On with the Majestic Rock re-releases of this capable Swedish quintet, M.ill.ion's We, Ourselves & Us is the sophomore album, reviewed here. With Scandinavian bands - in general - there's a weird status stuck in my mind that you have to search deep, really deep to come up with an average, mediocre, boring or bad band. Even if we're talkin' 'bout a mellow FM Rock quintet or a blasphemous unholy Black Metal band, the result is the same! It's in the water, the only conclusion I can come up with...
After the band's debut No. 1 (1992) received notable recognition in Northern Europe (Sweden's No. 1 Hard rock band, as entitled) and Japan (No. 30 in the country's Rock charts), it was JVC / Victor's record deal that pushed the band to higher standards. Released in Japan and Sweden, We, Ourselves & Us was welcomed by critics all around the world - to be honest, from any place the album could be feasible - as an all time Hard Rock classic, noumerous proposals for record deals following at hand. Not bad!
In this album, M.ill.ion seem to embody some elements from Germany's Hard Rock bands (Bonfire, Pink Cream 69) with a final result of enriching their tunes, still falling a little bit far from their typical - and marvelous - Swedish vibe. Notable guitar riffs, elegant solos, a more heavy rhythm section... Nothing bad, only the fact that the ghost of No. 1 were still visible at the time, as the only previous work.
In any way, We, Ourselves & Us stands tall, modern and not mediocre - in any way. I even enjoyed some weird chords or some disturbed vocals - I do not usually do that... Don't hesitate, grab it one week (neither more nor less) than No. 1.
- Album Highlights: The healthy evolution of the band, like it or not.