FLIGHT OF ICARUS – Terra Nova – review

FLIGHT OF ICARUS – Terra Nova – review
independent

Scary place, the internet. Back in the summer of 2018, I said some vaguely kind things about the self-titled album from Flight of Icarus. And blow me down, if they haven’t hunted me down, in an attempt to persuade me to say something vaguely nice about their new record. Maybe, holing up in a cave in the wilds of Argyll was the sensible option, after all.

Pop / rock from Sweden, if 2018 is to be believed. Gothenburg. 80s style pop. Now, if there’s one thing that the Swedes are good at, it’s heavy fudging metal. But, if there’s two things the Swedes are good at, it’s pop music.

They haven’t been idle, these last seven years. I was the one trying to come to terms with the death of my wife via the medium of exile and alcohol. So, “Cleo” came out in 2021. Not the best of times for a Swedish pop/rock duo to be making their way in the world of music. But that’s all gone now, we’re plague free, and they have returned with Terra Nova.

Obviously, I don’t remember them that well, but they definitely seem to be heavier now than then. According to me, they were polished AOR, a mix of Roxette and Alyson Avenue. Now I’m not claiming that they’re living up to their Iron Maiden inspired name but there’s definitely more heft. In fact, the title track is almost in the symphonic pop / metal vein of The Dark Element. That’s a good thing, in case you’re wondering. I’m told that Oskar Frantzén, one half of the duo dabbled in metal, as a youngster. So makes sense.

Vocalist Elisabeth Särnefält Rösehag is a real gem of a singer, with a clean style that cuts right through. Not every song is a winner but there’s more than enough here to get you spinning the disc more than once. ‘God Bless’ is probably the best of the heavier tunes while the title track and ‘To The Sun (and Back Again)’ definitely had me hitting the repeat button instantly. Or whatever the equivalent is, on the computer music playing hingy. All of which led to “Terra Nova” turning out to be a very pleasant surprise.

https://www.worldoficarus.com/

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.