Artist: M.ill.ion 
   Title: Thrill Of The Chase
   Label: Metal Heaven

I first came across M.ill.ion a few years ago when they played Firefest and that day they were one of the highlights for me.  Since then the band have had a series of labels before the band have recently hooked up with Metal Heaven for their latest release entitled 'Thrill Of The Chase'.

The band haven’t let the ups and downs of this business get to them as they’ve returned with another top notch release which has all the usual M.ILL.ION trade mark sounds, big guitars, a thrashing rhythm section and a vocalist who certainly can wail.

The album opens up with the title track ‘Thrill Of The Chase’ and instantly the driven guitars of Jonas Hermansson and the powerful rhythm section of Per Westergren and BJ Laneby make their presence felt along with the keys of Johan Bergquist.  Although the real power comes from the fantastic vocal talent that is Ulrich Carlsson, who powers through the album like an express train.

The things you hear in all the M.ILL.ION albums are familiar riffs and sounds from some of the greatest bands around and this has become part and parcel of the bands sound, familiar but still new.  This is found throughout ‘Thrill Of The Chase’ as the album continues with ‘Menace To Society’ with its definite Dokken vibe and ‘Slave To You’ with its gentle intro leading into another powerhouse vocal by Carlsson, very Dokken indeed.

The band bring in a little 70’s feel with ‘The One Above’, as it starts off with that seventies Hammond organ from Bergquist before opening up into a thumping slice of modern hard rock.

My favourite track from the album has to be the splendid melodic metal tones of ‘Lonely In A Crowded Room’, again with Bergquist on fine form on the keyboards.

Fans of the band might have thought the band have gone all soft but fear not as they really show their metal side with ‘U.F.O.’.  This up tempo rocker really gets you going, right from its mellow start this one soon builds into quite a monster.

It's back to the old school Dio vibe with ‘From Heaven To Hell’ before Carlsson gives one of his finest vocal performances on ‘Son Of The Sun’.  A true slice of Melodic Metal that has all the trademark M.ILL.ION sounds that have made the band the phenomena they have become.

The band bring in another of their influences on ‘Through The Eyes Of A Child’ as there is just a hint of Whitesnake in the intro to the track before the band bring in a more harder edge.

Again we have a gentle opening for the next track ‘Beware Of The Wolf’ before the band let rip with a flurry of keys, drums and guitars, again with Carlsson showing that he is more than capable vocally.

'Fires Of Siberia' is a another great rocker that will really get those metal juices flowing before the band finish on a high with ‘Need To Believe’, another of my personal favourites from a band that will be making their mark in 2008 for sure.

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