Icarus reportedly was the first ever power metal band in Peru, but through a combination of factors – the most problematic of which being that there isn’t a proper music business to support a niche style like power metal there – they never really got around to releasing a proper album. Until now, nearly thirty years after the band was first established. Every song from their 2002 demos is present here, plus three songs that as far as I can tell have never been released anywhere else, all in brand-new recordings with a pristine sound and an excellent vocal performance by original singer Luis Jíbaja Segura.

From a 2026 perspective, it would be easy to criticize ‘Rising from the Ashes‘ for being unoriginal, but that would be the wrong way to approach the album for two reasons. First off, much of this material – perhaps all – is at least twenty-five years old at this point, and the music is a very good interpretation of the European power metal trends of the late nineties. Secondly, this type of metal isn’t made this well very much at all anymore. Especially because power metal this melodic doesn’t typically have this intense and thick a riffy bottom end these days.

The approach Icarus takes on ‘Rising from the Ashes’ comes across as influenced by Helloween and very early Angra, which it probably is, but there is also a strong neoclassical undercurrent in the band’s music. Interestingly, not in the way metal bands tend to tackle such an approach; the fleet-fingered guitar work of founder Óscar Martín and longtime member Jesús Parra focuses on strong, memorable melodic themes rather than endless soloing. However, Icarus will help your case if you need to convince someone that heavy metal is rooted in classical music. Speaking of fast fingers: Ricardo Zarate lays down some really cool bass runs.

Highlighting the album is ‘The One’, which truly emphasizes the neoclassical side of Icarus’ sound, ending up being reminiscent of the more straightforward work of Symphony X and Yngwie Malmsteen. Other standout tracks include the incredible instrumental ‘Revelations’, which showcases everyone’s instrumental expertise without that becoming the focal point of the song, the nice and dramatic ‘Power of My Steel’, the fantastic opening track ‘Hero of the Light’, and the more rock-oriented ‘Immortal Warrior’. Icarus deserves praise for how they managed to inject enough variation into what is mostly an uptempo album to keep it interesting for forty-seven minutes.

Releases like ‘Rising from the Ashes’ prove that old school power metal can sound fresh and timeless when it is delivered with the right amount of conviction. It’s a shame Icarus was not able to release their debut album all those years ago, but truth be told: the songs never sound like a product of a bygone era. Despite the excellent musicianship, the focus is always on good songwriting, which tends to have a longer shelf life than dazzling listeners with virtuosity. Having a singer as skilled as Jíbaja definitely helps as well. A must-hear for fans of European-styled power metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘The One’, ‘Power of My Steel’, ‘Revelations’