Phoenix Rising
I had the pleasure the other week of witnessing Sons of Icarus supporting Rival Sons at the intimate Manchester Academy 3 the other. To say they won over the audience was an understatement and then some. After winning "Marshall amplifiers ultimate band contest" by fighting their way through hundreds of bands and getting major management representation, which in turn has led to some pretty decent opening slots for the likes of Rival sons, Black Spiders and Black Stone Cherry, which will definitely help the band with getting a lot more of their own followers. Couple this fact with their storming new EP and many more followers will be attained. Good thing is, they are 100% British. Originally named The Fury they have honed their sound into a heavy rock assault on the lug'oles courtesy of some of heaviest riffs this side of Tony Iommis moustache!
Starting off the EP is a track called "You Want It All" and it kicks off with a heavy as fuck riff reminiscent of some great UK classic rock luminaries, and will have the current batch of rivals shitting themselves. Andy Masson's vocals complement Balkwill's riffs perfectly. As my lad stated elsewhere 'turn up the bass!' The drumming is not overplayed at all and keeps when all combined, the result is a dynamite track. The 7 minutes just fly buy, which is always a great sign
"Not Myself" has a really good up tempo pace to it and is something that the likes of Black Country Communion would kill for. "Cant let Go" again has (to quote Quiet Riot) a solid 'bang your head' riff and although not the best of the three so far, it still pretty much kicks. Finally all too quickly we're onto the last track "Sick to the Teeth". It doesn't have the mega riff start like the others, but builds its crescendo to prove that they are not all music by numbers (This isn't a derogatory comment, SoI have a formula and play to its strength). For such a young bunch (average age under 22!) of lads they play with the experience and talent that belies their young ages
After a recent review for Voodoo Six, Sons of Icarus are also contenders for being the future of British rock/metal and they have no need to be afraid of anyone as they will go very far indeed. Sons Of Icarus are already on my list of bands to watch out for in 2012
Catch them whilst they still have a few gigs left in the UK (OK London!) this side of Xmas. If you think the songs are heavy on the CD, the live performances will take your breath away. Just buy the CD!