Four of the most influential Goth albums of the late 1990s/early 2000s are set for reissue in a new box set, as IKON unveil the aptly-titled Resonance – An Anthology 1998-2009.
The second in the Australian band’s series of career-spanning box sets, the set begins with their third album. This Quiet Earth (1998) was written, says frontman Chris McCarter, as a reaction to “the constant comparison to Joy Division” that the band had hitherto received. “l wanted to move away from guitar based tracks, he continues, and “as soon as ‘Subversion’, was written, l knew it had to be the first single from the album.”
A Top 5 hit in the German alternative charts (a second single, “Ghost In My Head,” quicky followed it) “Subversion” also helped This Quiet Earth, too, into the upper echelons of those charts. The album’s unexpected popularity also prompted McCarter to put together a new live band, and begin work, too, on a new album.
“I was always fascinated with Egypt from a young age and decided on the title On the Edge of Forever,” says McCarter, recalling how new songs entered the band’s live repertoire long before recording commenced – which in turn gave the album an electrifying cohesion and a surprising outlook. “Going back to the band format, it was clear that doing a rock album was the right path to follow, after going down the electronic route.”
Released in 2001, In The Edge of Forever spun off three singles, “The Shallow Sea,” “Blue Snow Red Rain” and “Afterlife,” and is often described as the band’s finest release yet. It was not, however, to retain that title for long.
Buoyed, again, by three singles, “Psychic Vampire,” “Rome” and “Without Shadows,” 2005’s Destroying The World To Save It was heavily flavored by McCarter’s vision of the ways in which the world had changed post 9/11. “My experience from all the [touring], seeing peoples’ true faces, was something I was able to express in the songwriting.
“l had really developed my singing and a new confidence there. I also got to see first hand the fans all over Europe and knew the direction I wanted to go in.” In concert, “Psychic Vampire’” was to remain Ikon’s closing number for the next 18 years!
The final album in this collection, 2009’s Love, Hate & Sorrow, continued in the same vein as its predecessor – indeed, McCarter admits he started recording it in 2006, intending an immediate follow-up. “However, the creativity was flowing so well, l kept recording through out that year. l was trying to make the perfect album, or what was perfect to me.”
Two singles teased the album, “A Line on a Dark Day,” “which continued the 9/11 theme of Destroying The World To Save It,” and “Amongst The Runes.” Two further singles followed the album’s eventual release, “Torn Apart” and “Driftwood,” and McCarter happily recalls the reviews which described the CD as “ the most complete IKON album to date.”
Reflecting upon this entire period, McCarter acknowledges, “l grew so much as a person. Getting to travel around the world, meeting fans first hand, was inspiring in continuing on with writing and recording for so long. I also got to be able to do everything the way l wanted to, which a lot of artists aren’t able to do. I’m so happy with the way my writing had progressed and the things we were able to achieve, with different people coming in for parts of the journey on the way.”
He is proud, too, of Resonance – An Anthology 1998-2009. The box set, he continues, “shows just how much the band has grown from that period and how different each release is. I do feel there is a constant redline though, connecting them as I constantly explore and express the emotions and experiences in life, through the lens of the band IKON!”
Resonance – An Anthology 1998-2009 is released on March 13. That same day also sees the first US and European vinyl pressing of This Quiet Earth.
Not content to merely revisit the past. though, McCarter is also simultaneously deploying a powerful new EP, Marian, mapping out the ways in which he has transformed his past muse into a forward-looking vision. The EP all acts as a sort of tribute to Wayne Hussey (who Chris says is “a huge influence on my life”); featuring one Sisters Of Mercy track (“Marian”) and one Mission track (“Stay With Me”) as well as two new interpretations of IKON classics.
RESONANCE TRACK LISTING
DISC 1
1. Departure
2. Subversion
3. Loving The Enemy
4. Temple Of Light
5. Ghost In My Head
6. In Faith
7. My Shadow Of Selfishness
8. The Shattered Mirror
9. A Day That Passed
10. Voice Of The Sun
11. Beginning Of The End
12. This Quiet Earth
13. Overcome
14. Communion
15. Time And Illusion
16. In Too Deep
1. Departure
2. Subversion
3. Loving The Enemy
4. Temple Of Light
5. Ghost In My Head
6. In Faith
7. My Shadow Of Selfishness
8. The Shattered Mirror
9. A Day That Passed
10. Voice Of The Sun
11. Beginning Of The End
12. This Quiet Earth
13. Overcome
14. Communion
15. Time And Illusion
16. In Too Deep
DISC 2
1. King Of Terror
2. The Shallow Sea
3. Wheels In Motion
4. Stone Frailty
5. Fine Line
6. Apparition
7. The Wish
8. An Act Of Fate
9. Blue Snow Red Rain
10. Distance
11. Afterlife
12. World Beneath The Sand
13. On The Edge Of Forever
14. As I Recall
15. Elohim
16. Anxiety
DISC 3
1. Never Forgive! Never Forget!
2. The Dying Crown
3. Without Shadows
4. God Has Fallen From The Sky
5. Psychic Vampire
6. Father Of Lies
7. Ashes Of Blue
8. Rome
9. My Crucible
10. Heresy
11. Slaughter (For The Glory Of Christ And The King)
12. Path Of The Unknown
13. The Black Goat Of Judas
14. Hiding In Waiting
15. Understanding
16. Confused Dreams
17. Seconds
DISC 4
1. A Line on a Dark Day
2. Before the Dawn
3. Torn Apart
4. Memoirs of a Butterfly
5. Winter Mourning
6. Beautiful Sadness
7. Amongst the Runes
8. Love, Hate and Sorrow
9. Dead Man Tomorrow
10. All Depths of Despair
11. Point Of No Return
12. Driftwood
13. Broken Windows To The Soul
14. Nowhere To Turn
15. Hindsight
16. Disenchanted Lullaby