Millencolin

Long revered as one of punk rock's leading forces, Millencolin built its reputation by playing to its strengths. Machine 15 (Burning Heart/Epitaph) - its first disc in three years - is no exception as the fearless foursome from Örebro, Sweden celebrates both an enduring musical brotherhood and an iconic presence in the genre.

Embracing new stylistic touches while upholding the classic Millencolin sound, this well-oiled musical engine salutes its fans with fifteen knock ‘em dead tracks. Aside from the obvious acknowledgement of the disc's song count, "There's a lot of stuff that adds up to fifteen," guitarist Mathias Färm jokes. "I used to drink fifteen beers when I'd go out! I'm a Viking!" But all kidding aside, Machine 15 is easily the best work in Millencolin's canon.

Look no further than the explosive, socio-political anthem, "Broken World," which brilliantly fuses contagiousness and catharsis. "The verses are kind of funny to me...

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Long revered as one of punk rock's leading forces, Millencolin built its reputation by playing to its strengths. Machine 15 (Burning Heart/Epitaph) - its first disc in three years - is no exception as the fearless foursome from Örebro, Sweden celebrates both an enduring musical brotherhood and an iconic presence in the genre.

Embracing new stylistic touches while upholding the classic Millencolin sound, this well-oiled musical engine salutes its fans with fifteen knock ‘em dead tracks. Aside from the obvious acknowledgement of the disc's song count, "There's a lot of stuff that adds up to fifteen," guitarist Mathias Färm jokes. "I used to drink fifteen beers when I'd go out! I'm a Viking!" But all kidding aside, Machine 15 is easily the best work in Millencolin's canon.

Look no further than the explosive, socio-political anthem, "Broken World," which brilliantly fuses contagiousness and catharsis. "The verses are kind of funny to me," frontman/bassist Nikola Sarcevic says of the invigorating, sonic juggernaut. "It's just my opinion of the world. It's how I feel when I look out the window and it's wintertime but it feels like its September. I feel the need to write about what we're doing to the planet and to our fellow human beings. There are a lot of problems globally - we've got all of these crazy people out to make and perpetuate war. And what I do about it may be minimal, but when I sing about it, I feel a bit better."

Elsewhere, "Detox" is a distinct and irresistible example of Millencolin's willingness to try new approaches. "We need to feel that we have something new to offer," drummer Fredrik Larzon explains. "The main thing for us is to diversify and evolve with each record." Ripe with harmony vocals, an infectious melody that gives nods to both the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and - count ‘em - seven chord changes, guitarist Erik Ohlsson adds, "the goal is to progress and avoid writing the same songs over and over."

Anchored by an array of memorable tracks, from the ballad-turned-blasting material known as "Vicious Circle" to the quirky, pop-laden "Ducks & Drakes" and on to "Saved By Hell," an energizing ode to overcoming adversity and crawling from the wreckage of relationship, Millencolin asserts it is at the height of its game, even if the rules have changed.

The exhilarating force beneath "Brand New Game" provides the forum for this
sentiment - which drops lyrical references to the foursome's past as it embraces the music industry's ever changing business model. "Everything is so different now," Nikola

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