Description

Black vinyl

It took them three decades, but thrash metal band Ice Age from Gothenburg finally released their debut album in 2017 and its a splendid album filled with fab guitar riffing and Sabrina Kihlstrand’s commanding voice. In the second half of the 1980s, Ice Age was one of leading underground bands on the Swedish heavy metal scene. Playing thrash metal rather than the melodic rock that dominated the Swedish metal scene at the time, they stood out and followed their own musical path. Following some line-up changes and disagreements with their management, they disbanded in 1990 and reformed in 2014. Back in the day, Ice Age released some great demos that were sold in cassette format at the band’s gigs. But they never released any proper album, until now. “Breaking The Ice”, the band’s debut studio album, comes some three decades after their original heyday. On this album, Ice Age introduces the world to its signature sound based around vocalist Sabrina Kihlstrand’s voice. There are some great echoes of Megadeth here, but the band members have managed to clearly put their mark on their own version of thrash metal, which is somewhat less brutal and more built around great guitar riffs and melodies. The album has a straightforward, clean production with no fancy stuff but a crystal clear sound. It lets the music speak for itself. And the material and skills are more than good enough for that. Kihlstrand’s voice is a perfect fit for this music. I love it. It commands attention – clear enough to make it accessible, but still with an angry attitude that tells you not to mess with this fierce lady. The band’s sound is essentially the same as it was in the 80s, but it has grown and matured. Five of the songs on the album (“Fleet Street”, “General Alert”, “Instant Justice”, “Mental Disorder” and “A Case of Cerebral Death”) are terrific re-recordings of some of the band’s classic 80s songs. On this album, the old songs have been joined by five new compositions: “Clever”, “Breaking the Ice”, “Total Collapse”, “Hell of Nothing” and “No Need to Bleed”. The old and new songs are equally good and there are no obvious differences, proving that the band is capable of creating new music that equals its classics.

Track list:
1. Fleet Street
2. Hell Or Nothing
3. Clever
4. General Alert
5. Instant Justice
6. Breaking The Ice
7. Total Collapse
8. Mental Disorder
9. No Need To Bleed
10. A Case Of Cerebral Death