CoC : Ikon - On the Edge of Forever : Review

Ikon - _On the Edge of Forever_
(Metropolis, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)

Strong, stalwart goth rock is what Ikon lays on the cheerless masses with textures of despondency caked on in liberal strokes. Incredible song structures comprise _On the Edge of Forever_ from start to finish. Hailed as the die-hard cross-bearer of the Ikon heritage, Chris McCarter (vocals, guitars, keyboards) works a nice wreathe of clean vocals, sounding at times like The Jesus and Mary Chain or Clan of Xymox, and instrumentation communicating a flushed out, sullen message. This Australian enigma known as Ikon has an inexorably powerful sound pulling musical edifices off ever-so-lightly from Egyptian culture, blurring the point of knowing for sure whether Ikon is talking about the ancient pharaohs or you. Clocking in at over fifty minutes of preeminent goth rock, _On the Edge of Forever_ is as curious as the Sphinx and prying as the thieves of Giza. While inspired from onset to conclusion, the treasure in my mind is just before the finish of the disc. "Afterlife" and "World Beneath the Sand" are positioned so perfectly as closing tracks, Imhotep's architectural prowess could not have placed them any better.

(article published 13/5/2001)