Goodbye Cruel World

Icarus Witch is a band that truly slid under my radar for a long time. Having spent all my life in the Baltimore area, I was very much entrenched in the Mid Atlantic metal scene. The Pittsburgh scene was a bit foreign to me. Being in the area now for a little over eight years I’ve come to find that there is quite a cool scene here. My discovery of Icarus Witch came by way of seeing the Witch’s new singer, the amazing Andrew D’Cagna, put on an awsome show with his project Ironflame. That meeting and contact with Icarus Witch’s former vocalist, Matthew Bizilia, in regard to his project Habitual Sins made me realize that I had been missing out on some great traditional metal. Then came the announcement that D’Cagna (whose voice is just true metal magic) was now the singer for Icarus Witch. That announcement included a video of the title track of their new album, Goodbye Cruel World. I knew the album would be a true metal gem.

That title track is the album opener and an extremely strong song. It’s melodic and almost prog metal sounding. I felt it reminded me of Anubis Gate’s more recent material. The riffs are clean and tight and the solos are killer. Having seen guitarist, Quinn Lukas, shred it up with Ironflame I was expecting some top notch guitar work and that’s what’s happening here. “The Flood” is a prime example. It’s an instrumental that begins with clean guitar with heavy reverb and the bass kinda being really melodic and trans-like. That trans is broken by some heavy as fuck metal riffs. The dual lead riffing throughout the song is brilliant. Then comes the shredding….I’m picky about instrumental metal tunes but this one is exactly how it should be. It also provides an awesome segue way to “Silence of the Sirens,” a seriously melodic number with a really catchy chorus; especially towards the end where D’Cagna’s vocal magic is on display.

The first three songs on this album, the holy trinity if you will, is worth getting this album in and of themselves. I already went into the opening title track and it being melodic yet powerful but it’s the follow up,”Misfortune Teller,” that takes that power and runs with it. This song has 80s metal written all over it while being a powerful modern metal song. Catchy riffs, soaring vocals, shredding solos; these guys are not reinventing the wheel here, they’re just making fun as fuck heavy metal that brings back that same feeling I got when I first heard Priest or Maiden. “Lightning Strikes” reminds me of something Y&T would have put out. Upbeat melodic metal just oozing of melody. This song straddles the fence between metal and arena rock and that is actually part of the magic here. The addition of Andrew D’Cagna was a genius move on their part. This guy can sing anything. His soaring vocals on “Through Your Eyes” are clean and melodic. This song was a grower for me but has since become one of my favorites on the alum.

The anticipation for this release was huge and the end result is exactly what I was expecting. This album is fun, catchy, melodic metal with huge hooks. I’m just beginning to familiarize myself with this band’s back catalog but right now this album is in heavy rotation. “Goodbye Cruel World” is exactly the kind of album we need to help keep the metal flame glowing.


The Elitist Metalhead

When I was a teenager in the mid-2000s, Icarus Witch was one of the first underground metal bands I ever discovered. I always appreciated the Pittsburgh group’s mid-tempo, occult-minded take on old school metal, even if it could be an acquired taste at times. The fact that Goodbye Cruel World is the band’s first full-length album in six years would be enough to tickle my nostalgia, but the stakes have been raised dramatically with the recruitment of the insanely talented (and prolific) Andrew D’Cagna for vocal duties.

Newcomers will likely draw comparisons to Ironflame or Brimstone Coven, but Goodbye Cruel World picks up where 2012’s Rise left off. It utilizes a similar AOR metal style, as their Maiden/Queensryche-inspired guitar work serves as a mid-tempo foundation for soaring vocal harmonies. The title track provides the best example of these tropes at work thanks to its explosive start and swift yet catchy transitions.

Considering how Rise used these elements with rather vanilla results, it’s a relief that Icarus Witch remembered to incorporate their pagan roots this time around. “Through Your Eyes” stands out in this regard as its building chugs and ominous air would help fit right in on Draw Down the Moon or Songs for the Lost. Adventurous territory is further explored with the instrumental gallops of “The Flood,” the spooky tinge of “Possessed by You,” and the subdued duet with guest vocalist Katharine Blake on “Antivenom.”

But while there is a mix of old ideas, the attitude-laden musicianship helps set this album apart from anything the band has done before. A lot of this could be attributed to the new blood, as D’Cagna offers consistent charisma while session drummer Jon Rice’s performance offers subtle hints at his extreme metal roots. Thankfully the group’s core members can keep up as bassist/founder Jason Myers remains as prominent as that Steve Harris influence suggests and Quinn Lukas holds down the fort well as the album’s sole guitarist.

Overall, Icarus Witch’s fifth full-length album is a good balance of the band’s signature elements reinvigorated by what may be their strongest lineup to date. The songwriting isn’t quite top tier but it’s refreshing to see their unique yet familiar style in such a varied fashion. This is a declarative statement of return, but I think there’s something even greater in the horizon. In the meantime, I’m glad to have them back and I hope the core is able to keep it together.

Highlights:
“Goodbye Cruel World”
“Through Your Eyes”
“Antivenom”

Originally published at http://indymetalvault.com