It’s been two years since Ice Age burst onto the scene with
their debut disc
The Great Divide… and despite all my predictions, these
guys aren’t superstars yet.
In one sense, that’s a damned shame, since Josh Pincus and
company proved they were one of the most talented and diverse
progressive rock groups out there since the glory days of Yes and
Jethro Tull. But in another sense, maybe it’s a good thing that Ice
Age didn’t become famous for their first album – especially since
their latest release,
Liberation, blows it away.
Working in all of the same influences that made up
The Great Divide, Ice Age – vocalist/keyboardist Pincus,
guitarist Jimmy Pappas, bassist Arron DiCesare and drummer Hal
Aponte – take the concept of prog-rock and redefine it for the 21st
Century. Offering up songs that have all the hooks that could make
these tracks chart-bound intermixed with brief interludes that work
their way into the following songs (as well as provide a buffer
between such epics), this release is, quite simply, excellence
committed to compact disc.
From the opening moments of “The Lhasa Road (No Surrender),” the
listener knows that they’re in for an exceptional treat. What Ice
Age has learned over the past two years is how to develop their own
sound while still paying silent tribute to the prog-rock bands whom
they are following. Pincus still has a set of pipes that reminds me
of Dennis DeYoung, yet he truly has come into his own on
Liberation, developing his own solid style that sets him
apart from so many other bands in the genre.
Musically, Ice Age holds its own water very well. Pappas’s
guitar work is properly subdued, suggesting that he could pull off
solos that would make Eddie Van Halen’s jaw hit the floor if he so
wished. But while there’s plenty of flash in his playing, it feels
like it’s wise that Pappas doesn’t put the pedal to the floor and
let loose with a shredding solo. DiCesare’s bass work is brought up
just to the right spot in the mix, illustrating how important his
contribution to the band’s sound is. As for Aponte, he might not be
trying to out-duel Neal Peart on this disc, but he puts forth an
outstanding effort in his trapwork.
Radio is naturally afraid of any song that goes over five
minutes in length, meaning that unless you buy
Liberation, you won’t hear the pure beauty of songs like “A
Thousand Years,” “To Say Goodbye, Part III: Still Here” and “When
You’re Ready”. For Ice Age’s sake, I sincerely hope that Magna
Carta considers doing radio edits of some of these tracks… and
that some rock stations have the balls to program these tracks.
Album-oriented radio has long been missing such dynamic music, and
once people get a chance to hear these tracks for themselves, the
glory that I’ve said Ice Age has deserved since their last album
will be heaved on them at an astonishing rate. Trust me: it’s all
well-deserved.
I listen to a lot of great music in this job, but I don’t often
hear discs which are as memorable as
Liberation. This is not only one of the best discs I’ve
listened to all year, it’s one of the best discs I’ve ever listened
to, period. Break out of the flavor-of-the-month musical mentality
and give
Liberation a chance… you’ll see how wonderful it is to
free your mind.
