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Iconic: Second Skin

Melodic Heavy Metal Rock

4.5/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 22.06.2022 | Released: 17.06.2022

Once more we bandy about that word "supergroup." Frontiers Music is well-known for developing collaborative projects featuring select talented musicians. Iconic is another creation and no exception to the powerhouse group. The band features some true superstars from the hard rock and heavy metal universe: Michael Sweet (Stryper, Sunbomb, solo: guitars), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, et al: guitars), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Journey, The Dead Daises:bass), Nathan James (Inglorious: vocals) and, at 71, the elder of the group Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy, Whitesnake, and more) on drums. Yet with all this talent, the question remains: Will Iconic live up to their name? Oh yeah. These guys rock!

Iconic

Behind the music, most songs were written by guitarist Hoekstra and Sweet. I know, you're thinking, Sweet's not the vocalist, or one of them? Nope. He's not the lead but he did fashion the vocal melodies and arrangements. Yet, two guitarist at the songwriting helm? Iconic plays quite guitar-driven, riff-roaring, guitar solo raging melodic metal rock. Ergo, most songs are hard and heavy and, often, quite fast like having nitro as a propellant. Namely, by example, these are found with Second Skin, This Way, Run, and It Ain't Over. Some exceptions to the bombastic music reverie come with the soft intro of All I Need and perhaps the slightly more subdued Worlds Apart (not a reference to the Journey song). Regarding James' vocal style: if you were expecting some his bluesy style found with Inglorious, then think differently. He's more the classic hard rock singer within Iconic. But fantastic all the same. Fundamentally, if you like guitar-driven melodic metal rock, perhaps a thumping mash up of Stryper and Whitesnake, then you will dig the supergroup powerhouse Iconic and their debut Second Skin. Easily recommended to explode your speakers.

If you like guitar-driven melodic metal rock, perhaps a thumping mash up of Stryper and Whitesnake, then you will dig the supergroup powerhouse Iconic and their debut Second Skin. Easily recommended to explode your speakers.

Alphabetical Index

This experience deserves mention for one very good reason: Finland's One Desire is one of the best classic AOR melodic hard rock bands in the genre and, perhaps, the world, right now So, I also apologize, in ... [ Read More ]

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