ICON OF COIL

Album: "Machines Are Us"
Label: Metropolis Records (2004)
Style: EBM / Synth-pop
Songs: 14
A
 

Reviewed by: Darklight

Icon of Coil's first release Serenity is the Devil was a somewhat light and bright techno-pop recording similar to Apoptygma Berzerk. It had a lot of great club hits, but a few extremely slow songs hurt the overall flow of the album. Their second release The Soul is in the Software went in a slightly darker direction sounding less techno-pop and more EBM. Unfortunately, some of the tracks were simply average. And the CD was short only offering nine songs.

Any complaints that I had with their two previous releases are gone on this Machines Are Us CD. There are fourteen songs here, and they're all good. Each one sounds different, and there's not a slow one in the bunch.

The band hasn't really changed their sound or style on this recording. As soon as you hear the first song you will know exactly who you're listening to. But what they've done is combine the sound of their two previous releases into one. There's a blend of aggressive club EBM and upbeat energetic synth-pop. Yes boys and girls, this is that fancy future pop music you've been hearing so much about lately.

The electronic programming is extremely layered as usual. The beats are heavy, the melodies are orchestrated and the vocals are clean and clear sung with power, passion and emotion. Most of the songs are fast paced driven by hard techno/trance type music. The singing is deep in tone with a thick European accent. Think of the vocals from Covenant, but with a little more anger.

What I like most about this CD is the variety it offers. There's a lot of diversity from one song to the next. You're given extremely energetic semi dark and aggressive EBM, fast paced club synth-pop and mid-tempo electro songs throughout this entire recording. Everything is placed in a great order as well.

As with any recording, some tracks stand out more than others. However, that doesnt mean anything is bad here. It's just that some songs really grab hold of you and make you pay attention to them. The songs I really like include: "Remove/Replace", "Existence in Progress", "Faith: Not Important", "Transfer: Complete", "Dead Enough For Life", "Android" and "Pursuit".

The only song that I don't really like on this CD, and could have done without, is "Wiretrip". It's an upbeat funky electro song with silly lyrics. It's not so much that t's a bad song as it's just completely out of place on this CD. It would have worked better as a bonus track or hidden track. Thankfully, it's fairly short, so I can sit through it without skipping it.

If you like Icon of Coil, there's absolutely no reason why you won't enjoy this CD. If you haven't heard Icon of Coil before, this is a good CD to start with as it represents their overall sound very well. However, if you don't like Icon of Coil, this CD probably won't change your mind about them. Because this is definitely Icon of Coil with no drastic changes to their sound. And I'm personally fine with that.

 

Album: "The Soul is in the Software"
Label: Metropolis Records (2002)
Style: EBM
Songs: 10
A

Reviewed by: Darklight

Icon Of Coil exploded onto the industrial/EBM/synth-pop scene with their excellent ‘Serenity Is The Devil’ CD. They were comparable to Apoptygma Berzerk with a slight futuristic techno-pop edge about them. Now they return with another superb full-length release. However, they have changed somewhat over the years. Computer Girl is no longer with the band, and they deliver a much darker image and sound now.

This CD offers extremely layered and textured energetic electronic music with a lot of various sounds, effects and beats all going haywire over dark melodies. The singing is clean and deep with a somewhat rough edge to it that delivers emotion and passion. Some tracks are club hits, while others are a bit more dark and dreary better suited for personal experience. The album delivers a lot of variety with each song standing on its own. There isn’t a bad track here. Each one is just as good as the next for different reasons.

Icon Of Coil quickly became one of my favorite bands with ‘Serenity Is The Devil’. I listened to that CD constantly for a very long time and I still listen to it from time to time now. This follow-up is just as good and won’t be leaving my stereo anytime soon.

 

Album: "Serenity Is The Devil"
Label: Metropolis Records (2000)
Style: EBM
Songs: 10
A

Reviewed by: Darklight

This energetic dance floor packing electronic act out of Norway know exactly how to put a quality EBM CD together. Right from the start with "Activate" this disc pulls you in and keeps you hooked all the way to the end. This music is energized by multiple layering of futuristic electronic programming creating hard driving beats over beautiful synth melodies. The vocals are deep and accented singing both fast paced and melodic. This is high bpm music that is a DJ's dream. Just about every song here could be a club hit. No-one could resist wanting to move to these songs. While almost everything plays at a fast and furious pace, all of the songs can be distinguished from each other with unique programming techniques and catchy chorus'. There are elements of electro-industrial and synth-pop in this music as well. The album does take a break from its usual high energy pace with the tracks "Down On Me" and "Situations Like These". "Down On Me" is a quality song, but is too mellow to be placed on the CD as track four. It should have been the ending song. "Situations Like These" is fine as track seven coming in at a time when a relaxing break is welcomed. It's a beautiul song that is calm with emotional drama and an orchestrated atmosphere layered by mesmerizing female singing. It's actually a shame that her vocals weren't utilized more on this CD as she's an amazing singer with an enchanting voice. Anyway, the rest of the CD is action-packed electronic dance music that packs a powerful punch. If you like bands such as Apoptygma Berzerk and Covenant, you will like this Icon Of Coil release.