Some heavy rock and a lot of music that can be tagged as metal often owe a lot to the classical world. That might seem like a bold claim, but if you listen to “Ikarus,” the latest single from Third Man Syndrome, you will see what I mean. Genres become meaningless in the face of this heady blend of sounds, just as the term classical music has to be stretched to its limits to include both Wagner’s epic flights of bombast and power and Debussy’s delicate piano pieces.
“Ikarus” feels like a miniature symphony in its own right, taking the idea of post-rock’s avoidance of traditional song structure to a fantastic conclusion. Layers of guitar textures run over a remarkably unfussy but brilliantly functional beat, sometimes heading into sky-searing crescendoes, occasionally swooping into more considered and restrained sonic lowlands, but constantly evolving, always exploring different moods and moments, smart dynamics and new potential.
Without lyrics to guide us, and only the title and, hopefully, a knowledge of the story of Ikarus to help us on our way, it is the music that takes us with it on its journey from earth-bound prison to flights of freedom and finally disaster, the story in itself a metaphor for the dangers of hubris and ambition.
Sometimes, you can say so much more with music than you can with mere words. This is undoubtedly one of those times.
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