What do you get when you get when you throw Michael Sweet (Stryper), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, Cher, Night Ranger), Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Black Oak Arkansas, Thin Lizzy), Marco Mendoza (The Dead Daisies, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Blue Murder), and Nathan James (Inglorious) into a studio? You get blistering rock the way rock was intended to be! As a huge fan of these bands, there was simply no way I was not going to love what Iconic produced, and when they released their first song "Nowhere To Run" from the forthcoming album Second Skin on Frontiers Records, I was not disappointed. Actually, I was. I was disappointed I couldn't get any more work done because I had to keep listening to this song over and over!
The Music
Hoekstra and Sweet on the six-string attack...what more could you possibly want? These guys have worked together on some of Michael Sweet's solo projects, and theirs were always the finest tracks on those albums. I have had the pleasure of interviewing both axe slingers on my podcast The Wildman & Steve Show, and I can tell you that they are true professionals who continue to dedicate endless hours to getting better at their craft. Take one listen to "Nowhere To Run," and you will agree. Their frantic fretwork is fierce, which is just what the doctor ordered.
Moving to the foundation of the sound we get to Tommy Aldridge, one of the all-time greatest drummers in rock, and Marco Mendoza. Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You could isolate just the drum and bass tracks and you would STILL have a killer piece of music! These two guys are having FUN, and it comes through in the blistering rhythm section of this band. And while we're on it, let's just say a word about the overall sound. This thing is mixed perfectly! You hear it all, and every lick, every drum beat, every note is crystal clear.
Finally we get to Nathan James. This man was born to sing the kind of bluesy rock and metal that made the '70s and '80s...well...the '70s and '80s. I keep coming back to the words "fierce" and "aggressive," and that is what you get when James grabs the microphone as well as your attention. His voice has grit, but he does not produce the kind of guttural growl that obscures lyrics. Put simply, he can SING!
The Video
Rock music is a visual artform. From the over-the-top stage antics of bands to their sets and costumes, there is a visual element that goes with the music that just makes everything so much fun, and that is front and center in this video. This would have gone straight to the top of Headbangers Ball back in the heyday of MTV. It starts out with bubbling lava and the band members in silhouette, for heaven's sake! Can a video get much more metal? The other word that keeps coming to mind is "fun." Tommy is having the time of his life, and if you look closely, Marco can barely keep a smile from spreading over his face. Nathan is a great front man in this video with a presence that matches his voice. As for our six-string warriors, Joel and Michael are every inch the metal warriors. Does Joel need sunglasses in the darkened room of the video? No, and that's why he looks so cool wearing them! And Michael...yes, he did have eye surgery not long before the video was made, hence the eyepatch, but as for a look, it gives him the appearance of a heavy metal pirate, and those are always two things that go together.
Bottom Line
If the rest of the songs on Second Skin are anything like "Nowhere To Run," we just may be in for a true metal renaissance!
Second Skin, Frontiers Records
June 17, 2022
Pre-order on all platforms at https://orcd.co/secondskin.
