Theicon is a band born in Rome, Italy that offers modern Progressive Rock/Metal sounds with Alternative influences. The debut album “Beyond The Universe Act 1” was released on January 27, 2022 and contains 8 tracks in concept form. First of two chapters, tells the story of Emily and Abe, a couple from Montauk (NY) which has to deal with an illogical twist of fate that brings Emily on another universe, ours. The intro “13 North End Avenue” features intertwining piano arpeggios and effects, while the rhythm session briefly enters the finale. A mixture of Prog and more Heavy sounds open “A Different Sky” which is also the longest track of the album, in which we find the first sung. A dynamic and intense vocal, while the music develops with tempo changes and modern sounds that alternate symphonic parts with harder ones. The riffs are massive and the sound is closer to Metal than Rock, of a Progressive matrix, with a tight drumming in some passages. Excellent vocals and tempo changes, I would have expected an instrumental section, which would have found space in a 9-minute track. Ambient sounds and a crescendo rhythm session open “Anthem.” A track that detaches itself from the Prog sounds with a drumming and sounds steeped in electronics with hints of the 80s, lacks a bit of incisiveness, but the solo in the final is good. “No Unicorns” is a track that increases in intensity with the passing of the minutes, ending with a crescendo. A good vocal rehearsal and interesting melodies on the piano, it takes a while to get to the heart, but the ending reserves the best part for us. A warm vocal on a sweet piano melody and “She Is The One” begins, a good blend of heavy passages and symphonic openings. The vocal is full of pathos, good tempo changes and keyboard orchestrations add a pompous touch to the sound. The shorter track of the “Plastic Sunsets” album features a first part with dreamy atmospheres and a sweet piano, and then halfway increases in intensity. The central part and in the finale closes with a spoken vocal and the sweet notes of the piano. “Reset Day” is a track with almost theatrical features, heavy riffs and a massive dose of orchestrations, creating one of the most intense passages of the disc. The alternation of more symphonic and more powerful apssages is good, with a good instrumental section in the final, and a high-level vocal. This concept closes with “End Of The Line” a particular piece that in the first part offers sweet piano melodies, in the second part sounds and environmental effects up to the end. Some ideas are interesting and some passages of a good level, overall an album with ups and downs in my humble opinion. The story contained in the lyrics is interesting and the vocal evidence is good, some tracks however are not very incisive and do not support intense songwriting. Overall a pleasant and fluent listening, the technique is good both in the music and in the vocals, I expected something more.
Tracklist
01. 13 North End Avenue (01:49)
02. A Different Sky (09:20)
03. Anthem (05:37)
04. No Unicorns (06:22)
05. She Is The One (07:03)
06. Plastic Sunsets (03:57)
07. Reset Day (06:09)
08. End Of The Line (06:10)
Lineup
Daria Simonetti / Lead Vocals
Margherita Palladino / Lead Vocals
Tiziano Bernardini / Lead Vocals
Massimiliano Liburdi / Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Adriano Taccoli / Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Sfx
Luca Fareri / Acoustic and Electric Drums and Percussions
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