Yet this is a band that occupies a heavier and darker end of the traditional metal spectrum, relying upon a mixture of hard-hitting riff work, melodic guitar hooks and a pummeling rhythm section, and generally avoiding the dense and smoother keyboard layering. In many respects, it is a band that conforms perfectly to the past and present roster of Frontiers Records, building upon the classic heavy metal and hard rock templates that have been a consistent staple of label president Serafino Perugino’s direction. The choice of the moniker Icon Of Sin for both the project’s name, as well as its debut LP is an appropriate one, drawing upon the forbidding imagery of an ultimate adversary as the one at the tail end of the second installment of the Doom first person shooter game that shares the same title. Combining the denser and roaring character of Dickinson’s post-reunion stylings with semi-frequent flourishes of the old days when Bruce was shattering glass during Maiden’s mid-80s heyday, Mendes has proven himself to be far more than a mere imitator turned tribute artist, and it was only a matter of time before original material would begin to flow from this up and comer.
Such is the story of Brazilian vocalist turned YouTube star Raphael Mendes, whose glorious covers of various classic metal anthems dubbed the “What if Bruce Dickinson sang in other bands” series have become all but ubiquitous in online circles.
In this present age of internet-based celebrity, there is a certain satisfaction in seeing a promising new player in the metal realm going viral, a disposition normally reserved to the latest pop or rap sensation. Though the manner in which an artist rises to prominence may have changed, the art itself tends to stay mostly the same for both those whom create it and consume it.