Single Review: Round the Neck by Ion Sky
By Vince Leigh (Pseudo Echo, John Farnham, Tina Arena) Via Australian Radio Promotion for SAM
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Australian rock outfit Ion Sky has released a debut single that’s sure to attract a lot of attention and impress lovers of hard rock.
Round The Neck blends a soaring, intense vocal with impeccable musicianship and a melodic sensibility attuned to the genre. It’s raw yet infused with a level of musical competency and self-assuredness that will prove to be a winning formula for the band.
As lead vocalist Mike says about the new track, ‘I’ve always had dreams of a demon chasing me, even since I was a child, and it’s something I’ve dealt with in everyday life too, it just comes in different forms. Round The Neck is about facing that inner demon. How do I beat it? Do I let it consume me? Do I let it win? The lyrics explore the themes of this dark place, and emotionally, the song unleashes a rage inside me, held by both me and the demon.’
Round The Neck will undoubtedly attract a loyal following and generate some healthy streaming numbers. As the band says about their style, ‘We like to mix hard rock with elements of metal and electronic, to achieve something that has an almost cinematic sonic landscape. We like our music to feel like a whole ecosystem. But at the core of that is always raw emotion.’ The lyric reveals searing and complex observations but the kind that many might relate to. Comprising lead vocalist Mike Joseph, Mark Savoia (guitar and vocals), Leigh Sciore (drums), Jake James (guitar and vocals), and Matt Goddard (bass and vocals), the band may have just dropped their first song, but the impression is of a group of musicians who have been playing together for years.
Produced by Jake James, Round The Neck is an inviting preview of the band’s debut EP. When asked about the band’s ambitions, Mike says, ‘That’s a very broad question, but for me personally, it is connecting. If a song we write connects and makes you feel a certain way and makes you want to come back and listen again or see us live, then that’s what I want to achieve.’
