Million $ Reload – A Sinner’s Saint
These Northern Irish rockers kick things off with a snarl and a bite reminiscent of heavyweights AC/DC, but don’t be fooled into thinking they are just another rock n’ roll clone. Million $ Reload have their own slant on this area of rock music with a great sense of melody and arrangement. Examples of this can be found in songs like Blow Me Away, Bullets In The Sky and Wicked. It’s a good feeling to purchase an album that has several highlights as opposed to just one or two, and I felt that was applicable with A Sinner’s Saint.
Take another song like Broken which exhibits the band’s softer side. Quite a shock to my ears after experiencing the rough and ready melodic onslaught of the opening four songs. Broken has a beautiful sensitivity as Phil Conalane croons with gravely overtones backed up by some respectful guitar work from Andy Mackle and Brian Mallon. Underlying this soundscape are some subtle strings exaggerating the song’s charms.
I hear hints of Rhino Bucket and a whole host of bands of that ilk within the 11 tracks offered. That should more than inform you what to expect when the “play” button is pressed . Kie McMurray and Sean McKernon effortlessly hold their own in the rhythm section providing a solid foundation for Mackle and Mallon to run riot. Even as far as the final song It Ain’t Over is concerned, the band are here to give us a good time. The ominous concept of album fillers therefore isn’t really relevant on this album as a consequence of the band’s attitude and spirit.
Overall this second studio opus satisfies me in what is a busy street in the city of rock. That can’t be a bad thing when you think about it.
