Caught in a Warzone
Millennium
•
June 29, 2016
MILLENNIUM has old school British metal roots that shines through in its mix of power and Speed Metal with an easy-listening rock undercurrent that makes the whole album, "Caught in a Warzone" easy to get into. "Princess of the Light" has a resonance that makes it feel like a live performance, starting off with a rapid-fire riff and the pace evening out to something smoother like classic rock. "Caught in a Warzone" screeching guitar work and smooth underplayed, performed with an ease that really lets you sink deep into the music and just enjoy, which I don't think many of us do as much as we used to. "The Dance of the Dragonfly" dips deeper into speed metal with some really enjoyable work during a guitar solo. Something about this song just really stuck with me, it has something about it that seems so much bigger than the dragonflies it centers on. "Gambling Fever" doesn't pull any punches, beginning with breakneck speed.
"Run to the West" really nails home the Power Metal roots and really makes you wonder why these guys weren't bigger than they were in the 80s, and it's a real shame when you realize they have that distinct sound that made the metal scene of the British Invasion a golden age for this type of music. "Holy Knight" picks up the tempo where "Run to the West" leaves off, painting a picture of a terrible storm and a battle for the ages. "We Don't Trust You" has more great guitar solos and has that anti-establishment sort of feel that would have right in during the resurgence of rebellious music in the 70s and 80s. Starting off slow with some tempo-setting bass drum hits and high-hat work, "Cry Wolf" is simple in that way catchy songs often are.
Other-worldly and reverberating string work is the order of the day with "When Midnight Falls", and honestly I still can't definitively identify the source of that sound that sinks into the background with the music kicks in, but I really dig the way it crawls up your spine and gets your attention. "Don't Look Back" is a great head-banging, toe-tapping piece with a darker tone that still isn't claustrophobic like some songs can be when they dip into melancholic material. Now we end on "Rock Cliché", a song about a band asking if the audience liked their music and rocked along with them. It is a really cool finish to the album that feels less like a cry for attention or validation and more like a statement on musicians playing for the enjoyment of their fans as much as their own enjoyment. If you dig that old school British metal sound, you can't pass up MILLENNIUM, who even gave a young man born in the early 90s flashbacks to the rockin' 80s.
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8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Caught in a Warzone" Track-listing:
1. Princess of the Light
2. Caught in a Warzone
3. The Dance of the Dragonfly
4. Gambling Fever
5. Run to the West
6. Holy Knight
7. We Don't Trust You
8. Cry Wolf
9. When Midnight Falls
10. Keep on Metal.
11. Don't Look Back
12. Rock Cliché
Millennium Lineup:
Steve Mennell - Drums
Mark Duffy - Vocals
Dave Hardy - Guitars, Bass
Dave Price - Bass
Mike Muskett - Guitars
Miles Lofthouse - Guitars
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