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Artist: M.ill.ion |
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Once
again Metal Heaven have come up with the goods with regards to great
Hard Rock, this time it's the return of Scandinavian favourites M.ILL.ION,
a band that really got my attention at the very first Firefest when the
just blew me away with their music and live performance. The band were in their infancy back then but that was
so many moons ago now and the band have really developed over the years,
now seven
albums later and with a lot of hard work, the band are back with their best
album to date, a real barnstormer of a follow up to ‘Thrill Of The
Chase’. Those
who thought the last album was a corker will just be blown away with
‘Sane Of Insanity’. As the album opens up with the intro ‘Sea Of
Fire’, you're just waiting in anticipation for the album to open up
proper with ‘Cry To Heaven’, because from that point on there is no
turning back, as the big licks of Andreas Grovle engulf you and you're
suddenly awash
with a sense of what the band are all about on this album. There is a
heavier edge to the proceedings which shows the band are moving forward and
ever upward. Rock n' roll is a learning curve and B. J. Laneby and the
rest of the band have really got it right big style with the one. The
album continues with the arena rock anthem of ‘Everyday Heaven‘,
this is where the bands familiar Hammond organ keyboards come in.
This
one mixes the old with the new with great affect, but it’s the guitar
work of Grovle that really takes this one beyond good, as the licks come
thick and fast. One
thing that has been a trademark of the band since their insurgence on
the scene is their ability to cross over between the heavier Hard Rock
and the more Melodic Rock, and that is never more apparent than on the
excellent melody rich ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. This is where Ulrich
Carlsson shows his vocal prowess as he delivers real power and grace in
one tight package. The
great Melodic Hard Rock continues with ‘I Raise My Glass’, before the
band bring the big guns with the superb heavy tones of the title track
‘Sane And Insanity’ and the down right groovy bass filled boogie
feel of ‘Hells Gate’. It's back
to the heavier side of things with another of my favourites off the
album as the power rich keyboards of Angelo Modafferi fill ‘Under My
Wings’. This one verges on Melodic Metal such is the power driven
rhythm section of Laneby and Per Westergren on bass and drums
respectively. There is that big power driven sound that we've come
to expect from M.ILL.ION, with Grovle once again firing on all cylinders on this one. It's back
to the more Melodic Hard Rock side of things with ‘Fuel To My Heart’,
before unleashing the all out attack of the old school rocker ‘Drama
Queens’. A fiery up tempo rocker. What M.ILL.ION album wouldn’t be
complete with a lithe Deep Purple-esque rock and 'Test Of Time' is such a
track. The keyboards of Modafferi bring in that John Lord feel to things. The
album continues to ROCK!! with ‘Hate’, before closing in fine style
with the heady bass fuelled ‘Seize The Day’, which rounds off a great return from the band. It may have been three years since
‘Thrill Of The Chase’ but believe me ‘Sane and Insanity’ is well
worth the wait. The band are back and this time they mean business! |
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| Tracklisting:
1. Sea Of Fate (Intro) |
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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