Ikon is a band from

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

. Ikon blends

darkwave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

music, following the footsteps of influences such as

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

and early New Order.

History

Chris McCarter (vocals, guitar, programming) and Dino Molinaro (bass) began to write songs as high school students in 1988, inspired by their love of alternative music. In 1991, the original band name Death in the Dark was replaced by Ikon. The band’s original singer Michael Carrodus joined them in creating the first two albums ''In the Shadow of the Angel'' (1994) and ''Flowers for the Gathering'' (1996), which drew Ikon to the attention of goth music fans in Europe and America through their signing to Apollyon and Metropolis. Music journalist Mick Mercer called them "pioneers in the Gothic genre". The band continued to evolve in musical style after the departure of Carrodus in 1997. ''This Quiet Earth'' (1998) heralded a development in McCarter’s musical composition, spawning popular singles ''Subversion'' and ''Ghost in My Head''. While the inclusion of electronic elements on the album shook up some fans of the band’s earlier Joy Division-influenced sound, Ikon’s blend of traditional rock with electronics proved original and distinguished them from bands of the era who imitated the first wave of gothic bands. ''On the Edge of Forever'' (2001) ushered in a return to live performance. Drummer David Burns and guitarist Anthony Griffiths (both of whom joined the band in late-1998) were integral to the development of the album, which abandoned the electronic experimentation of ''This Quiet Earth'' and returned to Ikon’s rock roots. Nevertheless, DAC charting singles such as ''The Shallow Sea'' revealed further nuances to the band’s musical capacities, with its acoustic, dreamy melody. The rejuvenated Ikon set out on its first European tour in August 2001, the first of many tours to come, which included a slot at Eurorock and a glimpse of how greatly their music had made an impact on the other side of the world. After this successful tour, the band was invited to play at the

M'era Luna The M'era Luna is a gothic festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EBM. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, ...

festival in 2002, with billing alongside

The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

, HIM,

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball (electronic musician), David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit versio ...

and London After Midnight and then their first of three appearances at

Wave Gotik Treffen The (WGT; German for "Wave Gothic Meeting") is an annual world festival for "dark" music and " dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds (gothic rock, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, neo- ...

in 2003. After this extremely successful period of live international performances, Ikon was once again back to original members McCarter and Molinaro, with Clifford Ennis joining the band for the first time. The band released the highly acclaimed ''Psychic Vampire'' EP (2004), which became the biggest-selling Ikon single to date and marked a transition to a powerful, aggressive rock sound and is a testament to the growth in McCarter’s evolving songwriting, honed during years of touring the world. The EP prepared Ikon for the 2005 LP ''Destroying the World to Save It'', which produced chart successes on both the Native 25 (number 21 Best Album of 2005, debut at number 8, May 2005) and DAC (''Rome'' number 10 on the singles chart). ''Love, Hate and Sorrow'', Ikon’s sixth studio album was released in 2009 and spawned four singles, a DVD single and two video clips. Black Magazin (issue 49) named the first single ''A Line on a Dark Day'' the second-best track of 2008 and the song was also named a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. In 2010, Ikon welcomed back Ennis and Burns. Albums followed in 2014 (''Everyone Everything Everywhere Ends'') and 2024 (''Realm of the Black Sun'').

Discography

Albums

*''Realm of the Black Sun'' (2024) *''Everyone Everything Everywhere Ends'' (2014) *''Love, Hate and Sorrow'' (2009) *''Destroying the World to Save It'' (2005) *''On the Edge of Forever'' (2001) *''This Quiet Earth'' (1998) *''Flowers for the Gathering'' (1996) *''In the Shadow of the Angel'' (1994)

Compilation albums

*'The Complete Recordings 1992-1996' (Cleopatra Records USA 4CD box set 2023) *'The Thirteenth Hour the singles 2007-2020' (Australia 3CD 2020) *'Sketches and Blurred Visions' 1991-1993 (2CD/DVD Australia/Germany 2018) *'Like Sounds Through the Hour Glass'' 1991-2017 (Australia 2016) *''As Time Goes By (The Original Ikon)'' (Germany 2007) *''The Burden of History the Singles 1992-2007'' 2CD ( Germany 2007) *''From Angels to Ashes'' (Australia 2003) *''Dawn of the Ikonoclast 1991-1997'' 2CD (Germany 1999) *''The Final Experience'' (Germany 1997 limited edition) *''A Moment in Time'' ( Germany/USA1995)

Singles

*"Leviathan's Gate" (digital only single 2024) *"Bullroarer" (digital only single 2024) *"Premonition" (digital only single 2024) *"Candle Ice" (digital only single 2024) *"Toxicity" (7" single Australia 2022) *"Silence is Calling" (7" single Australia 2020) *"A Line on a Dark Day" (7" single Australia 2020) *"As Time Goes By" (7" single Australia 2018) *"Gruss Vom Krampus" (7" single Holland 2015) *"Black Noise" (7"/CD/12" single Australia 2015) *"Blood of Love" (7"/CD single Australia 2015) *"Stolen" (7"/CD single Australia 2014) *"I Burn For You" (7"/CD single Australia 2014) *"Azkadelia" (7"/CD single USA 2012) *"Where Do I Go from Here" (7"/CD single Australia 2011) *"Broken Windows" (12" single/CD single USA 2011) *"Torn Apart" (7"/CD single Australia 2010) *"Driftwood" (7"/CD single Australia 2010) *"Amongst the Runes" (7"/CD single Australia 2008) *"League of Nations" (CD Australia 2007) *"Without Shadows" (CD single Australia 2006) *"Rome" (7"/CD single Germany/Australia 2005) *"Death by Dawn" (7" Single Germany 2005) *"I Never Wanted You" ( 7"/CD single Australia 2004) *"Psychic Vampire" (7"/CD single Australia/Germany/Russia 2004) *"Ceremony" (CD single Australia 2003) *"Afterlife" (7"/CD single Australia 2002) *"Blue Snow Red Rain" (7"/10" Single Germany 2001)) *"The Shallow Sea(7"/CD single Germany 2000) *"Lifeless" (7"/CD single Germany 1999) *"Reality Is Lost" (CD single 1999) *"Ghost in My Head" (7"/CD single Australia/Germany 1998) *"Subversion" (7"/CD single Germany/USA 1998) *"Life Without End" (CD single Germany 1996) *"In a Lonely Place" (CD single Germany 1995) *"Condemnation" (7" Single Germany 1995) *"The Echoes of Silence" (7"/CD Single Australia 1993) *"Why" (7" Single Australia 1992)

Members

Current

*Chris McCarter (vocals/guitars/programming) *Dino Molinaro (bass)

Former

*Michael Aliani (aka Carrodus) (vocals) *Anthony Griffiths (guitars/vocals) *Valerios Calocerinos (bass) *Maurice Molella (drums) *Anthony Cornish (guitar) *David Burns (drums) *Clifford Ennis (vocals/guitar)

References

External links

Official Ikon websiteIkon on MySpace.comIkon at Last.fm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikon Victoria (state) musical groups Australian gothic rock groups Musical groups established in 1991 Australian dark wave musical groups Metropolis Records artists 1991 establishments in Australia