There sure is something special with ZERO ILLUSIONS. The music in general isn't that unique, we are still talking about Heavy Metal rooted in the Old School with a very modern touch. It's just that they have a little odd twist to it all which separates them from so many other new bands today! They have managed to entwine the music slightly which sets the mark clearly as ZERO ILLUSIONS. I saw them a couple of years ago at the Gothenburg Metal Fest and I through just the same then, nothing utterly unique but they sure have something special.

I can still clearly remember the extremely charismatic frontman and the excitement of discovering a new Swedish band. I love the sound of the "Oblivion" album, just like ACCEPT managed to create something very modern sounding on "Blood Of The Nations", ZERO ILLUSIONS have done the same here on "Oblivion". That old Heavy Metal feeling is still there but the sound is modern still without being too processed and compressed. It's always a plus when there is some air in the production. Musically, the first that came to mind was the quite rough guitar sound and heavy riffs. After a few spins the geniality in the music appeared. Just like NOCTURNAL RITES, ZERO ILLUSIONS have built their music on heavy riffs and great melodies. But apart from that there are just as much similarity between ZERO ILLUSIONS and NOCTURNAL RITES as it is with them and ACCEPT. But a little of each and something heavier and more brutal it starts to come close.

Then there's something with bands that doesn't have English as their native tongue, they can twist and bend the pronunciation of words in a way that gets very charming. For example (if I'm not completely off here), in the mighty fine title track "Oblivion", the lines in the end a part of the history, that last word has such a nice twist to it that you're bound to remember it! My favorite track of the album is super Heavy and very suggestive "Call Of Duty" with its sneaky vocal lines and great build up. Amazing! I think the album is strong all the way through, the small downside is a few of the chorus lines, a chugga-chugga riff and quite tonal vocal line, as in "Honesty" for example which isn't as strong as the rest of the songs (including "Honesty"). But most of the time it works really well. Björn Asking's voice carries the rest. That's the other special thing with ZERO ILLUSIONS, Björn's voice. He has a special tone to it which gives a slight disharmonic feel to the vocals. No, I'm absolutely not saying he's out of tune, that is not the case. It's just that little ZERO ILLUSION twist again and I think that is super cool.