MILLIGRAM (This Is Class War) CD
This band was formed back in 1996 from former members of Only Living Witness and Roadsaw. After a few changes in the line-up, the band recorded two years later the "Hello Motherfucker!" album for Tortuga Records (in Europe released on Overcome Records). Shortly after, the next album should be released unter the title "Death To America", including 29 tracks. But that never happened due to label problems, and so it has been released under the title "This Is Class War" in an edition of 300 hand stamped, hand numbered CD-R digipacks on Traktor7. Fortunately, Small Stone Records re-released the album in early 2003 and as a bonus there are 30 minutes of additional music in form of outtakes, remixes (drums and vox only) plus short Ambient/Noise soundscapes that used to be played before and during MILLIGRAM shows. Yes, sadly "used to be played", because the band broke up in the Summer of 2002. That's a loss, because this band got so much to offer and isn't easy to pigeonhole, although it's of course R-O-C-K. In a few of the songs, one can recognize the Old School Hardcore background of a few of the members, but also, Roadsaw and Only Living Witness have left their trail in the brutal distorted sound of MILLIGRAM.
A lot of the songs aren't longer as two minutes and are packed to the red with drive, soul, sweat and energy, which sometimes sounds as if my speakers will be blown away. In spite of all the distortion and loudness, MILLIGRAM have got a good taste for memorable choruses and crunchy riffs. Mostly, the tempo is up-beat, and the above mentioned influences were mixed-up with a bit of Detroit sound (MC5, Ted Nugent, Third Power), and early Kyuss. This powerful roaring heavy mixture is explosive as nitroglycerin, and it's amazing to listen to the high energy level this guys are playing on. Now and then, you got the chance to take a breath while listening to this album, especially when the music becomes more mellow, but that happened not often. The bonus part of the CD is more for the experimental freaks among the readers, but it's interesting to listen to the sonic experiments of the band. "This Is Class War" is a perfect one-hour long declaration of war against boredom, and has convinced me from the first to the last second. What for a fueled booster, ready to go! For additional infos, check out the homepage of Small Stone Records and buy this album. If you like your heavy rock 'n' roll as overwhelming as possible, take MILLIGRAM.
(KK)