M.ILL.ION - review added 11th March 2011
Album Review: Sane & Insanity (2011)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and putting full stops in wo.rds.
Scandinavian five-piece M.ill.ion - Ulrich Carlsson on vocals, B.J Laneby on bass, and Per Westergren on drums, plus new members Angelo Modafferi on keys and Andreas Grövle on guitar - return for their seventh album.
"Sane And Insanity", recorded in Sweden during the course of 2010, and mixed at JM Studio by bassist B.J. and Martin Kronlund (Joe Lynn Turner, Phenomena, Paul Young), follows 2008's "Thrill Of The Chase".
The band's sound is somewhere in the loudening space between hard rock and power metal. The melodies and vocal style come from the former, a lot of the rhythms from the latter, and the strings and keys split the difference. The result is a band with an interesting vibe. They are soft enough to be accessible, but hard-edged enough to appease music fans who like more bite to their music.
The songs themselves don't always match up to the style and skill of the playing, but there are still enough moments on the album to make it an enjoyable ride. "Sane And Insanity" definitely works better as a whole than as individual tracks, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
'Cry To Heaven' takes a while to get going but is worth the wait, the catchy keyboard-led 'Everyday Hero' is better, as is the melodious yet bass-heavy 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. The Rainbow-esque 'I Raise My Glass' is a bouncy fun effort. The title track is a league ahead of any of them though. Again it takes a while to get going, but the song's deep 'n' dark tones are wonderful.
'Hell´s Gate' has a catchy chorus and fat rhythms, and gets better as it plays through. 'Under Your Wings' boasts big rhythms and a soaring symphonic element, and works very well. 'Fuel To My Heart' is a slower track, not quite a moody ballad but heading in that direction. 'Drama Queens' is basically full-bore power metal, and has some good twists and turns. 'Test Of Time' is a retro-ish entry that doesn't hit the spot quite as well as some of the other songs. 'Hate' has strong rhythms and is perfectly likeable. Final track 'Seize The Day' has the album's best chorus and finishes the album with class.
In Summation:
There's nothing exceptional on "Sane And Insanity", but it's a still a very good album considering all the 'ordinary' music on it.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Check out... All of it.
Track List:
01. Sea Of Fate (Intro)
02. Cry To Heaven
03. Everyday Hero
04. Tomorrow Never Dies
05. I Raise My Glass
06. Sane And Insanity
07. Hell´s Gate
08. Under Your Wings
09. Fuel To My Heart
10. Drama Queens
11. Test Of Time
12. Hate
13. Seize The Day
Label: Metal Heaven
Artist's website(s): MySpace | Facebook
