ALBUM REVIEW: The Reckoning – Icon For Hire
This year marks 15 years since the Illinois hard rock band ICON FOR HIRE formed. A lot has changed since then; we are now four albums into their successful musical career and they show no signs of stopping any time soon. They have racked up more than 250 million streams so far, as well as gaining 1 million followers across their social media platforms. Just a little over a year and a half has passed since the release of their fourth studio album Amorphous and we are met with their latest body of work The Reckoning. Following on from the gritty yet synth-heavy previous release, The Reckoning shows the band in a much heavier light.
As well as an undeniably heavier rock sound, the new album seems to be much deeper than that. Inspired by the realisation of the dark parts of ourselves and learning to accept them, The Reckoning deals with issues such as self-acceptance; tackling them head on. Vocalist Ariel Bloomer spoke about the deeper meaning behind the album: “The Reckoning isn’t just about exploring all the dark and heavy pieces of ourselves, it’s about embracing and accepting those pieces, and using them as weapons against the gatekeepers that hold us back, even when those gatekeepers are our own self-imposed limitations.” Aside from relatable inspirations, the release also features some top-notch partnerships from fellow artists such as BREAKING BENJAMIN‘s Keith Wallen, not to mention collaborating with IN FLAMES‘ Joe Rickard for the mix of the album.
The first track is The Ascent, which is the most fitting beginning instrumental for this release, completely nailing the dark and haunting themes to come. Breakdown is up next and it starts off in typical style in comparison to their last album Amorphous, with synth-heavy instrumentals taking the reins. As the song evolves, it gets heavier with a chorus which is infectious to say the least. Ready For Combat begins with Bloomer‘s rap style vocals, a style which becomes fundamental to this track. This is definitely one of our favourite songs on the release so far, with an angsty, fighting attitude that is so hard to resist. Dismantled is next, which contains a NIRVANA inspired chugging riff before moving onto another synth-filled chorus. Nearing the end of the track, we are taken aback to experience a bridge which seems heavily influenced by TATU‘s All The Things She Said in terms of melody.
Fore leaps back in with their iconic synthesizer sound, creating a midway instrumental track and preparing us for what’s still to come. Shadow is up next, in which ICON FOR HIRE teamed up with Keith Wallen from BREAKING BENJAMIN to form the perfect song structure. All about self love and acceptance, Bloomer herself said this about Shadow: “I wanted to make a song about the ugly part of ourselves, our ego, that we try to suppress. What if instead we embraced and accepted all parts of ourselves?” This is most definitely one of the best tracks on the album, containing relatable themes that we all need to learn from.
Emo Dreams injects some personality into the release, with Bloomer‘s use of puns and the continuation of her fantastic rap influenced vocals. This is another brilliant song which discusses the negative factors of fame and maintaining a ‘superstar’ status. Interference is a short interlude, only coming in at 8 seconds, but it is still very effective.
Gatekeepers is another honest and truthful song about gatekeeping in a modern society, with Bloomer‘s vocal style getting increasingly heavy throughout, not to mention the thundering hard rock instrumentals. All I See Is Darkness is a realistic song concerning the topic of mental health and how Bloomer is struggling mentally speaking. Sunflower is in a similar vein, with Bloomer comparing her current state of mind to that of a sunflower and “not being able to bloom” as a result of what she’s experiencing. This song is a pleasant change from the fast paced and ferocious nature of the rest of the album, with Bloomer even hinting at going through Seasonal Affective Disorder at the time of writing and recording. Diseased begins with a catchy vocal hook which is just so replayable. This feeds into the rest of the track, with Bloomer admitting that “we are all diseased” and therefore declaring a war, emulating a cult-like nature. The last song is Messed Up, which expresses Bloomer‘s ongoing battle with self-acceptance and self-love. It is comforting to feel as though you can relate in some way, feeling like you aren’t alone in the process – a cracking final track.
We would go as far to say that this is ICON FOR HIRE‘s best body of work to date. It is fantastic to see the band constantly evolving musically as well as personally, almost removing themselves from the pop-punk-inspired sound they emulated back in the early years. We are more than excited to see what is to come from the band in the future if this album is anything to go by.
Rating: 8/10
The Reckoning is set for release on September 9th via Kartel Music Group.
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