Icon - Night of the Crime

Recently I have been listening to and thus reviewing alot of mid 80s melodic rock/metal classics, wonderful releases by Giuffria, Madison, Shy and more, all which have touched me in various ways. Madison had its vocal power, Shy was irresistably consistant, while Giuffria took a neat concept and made a very accessible album out of it. But out of the piles of discs I have had the task of reviewing or simply enjoyed listening to leisurely, nothing prepared me for the one current under the microscope, which is Icon - "Night of the Crime". I had heard an Icon song before, but was unimpressed and passed up on hearing more, but then this album found its way into my hands, and later into my heart.

It was the one - and only time for Icon in the spotlight, in my eyes. They were a midwest band that recieved some minor attention for their self titled first release, and a little buzz for "Night of the Crime", which was their follow up. The departure of their vocalist, Stephen Clifford shook the band up, and nothing they did after quite captured the magic of this album. Upon first listen, its easy to understand why, their singer was blessed with quite a set of pipes, the mid range masculine tones like David Glenn Eisley, the power and charisma of a young Goran Edman, and at times a delightful nod to Blackie Lawless in the growling sneer that rears its head during some of the high energy rockers. The talented Dan Wexler and John Aquilino made up a solid dual axe attack, while Pat Dixon and Tracy Wallach formed the rhythm section. However as they proved on their failed attempt at a comeback for 1989's "Right Between the Eyes", that the band itself wasn't so perfect without the man with the golden pipes.

"NotC" was popped out only a short year after the debut, normally one would think that anything released with such a quick turnaround would be a huge step down in quality, and be quite rushed, but with Icon, its actually the opposite. Its amazing that a collection of songs of this caliber could go from the creation process to the finished product in such a miniscule period of time. The band has taken a more pop-rock feel to the album, that lightens up the songs considerably, but each tune has been treated to a fine polish, to smooth out the rough edges that fueled the youthful drive of the self titled. A little more reserved, but with cleaner, catchier songs, a smug commericial edge and a better production. This has all resulted in something that - dare I use the word - is a "masterpiece". And for fans of this seemingly extinct subgenre, it is just that. The album plays seamlessly, like a ten track rock n roll dream, with the first six tracks being pure musical ecstacy. Gorgeous, touching, emotionally powerful, driving, hook-filled material. This album plays like a best-of release, not a moment will one spend fidgeting around during a tune or skip through the tracks, with silk melodic tunes and skin pounding hard rockers alike. That's right, the band's main formula is something of a mishmash of Giuffria and Foreigner, but tossed into the fray are a handful of tunes that have much more in common with the heavier hitters of the time, like early W.A.S.P., Judas Priest, and Quiet Riot, which was the direction they had begun heading in on the first release.

1. Naked Eyes - Oh My! What a smashing way to begin a record! This song is overflowing with that melodic goodness that made this album what it is today - a mid 80s classic! Chunky guitar riffs, a wall of sound, and rich gorgeous vocals grab the listener from the very beginning and keep them enthralled in that metal ecstacy til the song fades to silence. Keeping interest high is a gripping sugary chorus, that screams to be sung along to. The willowy guitar solo swells with electrical beauty and leaves and undeniable mark upon the song's closure.
2. Missing - Continuing in the same vien as the heavenly "Naked Eyes", "Missing" picks up where the first song leaves off, treating us to another round of pomp and beauty to showcase another punchy chorus and dancing synth. Building on the melodic beauty of the first tune, and taking it to another level, obvious in the fantastic bridge and punchy chorus. A glimpse is given at the inspiration for the album title in the lyric "where were you, on the night of the crime"...
3. Danger Calling - Heaviest song on the album so far, but that's not saying too much, however what this song may 'lack' in heaviness, it definitely makes up for it in its wall of synth and vocal melodies. Rhythmic and catchy, it seeps right into the brain and doesn't let go, addictive doesn't even begin to describe it.
4. (Take Another) Shot At My Heart - This explosive, hard rock gem of a track, with the expressive vocal performance by Clifford, fires away with perfection, hitting every mark a bullseye. Slight crunch on the guitar riffs, and innovative use of acoustic guitar to build excitement during bridge to prepare for the chorus and afterwards into the rip roarin' axeslinging fest, short and sweet but perfect. The afterthought "go ahead and blow it away" backup to the lyric that belts the title, is a showstopper with drive and emphasis. My favorite tune of the album, it doesn't get much better than this.
5. Out For Blood - Slow takeoff, with heaps of guitar heroics and atmospheric keys to provide background, this carries on for 2+ minutes before a lean, mean guitar riff kicks in, with some headbanging skin pounding drums and full force vocals. In the heaviness category, this leaves "Shot At My Heart" in the dust, but even though the song rocks harder, its not even in the same ballbark as the already mentioned tune. Still, its a solid tune that has more in common with Judas Priest than Giuffria.
6. Raise the Hammer - Suitable metallic rising and falling sounds, and a rhythm that rocks hard and doesn't apologize for it, "Raise the Hammer" adds up as being an extremely solid tune, that explores a situation when one person believes their significant other is cheating on them, but is confronting them with the cry of justice will be done.
7. Frozen Tears - Beautiful ballad that easily rivals some of Foriegner's slower paced gems that were released over the course of their career. Dipping and diving guitar riffs and darting synth weave an electric tapestry for the gripping, emotional vocals that only embeds this song in the heart even further.
8. The Whites of Their Eyes - With a dash of grit in the voice with that already mentioned Lawless tilt most notable in a throat ripping howl near close, the music follows suit, being a rousing pumping rocker complete with scorching guitar hero solos and the kiss of Judas Priest's commercialized sound.
9. Hungry For Love - Slow dramatic opening changes into a hip swinging rocker, again kind of W.A.S.P.'ish but sporting more synth and an edge that barrels full forward toward getting mainstream radio airplay without looking back.
10. Rock My Radio - The "worst" song on the album is actually a fist raising tune that takes the best of Autograph and the heavier Quiet Riot, with a pinch of Helix and turns out to be stylish arena rock. Typical slowed down midsection, with the chorus of background vocals overpowering and demanding "I wanna rock, rock my radio", with emphasis on the "I". At the time of recording, it was standard for every metal band to include an 'ode to metal' (so to speak) as an instrument to stir up crowd reaction during concerts, and "Rock My Radio" happens to be Icon's.