Millencolin Kingwood Review

Millencolin Kingwood Review
Written by : Marcus Bass
Edited by: Miki Chase


Millencolin is a constant music force in my everyday life. Since middle school, I've loved their great songs and the awesome hooks they provided. Songs like No Cigar, Twenty- two, Punk Rock Rebel and nearly every other song are examples. That basically means I had pretty high standards for their newest album, Kingwood. In anticipation of this new album I checked many websites, searching for information, and I broke out all of my Millenocolin CDs to prepare for such a personally momentous occasion. I noticed that even from the beginning, each album has a somewhat distinct sound which separates itself from the last, in a good way. Listening to For Monkeys and then Pennybridge Pioneers are two different experiences. With this in mind, I waited to see what kind of experience I could expect from Kingwood. When I first got it, the art stuck out to me. There are animations of the members Mathias Färm , Erik Ohlsson and Fredrik Larzon holding rifles and hunting like Elmur Fudd (yeah, they're Swedish. SO WHAT?) and singer/bassist Nikola Sarcevic with moose antlers. In the background are trees and speakers (both very big forces in nature)...pretty amusing.

Down to the music. Very impressive stuff here. One thing I've noticed is that Nikola's vocals have gotten a bit more aggressive, or at least more gritty, suggesting a voice of experience. The album starts out with the explosive Farewell My Hell, a song seeming to be deeply rooted in confessions and apathy . The next song, Birdie, was instantly my favorite song on the album. I'd gotten my hands on a sample of it and fell in love with it. The song is positive and upbeat, and it's a good song to sing along with. Other songs stood out to me as well, such as Cash or Clash, Ray, Stalemate, and Simple Twist of Hate. Ray is a shamelessly poppy and fast song with a great music video. Just because it is shamelessly poppy doesn't take away from the fact that it is a good song! In fact, it just adds to what makes it so good. Simple Twist of Hate is a short and fast song which pays homage to the skate punk sound. It is reminiscent of Minor Threat's music. Fast, balls to the wall, and short but sweet. Then there is Mooseman's Jukebox. Not so sure what this one is about, but I do know it sounds great. Maybe there is a hint in the S-T-E-R-E-O. Hard Times, the last and longest track on the album, makes sure the CD goes out with a bang.

Once again, Millencolin has pulled off another impressive album. It is a drastic change, even from their previous release Home From Home, but it retains that Millencolin feeling I fell in love with years ago. It's new, but comfortable. I hope to hear many of these songs the day of the Warped tour!! I finally get to see them in concert as well, which is über excting.

Track Listing

Errr Productions 2005