ICARUS WITCH return after an absence of almost six-years with a return to form of "Goodbye Cruel World", the follow-up to the 2012 classic "Rise", though apart from the music they have also acquired a new front man in vocalist Andrew D'Cagna, who breathes a new leash of life into the outfit and ICARUS WITCH sound fresh while keeping all the original elements very much intact. This break has been worth the wait as "Goodbye Cruel World" is a staggering work of intense guitar from the title track opener to the strong melodic solos of "Until The Bitter End" the album is hard-driving to the end, old-school influenced and executed with a style that makes even the borderline-cheesy lyrics of "Misfortune Teller" work with incredible intensity,

The band fire on all cylinders as they gather more momentum throughout the album, the scope of the production from the JUDAS PRIEST and QUEENSYRCHE producer Neil Kernon suits the band creating that authentic sound which makes the recording jump out alive from the speakers. The first instrumental is an Indian-based piece called "Mirage", it is very reminiscent of the work done by PAGE AND PLANT in the mid-nineties, without drums it acts an ambient-guitar drone which does not disrupt the flow of the surrounding pieces, however here it acts as an opener for "Through Your Eyes", a transcendent number punctuated with a chugging guitar and fire-spewing solos.

There is very little filler and almost entirely killer tracks on "Goodbye Cruel World", indeed it contains the bands second  instrumental  with the addictive "The Flood", the distortion is at a minimum until after a minute, as the band drift through this reflective into an all-out rocker. "Silence Of The Siren" is a standout track, a drum attack opening by Jon Rice, dirty guitar riffs with a uplifting chorus and the track glides effortlessly in an almost Axl Rose style vocal, while "Possessed By You" has an intensity which is at the very core of the metal genre in the 21st-century.

"Antivenom" is a wonderfully vicious love song, a duet with Katharine Blake where  both singers have a style which compliments each other extremely well, bringing a point of drama into the album over which Quinn Lukas pastes screaming but subtle guitar solos. This is a very solid album, it flows through the song cycle flawlessly, the lyrics can be hit-and-miss at times but the sound of the band is astounding, the title hopefully is not a goodbye, and we will not have to wait another six-years for an ICARUS WITCH follow-up.