MILLENNIUM is back from the dead! Less like a disgusting zombie, and more of a resplendent phoenix. Formed in 1982 by original guitarist Pete McArdle, and vocalist Mark Duffy, the band recorded a handful of demos and released their debut in '84. Thanks to other obligations, some band members left, and the band disintegrated until 2015 when Duffy heard that Guitarist Will Philpot was looking to start a band. Old members were contacted, tunes were played, and MILLENNIUM began anew.

"Awakening" is their sophomore release and fans of MOTORHEAD, VENOM, and IRON MAIDEN rejoice! The album is filled to the brim with NWOBHM goodness. From the get go, MILLENNIUM tries everything they can to rouse you from your indefinite slumber, far away in some lie-filled dreamland you've been mistaking for reality for years and they aren't ready to give up so easily, or let you go without a fight.

"False Reality" is the first song to address their intentions, and if Duffy's vocals won't open your eyes to the illusions masquerading as truth, perhaps the insane, high-flying guitar riffs will. Duffy encourages you to think for yourself in the lyrics of "Rise Above" and tries to empathize with you in "Searching", in the classic way that bands do; appealing to the rejected loner in everyone's heart. Depending on how well they do that, "The Spell" is the defining song that is the album's tipping point, telling you the illusion will finally be seen for what it is, and you will be ready to wake up in, what else? "The Awakening". My absolute favorite track is "When Mad Men Rule". A song mostly denouncing religion (I think specifically Catholicism/Christianity) as the precursor to nearly every war in existence, but also denouncing the people that uphold such shaky values and use it to justify illicit means. The track is definitely a little on the nose with the current political climate; not just with the U.S, but the whole world. "When Mad men rule, evil follows you." Duffy warns. Certainly, a dark yet true message that we often forget.

MILLENNIUM packs a whole lot into eleven, Rock anthem-worthy songs that, if they fail to make your heart swell with pride and shed whatever is holding you back, and set off to do what you want to do in life, then I dunno what to tell you. Maybe listen to the album again for something you clearly missed.