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“Warning: Pregnant women and people with heart ailments should avoid this ride.” —The Icarus Line
“The Icarus Line’s live show is like seeing Satan have a temper tantrum.” —random witness to the Red And Black Attack.
“[They’re] an almighty racket from L.A. that sounds like At The Drive-In throwing heavy things at The Jesus Lizard while The Stooges keep the cops busy outside.” —British music bible NME.
The above is merely a sampling of the many colorful things that have been said and written about (and by) the five-man riot known as The Icarus Line, a hardcore wrecking crew that’s as good an argument as any that the best punk rock might come from the City of Angels, after all. Clad in black pants, black shirts, and razor-sharp red ties—with a sound and aesthetic located somewhere between The Murder City Devils and Drive Like Jehu—the self-anointed Red And Black Attack has been bleeding audiences up and down the West Coast for the better part of six years via a stage show that can only be described as violent. Really, really violent. Jesus . . .
Relentless touring, a handful of Hellcat and Buddyhead singles, the New American Dream EP, last year’s mind-blowing debut long player, Mono . . . it’s all come down to this, the outfit’s major-label bow—a gleaming badass called Penance Soiree. Exactly what kind of album is Penance Soiree? It’s a baker’s dozen tracks designed to make Good Charlotte and the rest of the TRL-approved “punk” set cry for their mothers upon impact. The opening cut, “Up Against The Wall Motherfuckers,” sets the agenda—sheets of feedback and caveman rhythms give way to a slithering, Sticky Fingers-era Stones groove, while front man Joe Cardamone spits and barks like the Iggy heir that he is. And while “Getting Bright At Night” and “Sea Sick” venture into pummeling space-rock, and “Spike Island” drops to its knees for three of the most menacing minutes in recent memory, Penance Soiree is first and foremost an unyielding slab of primal punk—with enough pop hooks thrown in along the way to keep radio and MTV begging for more. Enjoy.
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| —Steven Chean |
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