Millennium (GBR)

[Horex]

Millennium - Awakening (2017) (Japan Edition 2018)













Year : 2017 (Japan Edition 2018)
Style : Heavy Metal , NWOBHM
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 139 mb

Bio:

Millennium originated back in 1982, releasing their debut album in 1984. They disbanded in 1988 but not before they had recorded a number of demos. In 2014, No Remorse Records re-issued that debut and then in 2016 the album Caught In A Warzone. The latter album was crafted from the recordings the band had made before calling it quits in 1988. Founding members Mark Duffy (vocals) and Steve Mennell (drums) together with Dave Hardy (guitar 1985-1988) resurrected Millennium. Alongside these guys were new guitarist Will Philpot and bassist Andy Fisher as Millennium played their reunion show at Brofest Festival 2016. Unfortunately, ill health and other commitments soon saw the departures of Steve Mennell and Dave Hardy. With new drummer Darren Moore on board, the band recorded Awakening at Coach House Studios in France and mixed it at Ritual Studios in Darlington, UK.

Album:

In what seems to be a new trend of more obscure bands from the 80s resurging The Meister has uncovered another gem. Welcome to the new Millennium, one might say (pun fully intended). The Awakening album from UK’s Millennium is set for self-release in October 2017. After repeatedly listening to the album on commutes to and from work the past week or so, I can comfortably announce that Awakening will be a top ten of the year contender! As any of my readers will probably know, the NWOBHM style is a preferred genre for me and Awakening is a shining example of it thriving today. The entire album exudes a raw energy chock full of power and melody.Millennium‘s Awakening album starts off exactly as I like…an infectious raw guitar riff. That’s the kind of thing that hooks me right off the bat and makes me perk up with full attention. The riff starts on left speaker with drums/rest of band pounding in right after about 12 seconds. The song, “False Reality”, charges along nicely on the backbone of that riff. Mark Duffy‘s vocals are strong and clear, chock full of both power and melody. Tasteful solos peppered throughout the track enhance this traditional metal gem. A perfect window into Awakening, check out the official lyric video below.“Rise Above” is brow beating in a short description! A little less hooky with less melody than the lead but still an incredibly engaging track. The acoustical beginnings of “Searching” taper back the assault. But don’t be fooled here. It’s not long before the full on sonic pummeling crashes in once again. The lyrical subject matter is particularly relative to me at this current moment.Following the 43-second long interlude “The Spell” comes the title track, “Awakening”. Over five minutes of thrashy riffage bliss featuring a charging verse that would surely be a headbangers delight during live shows. Next up,“Lies All Lies” could be the cream of the crop from Awakening. The assaulting pace easily bores itself into your brain another complete fist raiser. Almost with a larger than life aura, “The Calling” leads off the back half keeping your fist high in the air. In no way does Awakening slow down nor lose pace through to its dying moments. Tracks, “Witch Hunt”, “When Mad Men Rule” (with a super catchy chorus), “Revolution Calls” and “Possessed” complete this ensemble of classic metal mastery.Again, welcome to the new Millennium!

Line-Up:

Steve Mennell Drums (1982-1988, 2015-present)
Mark Duffy Vocals (1982-1988, 2015-present) - See also: Face the Unknown, Toranaga, ex-Major Threat, ex-X-Seed
Dave Hardy Guitars (1985-1986, 2015-present), Bass (1986-1988)
Andy Fisher Bass (2015-present)
Will Philpot Guitars (2015-present)

Tracklist:

01. False Reality
02. Rise Above
03. Searching
04. The Spell
05. Awakening
06. Lies All Lies
07. The Calling
08. Witch Hunt
09. When Mad Men Rule
10. Revolution Calls
11. Possessed
12. Caught In A Warzone (Remixed' 2018) (Japan Bonus Track)
13. The Devil Rides Out (Remixed' 2018) (Japan Bonus Track)
14. We Don’t Trust You (Remixed' 2018) (Japan Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Millennium - A New World (2019)













Year : 2019
Style : Heavy Metal , NWOBHM
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 139 mb

Bio:

Millennium originated back in 1982, releasing their debut album in 1984. They disbanded in 1988 but not before they had recorded a number of demos. In 2014, No Remorse Records re-issued that debut and then in 2016 the album Caught In A Warzone. The latter album was crafted from the recordings the band had made before calling it quits in 1988. Founding members Mark Duffy (vocals) and Steve Mennell (drums) together with Dave Hardy (guitar 1985-1988) resurrected Millennium. Alongside these guys were new guitarist Will Philpot and bassist Andy Fisher as Millennium played their reunion show at Brofest Festival 2016. Unfortunately, ill health and other commitments soon saw the departures of Steve Mennell and Dave Hardy. With new drummer Darren Moore on board, the band recorded Awakening at Coach House Studios in France and mixed it at Ritual Studios in Darlington, UK.

Album:

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.

Line-Up:

Mark Duffy - Vocals (1982-1988, 2015-present) - See also: Face the Unknown, Toranaga, ex-Major Threat, ex-X-Seed
Paul Simpson - Bass - See also: ex-Corpse Candle
Will Philpot - Guitars (2015-present) - See also: Serpents Kiss, ex-Omen
Kenny Nicholson - Guitars (2019-present) - See also: Black Rose, Hammer, ex-Holland, ex-Fast Kutz
Nigel Waterfall Brown - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Give Me A Sign
02. World War 3
03. A New World
04. All Out War
05. King Of Kings
06. Assassin
07. Summon The Dragons
08. Kill Or Be Killed
09. Obsolete
10. Victory




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Millennium - The Sign Of Evil (2023)











Year : 2023
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 114 mb

Bio:

Millennium originated back in 1982, releasing their debut album in 1984. They disbanded in 1988 but not before they had recorded a number of demos. In 2014, No Remorse Records re-issued that debut and then in 2016 the album Caught In A Warzone. The latter album was crafted from the recordings the band had made before calling it quits in 1988. Founding members Mark Duffy (vocals) and Steve Mennell (drums) together with Dave Hardy (guitar 1985-1988) resurrected Millennium. Alongside these guys were new guitarist Will Philpot and bassist Andy Fisher as Millennium played their reunion show at Brofest Festival 2016. Unfortunately, ill health and other commitments soon saw the departures of Steve Mennell and Dave Hardy. With new drummer Darren Moore on board, the band recorded Awakening at Coach House Studios in France and mixed it at Ritual Studios in Darlington, UK.

Album:

When it comes to NWOBHM you have your mainstream renowned acts such as Iron Maiden, Saxon, Diamond Head etc, you have the underdogs like Praying Mantis, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Fist and Quartz. Then you have bands like Millennium, the kind I had never remotely heard of before learning if this record’s upcoming release. Formed in 1982, arguably towards the back end of NWOBHM’s golden era, Millennium hail from Durham, England, where they possessed haphazard years of activity releasing, at the time, numerous Demos and a self-titled album in 1984. Breaking up and reforming within 1985 under the new moniker of Tyrone-Power this came to no avail, breaking up once and reforming once again a year later only to disband in 1988. For twenty-seven years this was the fate of Millennium, yet in 2015 the band revived once more and released Awakening (aptly titled) in 2017, more than three decades on from their self titled work. We’re currently within the longest period Millennium have ever together for, now releasing their third full length work, The Sign Of Evil, since their rebirth. I was curious to see what a NWOBHM band I had never heard of before could deliver on.The Sign Of Evil may be a 2023 record however I adore how Millennium took it upon themselves to render this work with a genuine retro aesthetic, as if fans could discover this back in the early 80s and it wouldn’t feel anywhere out of place. Everything from the vocals to the riffs to the overall atmosphere this album exudes just screams old school, and it’s great to acknowledge that over four decades on from their inception, Millennium have never turned their backs on what made them wish to take up the NWOBHM sound originally. One other thing that helps the band in this instance, and in this aspect, is the complete band’s performance all meshes together to create a seamless attack that binds us down to the album’s foundations upon which the band can subject us to all they harness herein. Often, through modern technology and production, where the prerogative for smooth and polished productions is aspired for in modern NWOBHM efforts, a band in question can lose that unified essence and each element the band throw up becomes increasingly segmented and individual. That isn’t the instance here; Millennium is a true band effort, and the rejection of a modern polish only benefits their performance.You know, for a band over four decades old, that never reached the levels of success even the more underrated acts of the NWOBHM movement managed to achieve, Millennium provide a surprisingly hard hitting impact that really got me on board with their songwriting and attitude. I found myself effortlessly headbanging and swaying from side to side; half of that reason boils down to how Millennium have crafted songs that possess a genuinely melodic underside to them whilst still retaining a punch to our senses that others may not see coming. These tracks have real identity to them for not only do they offer that innate punch, but the melodic element is just enough that tracks have real impact throughout the album’s running. This is more than just a collection of songs, but songwriting that’s been dished out with real love and attention placed upon them. Given that this is a NWOBHM act from way back when, it’s startling to hear swathes of double bass drumming or guitar tone, fast and dissipating as it’s resonance is, still strike with this rapid-fire electricity. It doesn’t take long before Millennium will have you firmly on board with their attitude; not since the early works of Fist have I encountered an underdog NWOBHM band that’s so quickly convinced me of a band’s ability to entertain.For a harder hitting band like Millennium, I found the vocals were just the right amount of attitude poured forth to match the general aesthetic the band were throwing up. Considering that frontman Mark Duffy, having performed vocals for Millennium way back in the day, is getting on a touch now, and has performed vocals for the band since the band’s 2015 reunion, I’d argue he’s done a cracking job at reserving his voice for what the band require of him. It seems to be a running theme, for when old school NWOBHM bands reunite their vocalists tend to have protected their voices remarkably well. That rule of thumb continues to apply to Duffy’s vocals too for he’s able to infuse the band’s instrumentation with grit and might yet throughout his more tender and reserved pieces, his vocals are able to demonstrate great control over extensive, prolonged notes. From this, we see he’s still possessive of great vocal chops for not only can he provide the strength this band showcases but, also, the capacity to take it down a notch when needed too.For the most part, Millennium play a more impactful variation of NWOBHM that other bands of that era didn’t strive for as completely, but it’s great to see, throughout the record here and there, the band still sprinkle in some instances, small as they may be during particular songs, where softer songwriting is brought into play. On the whole, the band may have their preferred manner of songwriting and what they would prefer fans to be subjected to upon discovering their music, yet it’s still happy to see some variety in the music they play whether it’s through chunkier, drawn out sequences peppered across the electric onslaught they prefer to perform, or via those aforementioned miniature moments where their songwriting dips momentarily into gentler, softer touches.In conclusion, Millennium’s The Sign Of Evil is an honestly surprising album that will have you on board with its power and antics quickly in its running, and immerse you within its strength from start to finish. Again, considering how Millennium weren’t even on my radar concerning the NWOBHM scene, and how the band only reformed in 2015 with this being the third album released since that time, it’s staggering how a band that can be dormant for so long can deliver on songwriting and entertainment as thoroughly as Millennium managed to do so here. The band exude a bite and fervent intensity that many of their NWOBHM peers, even amongst those of grander and legendary repute, do not equal. I will have to return to Millennium’s earliest days to see for myself whether this is an overarching theme for the band because this was an excellent album to discover blindly. I highly recommend this album, I really do because even after forty years, Millennium still know how to deliver quality metal.

Line-Up:

Mark Duffy - Vocals (1982-1988, 2015-present) - See also: Face the Unknown, Toranaga, ex-Major Threat, ex-X-Seed
Duncan Emmerson - Bass (2023-present) - See also: ex-Dark Heart, ex-Warrior
Ken Wilson - Guitars (2022-present)
Liam Mulpetre - Guitars (2022-present) - See also: Scarred by Truth
Chance Mead - Drums (2022-present) - See also: Conquer the Throne, Redshift

Tracklist:

01. There Is a Devil 04:57
02. Virus 05:15
03. Hell Is My Home 03:17
04. The Sign of Evil 05:24
05. Thy Kingdom Come 07:07
06. Hell on Earth 04:08
07. No Redemption 04:46
08. Fall from Grace 04:22
09. Nightmares 05:20
10. March of the Damned 04:43




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/