Ice Age - The Great Divide

Year of Release: 1999
Label: Magna Carta
Catalog Number: MA 9028-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 74:26:00

The wait is over. The very anticipated debut album of the American four-piece Ice Age is finally out and we can get ready for one of the best prog releases this year. What we are offered here is some of the strongest material I've heard in a long time.

Ice Age combine the finest of prog and pomp-rock with more modern prog metal. You can hear influences of bands like Styx, Kansas, Dream Theater et al. It's technical, progressive, and innovative blended into beautiful melody lines. It's dramatic and emotional and contains atmospheric arrangements. Josh Pincus' vocals, which come very close to Dennis DeYoung at times, is one of the reasons their music is given the dramatic/emotional feeling it has. The guitars are heavy, technical and up-front and the varied keys are more than prominent.

As always, the Magna Carta production is clean and clear and with the total running time of 74 minutes, the buyer is sure get value for money. This is easily one of the best albums this year and fans of prog metal as well as prog rock should not miss out on this CD. Based on the material offered on this album, there is no doubt this is one of the most interesting bands to come out of America in a long time. Personally, I can't wait for the next CD.

In 2004, Ice Age changed direction and changed their name to Soulfractured, and in 2006 have released an EP called Soulfractured.

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

Tracklisting:
Perpetual Child (10:29) / Sleepwalker (5:34) / Join (5:55) / Spare Chicken Parts (inst.) (8:50) / Because of You (5:32) / The Bottom Line (4:44) / Ice Age (11:08) / One Look Away (5:40) / Miles To Go (5:01) / To Say Goodbye (11:31) - Part I: Worthless Words - Part II: On Our Way

Musicians:
Jimmy Pappas - guitars
Arron DiCesare - bass
Josh Pincus - vocals and keyboards
Hal Aponte - drums and percussion

Discography:
Join (demo) (1998?)
The Great Divide (1999)
Liberation (2001)
Little Bird (ep) (2003)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin US

Added: January 1st 2005
Reviewer: Bjørnar Bevolden
Score:
Artist website: www.ice-age.com
Hits: 2962
Language: english