ICON OF SIN
“Icon Of Sin”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Icon Of Sin are a heavy metal band from Brazil formed in 2020, releasing their self titled debut album in 2021.

The five piece outfit from South America are gonna take the world by storm with their breath taking debut – packed with an incredible thirteen songs! With a run time in excess of sixty minutes, Icon Of Sin deliver traditional heavy metal, the way it should be – fast paced, infectious, and with an almighty “foot on the monitor” feel. At the bands helm is vocalist Raphael Mendes, the man behind the recent “What if Bruce Dickinson sang in other bands” YouTube series… Because you see, Raphael’s voice sounds incredibly similar to the legendary ‘Maiden frontman. So much so, many listeners have actually mistaken Raphael for Bruce! And I must admit, at first listen I can certainly see why. But after the first couple of songs, you begin to notice the differences, and not the similarities – and start to enjoy Icon Of Sin as a new heavy metal band. And that is what my review will concentrate on, the bands music – I have made the comparison once, and will leave the endless comparisons to other review writers!

And so, with no further ado, let’s get on with writing my review… Icon Of Sin open their self titled debut with the self titled song ‘Icon Of Sin’. Highly melodic and stacked full of the traditional heavy metal gallop ‘Icon Of Sin’ (the song) is an attractive opener that’s gonna make listeners sit up, take notice, and turn it up! Picking up the pace and racing off at high speed, ‘Road Rage’ will get heads banging hard. ‘Road Rage’ is full of the stuff that makes a mosh pit move – and move it will, as the highly infectious and sing along able chorus chimes in. What an opening double shot! And the shots don’t stop there! ‘Shadow Dancer’ gallops in and storms on, echoing the sound of the legendary eighties NWOBHM evolution. Traditional metal heads the world over are not just gonna lap this up, they’re gonna love it…

The breathless pace cracks on with a slightly heavier sound, courtesy of the fire and brimstone stomper ‘Unholy Battleground’. More aggressive and in your face than anything heard so far, Raphael Mendes fairly spits the vocals with venom. Yet amazingly, the massive melodic streak running right through this album remains intact! ‘Night Breed’ is reminiscent of the power and pomp you’d associate with British heavy metal legends Judas Priest. And for the first time the Brazilians include a few power metal traits into their arsenal. Heavy foot stomping from a baying audience will accompany ‘Night Breed’ wherever it is heard, and played – for I’m damn sure it will be part of the bands live set. And without a hint of a warning, electrifying pace lights up the album in the shape of the raging ‘Virtual Empire’. Travelling at high velocity, ‘Virtual Empire’ is a barn storming head banger that moshers the world over are gonna love.

The classic sound of traditional heavy metal majestically hits the airways in the mighty shape of ‘Pandemic Euphoria’. A breathless “foot on the monitor” gallop, ‘Pandemic Euphoria’ embodies everything heavy metal stands for – it’s infectious, attractive, and addictive, and will surely become a fan favourite. And now for the albums centrepiece, the eight minute long epic ‘Clouds Over Gotham’. A mellow intro that builds tension and atmosphere, gives way to scorching pace, and we find ourselves galloping forth at high velocity. The pace, the melodious power, and the overwhelming head bang ability of this album has been relentless. The sonic attack from these Brazilian metallers is full of energy – where they get their energy from is anyone’s guess, but boy do they have it in abundance. The instantly recognisable guitar tone of the NWOBHM sound makes it presence felt as ‘Arcade Generation’ opens. A mid tempo melodic trot, ‘Arcade Generation’ is more infectious than anything that has gone before, and may even pull a few hard rock fans into the Icon Of Sin soundscape.

‘Hagakure’ is a half minute oriental sounding instrumental acting as an intro for ‘The Last Samurai’ – a fiery and fast paced gallop of all out heavy metal. The fastest of any song heard so far, ‘The Last Samurai’ brings a touch of the speed metal style to the album. Keeping the pace high, ‘The Howling’ returns the aggressive vocal style of earlier. One hundred percent “foot on the monitor”, ‘The Howling’ reeks of old school heavy metal – heavy metal that was forged over forty years ago on a small island five and a half thousand miles away from Brazil! And yes, that small island is the UK… The influence of pioneering bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Raven, and Saxon, stretches all over the world. And so to the final song, the pace of the album not slowing down at all. ‘Survival Instinct’ is head bangingly addictive, one hundred percent infectious, and closes the album in a “foot on the monitor’ flourish.

Overall, a barn storming and breathless gallop of fast paced and melodic heavy metal, ‘Icon Of Sin’ is a great album.

TRACKLIST

Icon Of Sin
Road Rage
Shadow Dancer
Unholy Battleground
Night Breed
Virtual Empire
Pandemic Euphoria
Clouds Over Gotham
Arcade Generation
Hagakure
The Last Samurai
The Howling
Survival Instinct

https://www.facebook.com/IconOfSinMusic

This review is the property of Iron Mathew and Metal Gods TV. It is strictly prohibited to copy any part of this review, unless you have both of the parties’ permission, or are the band/record label/PR company in question. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be considered as Plagiarism and you will be reported to the appropriate authorities

---