ICON OF SIN – Icon of Sin
- Posted on 16-06-2021
Icon of Sin is yet another project shaped and put together by Frontiers Records and that kind of thing usually goes one of two ways, as you can probably imagine.
These skilled Brazilian musicians dabble in 80s-inspired heavy metal with plenty of hard rock references thrown into the mix, but sadly, this is just one of those records that leave a lot to be desired in so many ways. Not that there is anything wrong with their instrumental or compositional skills as such, but the whole album feels too much like pastiche and to these ears Icon of Sin fail to pay homage to the heavy metal legends and greats of old in a convincing, charming manner. A lot of that comes down to the fact that vocalist Raphael Mendes sounds eerily like Bruce Dickinson (some of you may have seen the YouTube videos of Mendes?) and immersing oneself in this self-titled opus is akin to experiencing an inferior version of Iron Maiden’s "No Prayer for the Dying". Maybe that sounds harsh, but "Icon of Sin" feels superfluous and does not really add anything of value to the metal genre. It is not all bad though and there are some explosive riffs, subtle progressive nuances, and catchy choruses that could rock any venue present on the disc too, so it is not as if this is utterly awful or anything like that. However, there is not enough substance or sufficiently good material in the overall perspective to really stand out or make an impact on the listener.
I wish these guys had more of a sound and musical identity of their own, but perhaps their next offering will be more impressive and memorable than this lackluster affair? Even though I worship Iron Maiden and the likes, Icon of Sin simply does not work for me, and I feel like I am listening to a second-rate copy of something that is supposed to be fucking awesome and magnificent, if you catch my drift. Anyway, you can go on living your life without investing your time in this one.