Band:	Icon & The Black Roses
Album:	Icon & The Black Roses
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	June 15, 2004
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Black Rose
02. Endless
03. Crucify Your Love
04. Dreams And Silver Tears
05. Angel
06. Remember
07. Sweetest Emptiness Of Love
08. Black Cage
09. Who Do You Hurt Now?
10. Running Up That Hill [Kate Bush cover]
11. Set Me On Fire
12. Diamond Baby

Yes, you're right, just by reading the genre you almost can imagine how this will sound.
The similarities with Finland's HIM is gigantic, the music is HIM and the singer even breath in the songs like Ville does, it's just in the lyrics we can find a little difference, but it's very small.
So if you don't like HIM, then I thank you for reading this far, but you can leave now, you won't find anything here for you.

Icon was formed back in 1999, under the name Blue Obsession, and it was the vocalist Joao Da Silva (Aka Johnny Icon) and the drummer at that time, Miguel Da Silva Casais that did that.
They completed the band with Claudio De Pina (Keyboards), José Da Silva Sales (Bass) and Bruno Raimundo (Guitars). After a lot of rehearsals Icon & the Black Roses was born.
And this album is their debut, and it was released this spring through the smaller German gothic label Dark Wings.

As I mention, HIM is a big inspiration here, and I would guess that they listened a lot on HIM before writing their own music, and I wouldn't be very surprised if someone said that Johnny got Ville Valo as his big idol.
Musically it's also very HIM inspired, typical Finnish Gothic, mellow mid-tempo songs and ballads with the typical whining guitars.

But don't misunderstand me, this is kinda good, all songs are very well written and the guys in the band are very talent. But the lack of originality and the fact that Johnny sounds too much like Ville is devastating. They will remain to be compared with HIM and probably not get a chance to stand on their own legs, if they don't starts to develop to the nest album.

If you manager to overlook the fact that they almost copying HIM, you'll get yourself a really good album, with good song like "Crucify Your Love", that's got a haunting chorus, "Remember", with beautiful female vocals and good lyric, "Sweetest Emptiness of Love", maybe the most emotional song, and "Running up that Hill", a perfect and beautiful Kate Bush cover, much better than Within Temptations version.

If you live and breathe HIM, this is something you can't afford to miss; this is all you need besides HIM.
For all others that might read this, consider what you think if HIM, you like them? Well, then it's possible that you'll find another band you'll like here.
But if you don't like HIM, don't even bother about this because you won't like it.

Check Out: "Crucify Your Love", "Remember", "Sweetest Emptiness of Love" & "Running up That Hill".