Here are some more reviews for The Icarus Line’s new album – Slave Vows:
Pop Matters – 9/10
An eminently powerful work of rock ‘n’ roll from start to finish, ‘Slave Vows’ hasn’t saved the soul of rock music, but it sure as hell has revitalized it.
Drowned in Sound – 9/10
‘Slave Vows’ is – easily the finest guitar album The Icarus Line have produced since Aaron North precariously sprinted across a row of trembling amps to crash out the window and join Nine Inch Nails in 2005.
ContactMusic – 8/10
By now most would presume that ‘Penance Soiree’, their second full-length in 2004, would be their magnum opus unchallenged as they drifted into total darkness. Then along comes ‘Slave Vows’.
CraveOnline – 8/10
Sure they still rock a “look”, but with ‘Slave Vows’ they have musical balls to swing at anybody giving them a hard time.
Clash – 8/10
A passionate, purposeful and wonderfully presented collection of combustive rock songs.
Even though Slave Vows has been mostly receiving glowing appraisals from critics, as with any work however, there are always a few naysayers. With this being said, Treble Zine seems to be the only website (that I can find) that is of the opinion that “after years of rowdy art-punk, The Icarus Line is having trouble moving forward on their latest album.”
So all in all: Slave Vows comes across as being quite a good album.
EDIT: I will continue to post reviews below as and when I find them:
StereoBoard – 4/5
Very few recent punk records have sustained such an air of brooding menace as ‘Slave Vows’, and the extended format undoubtedly suits Cardamone. The hooks are buried deeper than they were in the band’s early days, but when they wrestle them free from the feedback, they hit just as hard.
Happy Days Music – 10/10
Unless something amazing gets released in the second half of 2013, I’ve found my album of the year.