Customer Reviews

Icon & The Black Roses

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Back in 2001, I was introduced to "4 Winter Songs", a demo by a band called Blue Obsession. I was very impressed by the quality of those dark and melancholic tunes, so I felt that this was a band I should keep my eyes *ears* on. Many things have changed since then, and now Icon and The Black Roses *the blossomed Blue Obsession* are back for world domination.

Following the quite young school of love metal Finnish bands such as HIM, To/Die/For, Charon or Entwine, Icon and The Black Rose's debut album is at the top of its class, being a worthy successor of HIM's masterpiece "Razorblade Romance". This happens because, when listening to the album, one has the impression that every single song has been taken with special care *surely like a rose*, the arrangements are terrific, the balance between heavy cords and sparkling keyboards is perfectly achieved thus creating memorable melodies, even on the acoustic ballad "Who Do You Hurt Now?" we don't die of boredom; all songs have their own character and they all fit extremely well into the bouquet, being really hard to pick up a favorite *I could say "Black Rose" or "Remember" only not to mention the entire album*. In addition to this, singer Johnny Icon gives us a very passionate interpretation, having a wide range of emotions within his vocal cords *Dave Gahan meets Ville Valo meets Nick Holmes meets Robert Smith's make up*.

A black rose this may be, but its perfume is the sweetest it could be.

Originally presented on www.maximummetal.com

I heard about this band in a twist of chance. I was led to them by some random clickings around the web while doing some music research and there they were. Icon and The Black Roses from Portugal. The band was on the verge of releasing their self-titled debut release on Dark Wings Records (a division of SPV Records). A quick email introduction to the lead singer and I was able to facilitate a copy for myself to review for you all. I have to say how impressed I am already as so many of the songs flow seamlessly through the disc. People who are fans of H.I.M. will most certainly enjoy this band for there are some musical themes that go in the same direction. However, this is no clone of His Infernal Majesty as the band will be quick to advise you of. Johnny Icon's brooding and dark voice lend more to the likes of Depeche Mode and even a bit of Type-O-Negative (though not as deep as Pete Steele). It is an enjoyable solidly produced piece of brooding Gothic Rock. The differences in the bands music make it something that fans of Mode or Cure as well as similar darker fare have offered us. It was interesting to me to see how much this influence seemed to prevail in a band coming out of Portugal.

I have to say that I have recommended this piece to several people already and each of them has ordered it. The bands website is up and running and you can even hear some samples of the music before you buy it. Trust me you will not regret the chance to jump on board to something new before many other people. If you like H.I.M. and the 69 Eyes as well as some of the darker new wave bands of the 80's and 90's (Cure, Mode, etc) this will appeal to you. The production is solid and every instrument comes through crisp and clear. Joining Johnny Icon who provides the Vocals and Guitars, we have Sebastian Noir: Guitars, Sean Rose: Bass guitars, Mike Thorne: Drums and Adam Nox: on Keyboards. While I have stressed how much I dig the CD, the first 5 tracks seem to keep a steady rotation on my CD Changer. My very favorites have to be "Black Rose", "Crucify Your Love" and "Angel". The ballady "Who Do You Hurt Now" is nice for a mellow change and there are a couple of heavier faster numbers like "Black Cage" and "Running Up That Hill" run closer to the lines of heavy metal.

I strongly recommend this CD for those that enjoy the darker Goth style and the music of bands referenced in this review. Also, for those who are willing to take a chance on a new band and want to get in on the ground floor on something. I think it is enjoyable enough to take that chance. Also, if you write to the band, you will most probably get a response from Johnny Icon himself. Sadly I was not able to comment on the booklet or packaging, as my copy did not include it. When I followed up on that with Johnny he explained that I was sent his own personal copy and it did not have it. Now how is that for commitment? Not too bad I say. Go to www.amazon.com and order this CD or better yet the band site. Make sure you let him know that KP brought them to your attention. Peace out.

Icon's Page: www.iconandtheblackroses.com

YAY! I'm the first to review it and shame on everyone else for not reviewing it! This is seriously one of the best cds ever!!! The lyrics are enchanting and the music is amazing. Everyone needs to own this cd. They're Gothrockish but they take gothrock to a new level and just creates their own gener. BUY THIS CD YOU NEED IT AND ITS THE BEST!

This CD is totally amazing. Every track is absolutely great. As others have made note of, Icon & The Black Roses' sound in my opinion are right between HIM and Charon. As a whole, Harder than HIM, yet not as heavy as Charon.

Through the course of the CD it has a good range with some heavier and some more melodic sounding tracks. I heard "Crucify Your Love" and "Sweetest Emptiness Of Love" and instantly bought the CD. Now, those two still being amongst my favorite tracks, I personally think "Black Roses" is the best on the CD and definitely my favorite.

Any fan of HIM, Charon, or rock music in general should certainly own this CD. Import CDs are kind of pricey but this one is worth every cent and then some!

This is one catchy album! I discovered it via the HIM website forum and I can agree with HIM fans that this album is definately worth the purchase. I can now rate this as one of my favourite albums I have ever bought, and I purchased it "sound unheard" - I hadn't listened to one song and bought it on review strength only. It hasn't left my car for months, buy this disc now - you will not regret it. AMAZING!!

'Icon And The Black Roses' are really brilliant and if they keep it up they'll be as successful as HIM...

My favourite track at the moment is 'Angel' and I'm sure it's going to be a hit !!!

The more you listen to this album...the more you fall in love with the other tracks...

This album is 'A Must For Any HIM Fan' and I can't wait to see a video and some singles soon...

Look out for the first single rumoured to be 'Set Me On Fire'...
I'm opting for 'Angel' though !!!

I've been listening over and over to Icon's record and it's amazing how incredibly well-composed the songs are....The whole album is good,no fillers,no bad songs...And the production...I love it!!!

If you like Charon's Downhearted you will be completly amazed by the sound of this band!!! When I heard it I thought it was a new album from Charon or something, but hey they are different and outstanding.

Oh! They're also very alike HIM...When I heard Icon's song Endless, it so reminded me on HIM -music, vocals, everything. All in all - great band with powerful vocal

When will be Icon touring Europe??