When you think of Finland, from a musical perspective at least, you generally tend to name check the heavy hitters; the likes of HIM and NIGHTWISH, and yes, Finland is one of the few countries in the world where rock and metal is predominantly mainstream, but that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom all of the time. Inspired by a mixture of artists including A-HA and NEW ORDER, Helsinki’s ICONCRASH offer up a far softer, electronically driven sound, broadening their appeal outside of the general audience that metal provides with their most recent album; “Inkeroinen”. Let’s give it a spin…
Kicking off with “Zeroes And Ones”, it’s a very upbeat almost 80’s stylised techno-pop track. The soft vocals of Jaani Peuhu are passionately delivered and it’s all sounding very much like SHINY TOY GUNS to some extent, which is a brilliant start. Continuing with the same energetic pop-infused electronica we go straight into “Dangerous”, which really sounds anything but, yet matters not when the track is as catchy as it is. “Doomsday Disco” has elements of early DEPECHE MODE, musically, but as a whole it’s slightly more funk driven at its core, the chorus milking the 80’s style again for all it’s worth, more of a grower this one.
However, tracks such as “Love Like Mercury” do let the album down slightly, if only for how forced Jaani’s vocals sound during the chorus, they sound stretched and frankly, the higher key doesn’t suit him all too well. All of that is cast aside though when we come to “Stockholm”; returning to the jolly dance-along synth-pop style, the album comes back to life with a burst of energy, which can also be said for “Hunters And Lovers”. “Sixty Seconds” is sadly anything but…it is in fact, over seven minutes long and as about as entertaining as a trip to the dentist; a bit much this one. Luckily, we finish on a brighter note, with “We Are The Night” closing the album as it started.
All things considered, having mentioned Finland’s tendency to produce quality rock and metal first and foremost, it’s also worth seeking out artists such as Iconclash. This has all the potential to do very well for its self in more pop orientated markets and should be given the opportunity to do so. [8]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iconcrashgroup
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/inkeroinen-special-edition/id712204902
Kicking off with “Zeroes And Ones”, it’s a very upbeat almost 80’s stylised techno-pop track. The soft vocals of Jaani Peuhu are passionately delivered and it’s all sounding very much like SHINY TOY GUNS to some extent, which is a brilliant start. Continuing with the same energetic pop-infused electronica we go straight into “Dangerous”, which really sounds anything but, yet matters not when the track is as catchy as it is. “Doomsday Disco” has elements of early DEPECHE MODE, musically, but as a whole it’s slightly more funk driven at its core, the chorus milking the 80’s style again for all it’s worth, more of a grower this one.
However, tracks such as “Love Like Mercury” do let the album down slightly, if only for how forced Jaani’s vocals sound during the chorus, they sound stretched and frankly, the higher key doesn’t suit him all too well. All of that is cast aside though when we come to “Stockholm”; returning to the jolly dance-along synth-pop style, the album comes back to life with a burst of energy, which can also be said for “Hunters And Lovers”. “Sixty Seconds” is sadly anything but…it is in fact, over seven minutes long and as about as entertaining as a trip to the dentist; a bit much this one. Luckily, we finish on a brighter note, with “We Are The Night” closing the album as it started.
All things considered, having mentioned Finland’s tendency to produce quality rock and metal first and foremost, it’s also worth seeking out artists such as Iconclash. This has all the potential to do very well for its self in more pop orientated markets and should be given the opportunity to do so. [8]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iconcrashgroup
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/inkeroinen-special-edition/id712204902
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