Review Summary: “I refuse to let the darkness have the last say…”
Icon for Hire has certainly hit a rough patch over the months leading up to their third full length album
You Can’t Kill Us. After breaking their contract with Tooth & Nail records subsequently losing the rights to all their previous works and the departure of their drummer Adam Kronshagen. The duo of Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump were left with nothing but their own devices and a Kickstarter campaign to continue onward; does Icon for Hire stand tall despite all odds or are they left without firm ground to stand on?
Stylistically,
You Can’t Kill Us follows the same path that the self titled took 3 years ago, incorporating more synthetic driven beats and riffs while guitars and drums are pushed further to the side. This brings about the biggest issue with Icon’s third album: while the band has never been known for their instrumental prowess they have been more than capable of creating a solid foundation complimenting Ariel’s vocal performance; unfortunately the duo fails to leave a good impression. From the pulsating synth beats in “Invisible” to the bass drop in “Here We Are” the instrumentation ranges from dull to obnoxious while remaining numbingly simplistic throughout the album’s entirety. Despite the obvious varieties in the heavy anthems of “Get Well II” or the more melodic tracks such as “The Magic” there is very little here that truly stands out as they simply enter one ear and exit the other; if the band had gotten someone else to do the programming this album could have instantly been much more enjoyable.
Ariel’s voice, on the other hand, is as potent as ever and is certainly the strongest feature of the album. Her voice effortlessly manages to carry even the dullest tunes and make them at least somewhat interesting. From the rap like verses in “You Were Wrong” to the explosive chorus in “Demons” it seems like Ariel is giving it her all full of energy and passion even if at times she comes off as overbearing at times. The lyrics of
You Can’t Kill Us stick to the familiar topics of depression and over coming it as opposed to wallowing in self despair. While the lyrics do feel quite personally and there is certainly heartfelt emotion in Ariel’s voice one can’t this message become redundant the further you listen to
You Can’t Kill Us, especially once you realize how little has changed since Icon For Hire’s debut LP back in 2011. Ariel’s voice may be a strong as ever but it only goes so far if you fail to captivate listeners.
The production of
You Can’t Kill Us is another commendable aspect. It certainly isn’t mind blowing or revolutionary but it fulfills its purpose; the aggressive moments of this album pack a solid punch and the instrumentals back off for the more mellow moments letting Ariel take the spotlight once again. Everything is clear and distinct without sounding too polished which is certainly worth noting considering this is the bands first major release without a label.
Despite the best efforts from Icon For Hire
You Can’t Kill Us fails to live up to the expectations of prior releases; lackluster songwriting and redundancy shroud even the best performance’s the duo can give. If you enjoyed Icons’ self-titled album (or just enjoy Ariel’s voice) you may very well find some enjoyment here although long time fans may feel disappointed as the band continuously slides further away from the sounds of
Scripted.
