sorta like those old pictures from back when you lived through this music the first time around.
