Monstrous new hard rock group, Iconic featuring Michael Sweet (guitars), Joel Hoekstra (guitars), Marco Mendoza (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), and Nathan James (vocals) have released their latest single “Fast As You Can“.
Michael Sweet, known for his work as guitarist/vocalist for the legendary heavy metal band Stryper, and his solo work, with his instantly recognizable voice and guitar style is really a name that needs no introduction to the hard rock faithful. Joel Hoekstra, currently of Whitesnake and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, is one of hard rock’s premiere guitarists, whose fretwork is regularly praised and admired. Marco Mendoza’s resume really speaks for itself (Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, The Dead Daisies, Journey, and so on) and the legendary bassist shines, as he always does, here. Tommy Aldridge, currently of Whitesnake, has also played with Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, and Black Oak Arkansas, among others, and is considered one of the greatest hard rock drummers of all-time. And handling lead vocals is none other than Inglorious’ Nathan James, a young talent whose vocal style is a fitting, proper descendent of rock’s vocal legends of the ’70s.
Iconic was born from an idea conceived by Serafino Perugino, President & Head of A&R for Frontiers. He wanted to surround the talents of powerhouse vocalist Nathan James with established musicians from the rock and metal world to play a musical style in the vein of classic ’80s hard rock. He immediately thought of Michael Sweet and Joel Hoekstra for the guitars, since they have been kicking around the idea of working together for a few years. Plus, Nathan and Joel were friends from their time in Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Sweet had become a fan of Nathan’s vocals after hearing Inglorious. With the musical direction set and two wildly skilled guitar players on board, getting a powerhouse rhythm section involved was the final key ingredient and thus Mendoza and Aldridge were asked to join and brought their immense talent into the fold.
