MILLENNIUM is one of those bands that actually started out several years ago during the 1980s. They began in 1982, enjoyed a brief amount of fame with a couple of hit songs, then broke up in 1988. They reformed in 2016 after being asked to perform a show together and have been going strong ever since. "A New World" will be released on October 25; it's their third studio album in 35 years.  The release explores the concept of society falling and the resulting culture that will inevitably arise from the ashes as time rolls on. I mention this because it's a concept that has been explored thoroughly over the years so if it doesn't interest you then you might want to start reading a different review right about now.

"Give Me A Sign" has a good intro featuring some skilled guitar-playing. The vocals commence fairly quickly. They are strong and commanding, making you pay attention whether you want to or not. It's a good no-nonsense  Heavy Metal song that sounds like so many others that I heard during the mid-1980s. It should appeal to older metal-heads as well as younger ones since it stays so true to the sound of the genre. The excellent guitar solo that takes place after the song's halfway point simply establishes that point even more. "World War 3" has a beginning which was clearly intended to be dramatic that falls short of the mark. The music on the track is fair, as are the vocals. The vocal performance in particular lacks conviction. It's almost as if the singer is merely reciting the words rather than putting any sort of emotion into them. The end result is a song that is monotonous rather than inspiring, causing the listener to lose interest fairly fast.
"A New World" starts out well enough with a good amount of drama and tension conveyed by a great guitar performance. The vocals sound far better on this track, and the backing music has much more power to it as well. Even though I'm not a big fan of the whole "end of the world" concept I admit I like this track more than the others I've heard so far. "All Out War" sounds like a typical Heavy Metal lament against society. My issue with this concept is that it's been done so many times before. It's been done enough times within Heavy Metal that it's become a cliche. Musically, the track is alright, but it doesn't stand out that much versus the other material. You could skip it completely and not miss out on very much. "King Of Kings" has some nice opening guitar riffs as well as good percussion. It has a bit of an IRON MAIDEN sound to it as the track plays. The vocal performance is very strong, with an air of conviction that makes the song far more believable. Though the song isn't quite as strong as those by IRON MAIDEN, or SAXON it's a good one nonetheless which can stand on its own.

"Assassin" starts out great and continues that way as it plays. It has the same sort of tone and spirit that the classic JUDAS PRIEST song "The Sentinel" has. The only issue I have with the track is the overuse of the line "Bullet to the head, another one dead," which got on my nerves quickly. Fortunately the song holds up well despite that, which is why I would consider it another song that would warrant your attention. "Summon The Dragons"  has a lovely intro, featuring another inspired guitar performance. The backing music goes full-throttle after a brief interlude.. and the vocals fail to measure up. They sound lackluster compared to the music, making it harder to embrace this anthem. Luckily, there are enough good points within the song to make up for its problem areas. It's a good track which could've been even better. "Kill Or Be Killed" is another song which has an IRON MAIDEN-like sound. The vocals are much angrier, harsher and far better in my opinion. Heavy Metal embraces a certain level of anger; if it fails to do so then it becomes a parody of itself. I'm finally starting to believe that band cares about what its attempting to get across to its audience rather than just posturing. It's an excellent track, which makes me wonder why the album doesn't feature more like it. The last two tracks on the album are standard Heavy Metal compositions. Neither is interesting enough to mention or go into great detail about. You'll either like them or you won't.

I'm not very impressed by this musical offering. It makes me think of the way some otherwise talented people get stuck in a time warp through no fault of their own. Maybe if the band attempted to experiment with their sound just a bit rather than holding on so tightly to the 1980s sound they could come up with more inspiring material. I feel like they failed to support the concept they were attempting to sell. When someone else has done the same thing before you it falls upon you to take that something and really make it your own. It didn't happen this time. I won't recommend this album.