Millencolin
SOS

With their eighth album "True Brew," released four years ago, Millencolin abandoned the alternative rock influences that had pervaded their music since the masterpiece "Pennybridge Pioneers," to return to the classic punk rock approach of their early works.

With this new "SOS," their ninth studio effort, Sarcevic and his bandmates reaffirm that direction and demonstrate that they are even more inspired compared to the already good work of 2015; after spending twenty-six years in the music business with the same lineup, it is almost miraculous. "SOS" is a great album, which confirms them in enviable and unsuspected form, allowing the four to definitively regain that splendid melodic vein that seemed to have been irretrievably lost with the half misstep of "Machine 15."

The single and title track, with its Bad Religion-like bursts, kicks things off by perfectly setting the tone of the album, then makes way for two of the best Millencolin tracks in at least fourteen years: "For Yesterday," which rests on a fantastic guitar work (the riffing in this song is truly excellent, as captivating as very few punk rock bands can be) and the second single "Nothing," possessing the best refrain of the album.

"Do You Want War" is perhaps the only track that connects to the band’s more "contaminated" period (along with the almost-pop "Sour Days," released as the third single), with an intro clearly inspired by '90s alternative rock, but it is just a small island in the middle of an ocean of pure, classic old-school punk rock (the "Let It Be" / "Dramatic Planet" double is devastating). The maturity of the Swedish band (we are talking about musicians in their forties) is highlighted by much more politically and socially oriented lyrics compared to the past, which blend well with what is musically offered.

"SOS" confirms Millencolin at high levels, a band that seems to have much more to say.

Best track: For Yesterday