Kris Norris is the former lead guitarist for extreme metal band Darkest Hour, and Icons of the Illogical is the debut for his new, mostly instrumental outfit, The Kris Norris Projekt. Even though the band's label is Magna Carta, if you are familiar with Norris' former band, you wouldn't necessarily expect some of the wild sounds here, much of which falls into the progressive metal style more than anything else. Rounding out the line-up here is Dave Gibson on drums, Dave Fugman on bass, and guest vocals on two tracks courtesty of Lamb of God's Randy Blythe.
Comprised of mostly guitar heavy instrumentals, Icons of the Illogical is surprisingly catchy and melodic, some of the arrangements complex at times, featuring ripping guitar solos and crunchy riffs. The production & mixing was done by Norris and Cory Smoot from GWAR, and the results are crackling with power, the guitars sounding absolutely huge on tracks like "The Law of Falling Bodies", "Everything Expires", and "The Hegelian Principle". Death metal fans will love the ferocious sounds of "Ghostly Shell Removal" and "Remaining Foolish", the two songs featuring Blythe, who brings his intense growls to these pummeling metal tracks. Other highlights include the guitar acrobatics on "The Condition of Being Bored", the maximum riffage that is "A Shift in Normalcy", and the galloping "Regression of the Ictus", the latter sees Gibson firing off a torrent of jackhammer rhythms throughout.
If you appreciate the heavier end of the instrumental metal spectrum, Icons of the Illogical should be at the top of your shopping list. Here's hoping Kris Norris decides to do more of this type of thing in the near future.
Track Listing
- The Law of Falling Bodies
- Everything Expires
- The Hegelian Principles
- Lament, Requiem, Threnody
- Ghostly Shell Removal
- Wound of Amfortas
- The Condition of Being Bored
- A Shift in Normalcy
- The Bowman's Friendship
- Regression of the Ictus
- Palindrome
- Remaining Foolish
- The Brotherhood of Melancholy
- Servants of Sadness
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