Music Review: "The Grey EP" by Icon For Hire

Icon For Hire is a new band signed by Tooth & Nail last summer. You can read about them in my New Bands You Should Know: Part 2 segment! They've released two independent EPs, and I'll be reviewing their most recent work, "The Grey" which was released in 2009. Since this is only a 3 song EP, I'm going to try and be as detailed as possible, and hopefully, I won't bore you! Let's begin!

"The Grey" kicks off with "Carried Away", which has a very interesting intro. It's definitely "ear-catching" with an almost Asian sound at the beginning...however....it leads into some rocking guitars and even a yell. Icon for Hire is definitely harder, so if you like hard music, you will like Icon For Hire. The lyrics speak of going through hard times, yet being strong and pulling through. "Carried Away" is overall a decent song, I just find it doesn't break the mold to pieces. The lyrics really pull this song from about a 3 to a 5, and the music fits the song perfectly, it just seems a little too familiar. You know what I mean?


"Fall Apart" is one of my favorite Icon For Hire songs. Ariel's vocals are strong, and the music is also rock solid. "Fall Apart" carries on the theme of never giving up, declaring "Seize our families, take our homes away, we don't fall apart, we don't fall apart!" The only problem I have with this song is the guitar on the verses sounds a bit rough, but perhaps that's the sound they were aiming for. It's not horrendous, but it did catch my attention. The bridge gives us another yell, and it's a little creepy in my opinion, but it actually fills out the song quite nicely. I'm not exactly a fan of screamo, but I try to review cds fairly, regardless of the genre.

Rounding out the EP is another fantastic song, "The Grey". This song is simply AMAZING. The lyrics are really raw and relevant. The theme of this song is how we can be caught in sin, yet in our most horrible times, we are still loved by God. This song isn't quite a ballad, but does slow things down a bit. Ariel's vocals once again shine, and the music is beautiful. It's the perfect closer for the album.



Icon For Hire shows great promise, and I can't wait to hear their new stuff! If you're a fan of Flyleaf, Paramore, I Am Empire, etc, I think you will like Icon for Hire. Even if you don't like those bands, you WILL like Icon For Hire. Trust me. :) Look for their first album on Tooth & Nail July 26th!