A New World of All Out Heavy Metal with Millennium

A New World of All Out Heavy Metal with Millennium

The NWoBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) is available and well with an all out vengeance, thanks to bands such as Millennium.  From the beginning in 1984 to this modern day, Millennium has kept their own vision of British heavy metal burning high and mighty.  The very end of 2019 found Millennium unleashing A New World, their latest magnum opus of heavy metal anthems on Pure Steel Records.  Highwire Daze caught up with bassist Paul Simpson to find out a whole lot more about the long running Millennium and their A New World manifesto of heavy metal.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Millennium, and how long the band has been together.
Hi I’m Paul the bass player for Millennium. I also help run the media stuff and chase gigs with Mark Duffy (vocalist). The band has been back together since 2016. Will Philpot (guitarist) got together with Mark and began reforming the band and they re recorded some early songs with some other original members Steve Mennell (drums) and Dave Hardy (guitar) – that album was “Caught in a Warzone” released on No Remorse Records. The band didn’t stop there! Going on to record a brand new album “Awakening” with new members Darren Moore (drums) and Louis Astbury (guitar). It was intended for release with a label but after much wrangling the band self released this. It’s a shame that it hasn’t been pushed as much as it’s a great album. More recently we released another album “A New World” on Pure Steel Records with myself on bass.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
We’re based in Teesside, Billingham, the home town but the band live in surrounding areas. Middlesbrough is the nearest major town. The scene has changed since the 80’s. Middlesbrough used to attract all the major bands back then. Now it’s pretty much a backwater, with a few exceptions. The area still gets touring artists but not as much. There are small venues keeping the music alive, but generally the appetite for new music is overwhelmed by the amount of cover bands doing the rounds. There isn’t a dedicated rock and metal venue which is disappointing.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the A New World album title?
No, We didn’t set out writing A New World as a concept album. Mark and Will create the tracks together and sometimes there are similarities but really it’s just the way they turn out. There are different themed songs from apocalyptic warnings to fantasy and inspirational anthems.

Select two songs from A New World and what inspired the lyrics.
Two of my favourite tracks from the album are King of Kings and Kill or be killed. The first just appeals to my personal taste and the anthemic call to arms. Kill or be killed is an old song from the early days and we’ve brought it right up to date. It’s a crushing metal anthem! I can’t comment how Mark constructs his lyrics but I’m pleased to say that I think he does a good job.

Who did the cover art for A New World and how much input did you have on it?
Pure Steel recommended the artist Augusto Peixoto. He does a lot of work for bands and is very good. We were able to swap ideas and get across our requirements. Anything we wanted to change he was right on it. We’re very happy with the album art and have received many good comments on it.

How did you wind up signing with Pure Steel Records?
We signed with Pure Steel Records as a matter of course. We sort of picked them and approached them. They have a large roster of metal bands and we’re hoping to link up with some of them to play live.

What could one expect from a live Millennium show?
Our live show is a mixture of older and new tunes, the older catchy choruses still go down well. We try to make it a visually interesting performance too to keep the crowds attention. It’s what rehearsals are for, making our stage show.

If Millennium could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I know we’ve all got different favourites so it would be a long list! Maybe Judas Priest, Slayer, Iron Maiden to name a few.

Has Millennium ever played in the States of plan to do so in future days?
No we haven’t been to the US….yet! If we’re invited we would certainly do our best to make it happen. Another way of course would be to sell thousands of albums and go there on tour.

When you look back on the Self-Titled debut album from 1984, what do you think of it in retrospect?
Now I can’t say for the others but any recording back in the early days is a marker of a time when ambition and desire to get on the world stage was paramount and we have to remain proud of our work. As far as the quality goes, it was what was available to the bands at the time for a certain price. You paid as much as you could afford to go in the studio. A collection of your own work recorded is a great memento

The Queen of England invites Millennium to perform one song at a Royal Command Performance! What song would you do for Her Majesty and guests and why?
So many tracks to chose from. It makes me think of Brian May from Queen playing on the roof of Buck Pal so I think it would have to be “Victory” from A New World to inspire her maj. 😉

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Millennium?
Personally no. I used to enjoy playing in cover bands but I just don’t have the appetite for that anymore. I find there’s nothing to beat the praise from happy fans after a gig playing your own music. Our current second guitarist and drummer are in another band but we don’t clash.

What’s up in the New Year for Millennium?
Hopefully more gigs and festivals. We’ve begun writing material for the next album and we intend to get that completed in 2020

Any final words of wisdom?
Nothing inspirational I’m afraid but I’d like to drive home that original bands need support from music fans so if there’s a gig near you go out and spur them on and buy their merch. so they can continue to create.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!
Thanks, I hope its enough. Keep on Metal!

Millennium is:
Mark Duffy – Vocals
Will Philpott – Guitar
Paul Simpson – Bass
Nigel Waterfall Brown – Drums

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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