M.ILL.ION – Thrill Of The Chase

The Hard Rock/Metal scene of today points to an endless series of references to the past. Gothenburg based Swedish Rockers M.ill.ion, however, do not bring to mind a group donning Shout At The Devil replica tees, neither do their songs carry too much of a fist in the air aura about them. M.ill.ion’s obvious influences draw even further back to the 70’s, akin to the guitar vs. organ clash that made Uriah Heep, Rainbow, and, of course, Deep Purple classic inventors of a genre. The 70’s foundation was also quite the popular source of inspiration for many Swedish bands of the 80’s, and thus M.ill.ion continues the tradition of 220 Volt, early Europe, and the likes of Madison in their heavier moments.

There is just something really likeable about these guys; their sound is really heartfelt and the style feels sort of relaxed and spontaneous at places. Unpretentious might be a given word to describe it, and given the group has been slogging away, staying true to this style ever since it’s debut in 1992, making them about as unhip as possible throughout that decade. There are actually no ballads present here, but then, M.ill.ion draws aid from melody from every possible corner anyway. Attention to vocal melodies and catchy choruses are plenty as is always the case with M.ill.ion — they are a faithful and very recognizable band in that sense, and with a line-up pretty much stable for years now, these qualities are cemented even further. Throughout their output, M.ill.ion has never ventured too much from their formula of bona fide Melodic Hard Rock, but patiently honing the equipped, rich endorsement of melodies and jam-packed with hooks, delivering good, solid pieces of work because of it. The ever Hammond ingredient lends to instant recognition, while at the same time providing a sense of history, yet ageless air for this sort of style – the Purple-ish influence especially screams out in staples on “The One Above,” that really has the punch to get the listeners’ feet tappin’.

The Slight AOR leanings of some of their earlier work, that was heard in songs such as “90-60-90” is kind of missed; the only one similar to that on Thrill Of The Chase is the start of “Beware Of The Wolf” before the song lets loose. The band has obviously preferred to venture off into a slightly heavier direction on later releases. Really, it’s no big deal, as the margin isn’t really wide and the Hard Rock brand M.ill.ion specializes in will still cater to most of the listeners who were there in the band’s early days as well. With Thrill Of The Chase , M.ill.ion further solidifies its place as one of Sweden’s finest Hard Rock bands of this day and age.