There is simply no one as innovative musically on the scene today as Icons of Industry. I love many artists and bands, but I do not think anyone is exploring as vast a musical landscape as Icons, and two of their forthcoming songs, which I was fortunate to hear early, prove that.
Heavy Locust
The first ten seconds of this track are ethereal and hearken back to a groove from the '60s, but then the band opens up into a hard rock bit that would have been at home in the '70s. The lyrics, which reference the plague of locusts sent by God when the nation of Israel was enslaved in Egypt, are not what one would expect in a rock song, but then a chorus with words like "Bop shoo-op, do-bee do-bop" are not your ordinary fare, either. So what, in the land of the Nile, is going on here?
Listen to "Heavy Locust."
What's going on here is truly inventive musical composition, killer chops, provocative lyrics, and razor-sharp production. Not many bands are capable of producing a song that would work fine as background music at a party, that would serve as something that causes you to reflect on your life and place in the world, and that would give the true music lover grown jaded by corporate-driven and AI-fabricated nonsense to sit up and say with a delighted surprise, "I think I actually like music again!" Icons of Industry has done exactly that with "Heavy Locust."
Eloquence
The second new track opens again with an absolutely ethereal feel. There is even harp courtesy of harpist Sarah Hall, if you can believe it. Roberto Montoya has a voice that should go on the Mount Rushmore of vocalists alongside the likes of Dio, Morrison, and Benatar. This is not to say his voice is like theirs any more than that theirs are like each other's, but what he shares with them is a purity and emotional drive that delivers a song. He does not just sing. He delivers the lyrics, and the lyrics, just as with "Heavy Locust" prompt deep thought and reflection.
Listen to "Eloquence."
Bottom Line
If you are the kind of music lover who likes to hear how artists push the edge of the envelope, not just for the sake of being avant-garde, but because they are living out the full creative impulse with with our infinitely creative God has imbued them, then Icons of Industry is truly the band for you. Commercialized slop will always rule the airwaves, so give this band a listen and just as importantly, share their music with other aficionados just like you.