Kevin Bronson on July 11th, 2013

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First impression of the new album from long-running L.A. bad boys the Icarus Line? Thank goodness nobody’s aging gracefully here. And we say that in the most complimentary way possible. Enfants terrible in their 20s and still sounding every bit the hell-raisers, Joe Cardamone and longtime allies Lance Arnao (bass) and Alvin DeGuzmann (keys), along with new drummer Ben Hallett, exude the psychosis inherent in rock ’n’ roll. Cardamone recently likened the state of music to “a Mötley Crüe charade, a parade of f*cking dicks. It’s the ’80s again.” But not on “Slave Vows,” the Icarus Line’s fifth album, coming out Aug. 6. The Stooges and Sabbath referents are obvious, but the caustic sprawl of the album – recorded immediately after the band did a European tour supporting Killing Joke – oozes with a venom all the band’s own. Cardamone has always had a way of making it hurt so good, and this outing’s unexpected turns, palpable menace and sharp musicianship make “Slave Vows” as primal as ever.

||| Live: The Icarus Line plays Aug. 2 at the Roxy Theatre.

||| Stream: “Marathon Man”: