More than two years after the lauded announcement of their reunion NONE MORE BLACK
have ended the seemingly interminable wait for new material with the promised full-length
Icons. Never has something so unassailably delivered on the clichéd notion of “worth the
wait”. Icons sees the band’s sound progress to a stratum few other artists ever reach. Constructed
on a backbone of punk rock learned in former bands (Kid Dynamite, Kill Your Idols,
New Mexican Disaster Squad), the songs on Icons flourish into something much more dramatic.
The gruff intonations and captivating melodies that have become Jason Shevchuk’s
hallmark are complemented by a complex layering of ambitious instrumentation, which, when
brought together, achieve a nearly indescribable result. One moment the listener is thrust into
a maelstrom of heavy guitars and frenzied rhythms, and the very next is pacified by a reflective
reprieve. All of this is accented with innovative backing vocals and thoughtful, yet frank
lyrics. Although at times it seems that all the varied elements verge on becoming too chaotic,
NONE MORE BLACK masterfully wrangles them into a sustainable structure that in the end is
far more rewarding than simple formulaic songs littering the genre. Icons is truly unique in its
arrangement and execution and will obliterate the expectations of NONE MORE BLACK’s longeager
fans and critics alike.
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