Well, the music review tour is near it’s end. We’ve covered a lot of musicians during this time, from unknown hits, to some of the most popular musicians around. Today’s artist is no different, as I’ve covered them once before in February of last year. They’ve been one of the reigning champions of Gothic Metal, and they continue to blaze their own trail. Let’s setup an umbrella so the rain doesn’t beat us down, put on a little more black no. 1, and listen to Paradise Lost’s 1993 iconic release.....Icon (That was lame...I know!).
Background
Taken from Wikipedia & Kerrang:
“In 2008, speaking to Kerrang! about the album's music, Nick Holmes remembered:
We were pretty much the first band to coin the phrase 'gothic metal' so I don't have a problem with that label. We've actually done gothier albums than Icon, but if people want to say that it sums up something up that's fine with me. At the time there was also black metal, thrash metal and everyone wanted to describe what type of something was so we went 'Okay, we've got The Sisters of Mercy elements in our music, let's call it goth metal'. We were getting better as musicians as well and I was hopefully getting better as a vocalist. When that happens you want to fine-tune what you're doing. It's also about not wanting to get stuck or pigeonholed into one particular musical place. We've kept the whole gothic thing going right throughout our career, but we did want to do something a little different. With the vocals, a lot of it was kind of shouting in key as opposed to just shouting, its okay singing like Beelzebub, but your voice can get into trouble if you have a big tour.”
Songs
Embers Fire (“***”): The cello playing that starts off this song is a sign of things to come, not just in the song, but in the rest of the album. The instrumentation is slow & sludgy, but at the same time is paced very well, and never trips up. The singing is just laden with brooding darkness & loss, and is as well paced as the instrumentation. All in All, Embers Fire is a great piece of music, and a perfect way to start this album.
Remembrance (“***”): Things are definitely picking up now!
I’m being only somewhat sarcastic with that last statement. It’s true, the instrumentation & vocals have indeed picked up some speed. The guitars & drums had some energy injected into them, and the speed dial on the singing got turned up a little also. However, I feel that when they change their speed, it seems a little more abrupt & sudden, and there’s moments where I swear they trip up (But only slightly). With that said, they still keep the gothic tones within Remembrance, although I think they might have scaled it back very, very, very slightly.
Forging Sympathy (“***”): When I first listened to Forging Sympathy, I swore that I was listening to one of Paradise Lost’s first three albums. You see, before they went down the Gothic Metal route, the band was actually a Death/Doom Metal group. Their earliest music was slower, sludgier, and a bit on the brutal side of things. This song is a bridge between the Death/Doom Metal of their first three albums, and the Gothic Metal of most of their later releases. You have the instrumentation, which leans heavily towards their earliest work. It’s slow, loud, and very menacing. The vocals seem to be a mix of both sides: it’s very dark during the slower portions, but swifter when things are faster. Despite stratling between 2/3 genre, Forging Sympathy is a strong song on this album.
Joys of the Emptiness (“***”): Joys of the Emptiness is as bleak as they come. As you listen to it, you can see the skies darken, lightning dart through the clouds, and rain coming down like a swarm of locusts. The instrumentation in this goes back to what Embers Fire established: slow, sinister, and full of menace. The singing also goes back to the first song on this album, except just a little slower. The one cool thing I like about the vocals in this is that there are two portions where they distort the voice, and it sounds like it’s coming from radio speaker. The end result is that it sounds like echoing white noise, and it just adds more to the atmosphere. Another hit!
Dying Freedom (“***”): Just like Forging Sympathy. Next!
Okay, that’s a little unfair. While it’s true that the instrumentation in this sounds somewhat like that from the previously mention song, there are some differences. For one thing, the guitars & drums are played more quickly hear than in Forging Sympathy, almost to the point where some of the gothic tones actually dissipate. Luckily, there are certain beats played, not to mention some cellos playing at the beginning, that plug up any holes before things leak out too much. The singing seems to be leaning more towards this album’s tone than the previous two, but there’s times where the singer goes back over. A decent song, but one that has some identity issues.
Widow (“***”): If you’re a woman that just recently had their husband pass away, then this might not be for you!
Not that I’m saying the song is bad, mind you. It’s got great instrumentation that plays at a fast & steady pace (The drums sound like they’re galloping sometimes), and the singing is pretty top notch to boot (It’s as fast as the instruments, but there’s more of a chaotic element put in). However, this is the bleakest song on the album. Widow is very mired in depressive tones, and mixed with potentially suicidal lyrical choices. It’s really creepy, but if you can get past this, then you have something nice to listen too.
Colossal Rains (“***”): Just like Joys of the Emptiness. Next! (Not being sarcastic this time)
Weeping Words (“***”): This is another song that made me think I was listening to Paradise Lost’s earlier work. The instrumentation immediately made me think I was listening to something off of one of their first three albums. A little bit faster, but still very sludgy. The singing mirrors this also, including the slightly faster pace. Other than that, I can’t really think of anything else to say. Definitely the weakest song on the list.
Poison (“***”): Okay, I sort of lied when I said that Weeping Words was the weakest song on Icon.
The first few seconds of the song definitely had some promise. It was very gothic, but it’s faster pace made it a sound on it’s own. With that said, there doesn’t quite seem to be as much effort in the instrumentation (Apart from the guitars, which sound fine), and thus coming across as a little weak sometimes. The singing isn’t much better, but there’s at least a little more effort put in the vocals. Again, nothing else to really say.
True Belief (“***”): At first I was going to say that True Belief was the same as Joys of the Emptiness & Colossal Rains, but I’m reluctantly deciding not to. True, this has the same vibe that the previously mentioned songs have, but what makes this song different is the instrumentation. It’s not in what’s being played, it’s how they are played. While Joys of the Emptiness & Colossal Rains are played slowly, True Belief is a strange mix of slow & fast. As the song plays on, it feels as if it’s being played at both speeds simultaneously, which in turn creates an eerie but fascinating atmosphere. Nice comeback!
Shallow Seasons (“***”): Like Poison, only with stronger instrumentation. Next! (Again, no sarcasm)
Christendom (“***”): If there was a song that you can’t avoid on this album, it would be Christendom. In a change of pace from practically everything else, there are female vocals used in this song. They aren’t used constantly, but when they’re used during the softer portions, there’s kind of a odd, gothic comfort to them. The male vocals aren’t that much different, although they get louder at certain parts when they need to. The instrumentation is pretty great hear as well, as they’re played slow, but not so slow that it feels like a turtle is crawling across the road. A great ending song, but it’s not the ending song.
Deus Misereatur (“***”): We end Icon with......an instrumental piece?
Yep, Deus Misereatur is a instrumental piece. Here, you have ponderous guitars, steady drumming, and piano playing that goes all over the place. I’m not say that this is bad, cause it isn’t. What I am saying is that it’s not the right song to end Icon. While great in it’s own right, it really should have served as a gateway song to Christendom, instead of being a rather swift end to such a ponderous album. Still nice to listen to, though.
Overall Impression & Rating
Although Draconian Times continued their journey & mastery of Gothic Metal, it was Icon that started & established themselves in the music style. Despite it’s age, this album has everything you’d expect to feel & hear in the genre. It’s dark, brooding, moody, and rainstorm inducing. Icon deserves every bit of praise that comes it’s way.
Icon gets a 8.5 to 9 out of 10
See you all next time, when this review tour stares at the edge of infinity. Until then, stay Otaku!
***
Sorry for the later than normal post. Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I was helping out my Mom with a bunch of stuff. Not only that, but I had a bunch of work I was doing today, and I just got to this a couple hours ago. Again, my apologies.
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