Album Review: Iconic - Second Skin

Do names matter? That's the question we're going to try to answer today, as this record from the new 'band' Iconic puts that front-and-center. What we have here is Nathan James from Inglorious, but this time paired with Michael Sweet of Stryper, and Joel Hoekstra of many bands, as the guitar players. Inglorious has been making great records as of late, despite lineup changes and anonymity beyond James himself. Does changing them out for two guys with more name recognition make for better music? Well...

The answer to that is going to depend on what you go into this wanting to hear. With two guitar players from the 80s metal world, the music on this album is far more in that style than what Inglorious has always offered. Hoekstra shreds many of his solos, the riffing doesn't have the bluesy swagger Inglorious sometimes does, and Sweet can't resist taking some of the lead vocals for himself, despite having at least three other projects where he is the frontman.

I've only heard James' voice in the context of bluesy rock, so hearing him do this more metallic sound is a bit uncomfortable. He's trying to sing with his usual soul, but the music is more robotic and rigid. They don't quite jibe, and it feels like what has always been special about him is tamped down by this band's approach. Not every singer is able to sing every style, or at least they don't sound like they fit them all as well, and that is the biggest takewaway from listening to this record.

In places, it feels like James is singing a Stryper record, which shouldn't be much of a surprise. Sweet's influence is the defining factor of the album, as this sounds like every other record he has made during this productive stretch of his career. I thought having him being just a guitar player might allow him to try something different, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I get why this group was put together (or maybe I don't - are there really many people who know and love Sweet or Hoekstra so much they would buy this just because of their presence?), but throwing people together just for the sake of names isn't good enough. Sure, there are a few good songs on this record. I wouldn't deny that "Worlds Apart" is indeed a fine track, but as a whole this record isn't nearly as strong as either of the last two Inglorious albums, despite being made by two completely different bands.

When "All About" is able to finally capture a bit of that bluesy sound, James sounds more natural, and the song has a much stronger melodic appeal. The first half of the record has more of Sweet's influence, and things definitely improve once that gets reduced in the second half. That said, it still doesn't improve to the level of Inglorious. So the main takeaway here is that even when they are doing their best, I've still heard better.

Iconic does have potential, but it requires a dedication to focusing on highlighting their strengths. They don't do that all the way through this record. There's enough good here to give the record a chance, but I would tell you to go listen to Inglorious' "We Will Rise" instead. This record is looking up at that one.