From My Collection #38: Icon – Icon

Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. In the history of hard rock and heavy metal, there’s no shortage of bands who would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve hit the big time. One such band was Icon. In 1984, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, and Quiet Riot were dominating the charts and MTV alike. If it were loud, anthemic, and melodic, it was gold. Scratch that…it was platinum! There’s absolutely no reason Icon shouldn’t have been sharing that glory. While the reasons Icon never made it are speculative at best, one thing’s for certain: Their self titled debut should’ve been massive. This essay will attempt to explain why. Now let’s “Rock On…Through the Night”!!!

Like many 80s metal bands, the roots of Icon go back to the previous decade, or 1979 to be exact. The band initially formed as The Schoolboys. Under this moniker, they released a self titled EP that, aside from the closing “Get You Rite Now”, sounds nothing like what they’d become known for. No, this early incarnation has more in common with the quirky power pop of Cheap Trick and Off Broadway. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t executed with the same confidence of said bands either. Surely, Icon would go on to bigger, better, and heavier things.

And they did! After making a name for themselves in their native Phoenix, Arizona, Icon caught the attention of Capitol Records, who’d sign them to a multi-album deal. Not long after, the band released their debut full length, appropriately titled Icon. Although the cover art was rather abstract, Icon bore a cool red logo. Ideally, kids would’ve drawn it on the inside of their textbooks, somewhere between Van Halen and Twisted Sister. They also had “the look” going for them, as seen on the album’s back cover photo…or at least they attempted “the look”. Despite the red and black torn leather wardrobe, some of these dudes look like they’d be more at home in Loverboy than a metal band, but those were the times!

Now onto what matters most: the music! Side A opens with the obligatory anthem, “(Rock On) Through the Night”. I feel at this period in metal, it was contractual obligation to open your album with an over the top anthem that’d get fists pumping, heads banging, and crowds shouting in unison. Quiet Riot had “Metal Health”. Dokken had “Breaking the Chains”. Icon had “(Rock On) Through the Night”! It’s big. It’s powerful. It’s everything you could ask for in terms of unabashed stadium shaking metal. And much like the other two songs I mentioned, once you hear it, you can’t unhear it!

From there, we’re treated to “Killer Machine”: a midtempo rocker that so perfectly balances the hooks and attitude of hard rock with the ironclad edge of metal. The guitar duo of Dan Wexler and John Aquillino drew heavily from the well of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, yet without ever sacrificing the underlying commercial friendly tendencies of the band. Such tendencies were demonstrated on the following track, “On Your Feet”. In fact, it was released as a video single and received minor airplay on MTV. With its simplistic chorus, raucous riffing, and four on the floor rhythm, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a lost Quiet Riot single.

But while Quiet Riot was great at what they did (party metal), they could never pull off a cut as poignant, both lyrically and musically, as “World War”. Okay, that might be a lie because “Breathless” IS flawless, but I digress. Since Orwell’s prophecy of the world becoming a dystopian hellhole in 1984 proved to be untrue, Icon instead sings the lyrics: “We’re in a world war fighting for our lives. It’s a world war in 1994.” And although that proved to be untrue as well, it sure worked in the scope of the song. Side A closes with the moody “Hot Desert Nights”, whose guitar work I always thought to be an Americanized take on Blackmore or Schenker. Maybe it’s just me, but it sure hits hard.

As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the album’s fastest and heaviest cut, “Under My Gun”. I would call it my favorite song on here, but that’s hard to say on an album of bangers. I’ll tell you this much. Every time I hear “Under My Gun”, I crank the volume up to 11, pull out my air guitar, and headbang like there’s no tomorrow. It’s high speed, vicious, and unrelenting; a bone to throw to those of a heavier disposition. The lush and melodic “Iconoclast” serves as the album’s obligatory instrumental break, before transitioning into yet another anthem in “Rock N Roll Maniac”. Unlike “(Rock On) Through the Night” and “On Your Feet”, “Rock N Roll Maniac” has a darker, more intense atmosphere that gives it an extra bite.

The mood lightens on the hedonistic, AC/DC inspired “I’m Alive” (not to be confused with the Cirith Ungol song of the same name), before closing out with a passionate ballad in “It’s Up to You”. I always question bands who close out albums with ballads, especially an album as smoking and killer as this one. However, Icon hits it out of the ballpark with this melodic power ballad that’s equal parts dreamy and excellent. There’s no fabricated sap to be heard here, only pure emotion and soul.

Despite making little to no commercial headway with their debut album, Icon soldiered on through the 80s. Their second album, the equally stellar Night of the Crime (1985), saw the band shift gears from metal to AOR territory, which was ironically foreshadowed on “It’s Up to You”. Singer Stephen Clifford would leave not long after. Jerry Harrison would take over as frontman for two more albums (1987’s independently released A More Perfect Union and 1989’s Right Between the Eyes) and a tour opening for KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, before the band ultimately called it a day in 1990. Subsequent reunion attempts have followed, but nothing to the point of a full blown resurgence (i.e. new music, playing the euro fest circuit, etc.). If this essay helps play a role in that one day becoming a reality, then mission accomplished. Until then, stay “On Your Feet” you “Rock N Roll Maniacs”.