Ice War-s/t

2017
Shadow Kingdom

This is a one man project and that one guy is Jo Capitalicide (formerly of Iron Dogs, Trioxin 245 and a number of other bands) as he handles vocals and all of the instruments. Ice War have previously done an EP and a few singles so this self-titled release marks the first full length effort from this Canadian band. Right away the opener Battle Zone sets the tone with some driving riffs that are throw back to a few decades ago in the early 80's when metal was raw and that was fine. A few more songs in and the galloping guitar style continues and the tempo changes are handled masterfully. A few songs remind me in parts or of a number of NWOBHM acts including Jaguar, Savage and yes, Dianno-era Iron Maiden. With only eight songs in my mind an album needs to really hit on almost all of them for it to be really good. This album does just that-it nails the heaviness, delivers catchy rhythms and as a whole the album even gets better as it goes along. There isn't a great deal of flash as is the case with a number of current acts who try focus on an older sound. However, it doesn't need that because the material that is here is so strongly crafted that fans on classic style metal are in for a real treat. If there is one problem it's just that the vocals while adequate for the most part there are moments where I wish had a little more range to elevate the songs even more. Hey, Mr. Capitalicide is already handling all of the other duties at a high level so it's hard to be great at everything. Really a powerful outing that has me hoping this one man act dispenses with the singles and gets into another full length effort soon.

Ice War-Battle Zone

Self-Release/Independent
2015

"Battle Zone" is the first release from Ottawa, Ontario's Ice War. Formerly know as Iron Dogs (the Canadian band that gave us "Free and Wild") and featuring the skills of Jo Capitalicide (Barrow Wight, Blue Cross, Trioxin 245, Zex, Вредители, ex-Cauchemar (live), ex-Bastardator, ex-Germ Attak, ex-Mental Rescue),  Ice War more or less picks up where the former left off when it comes to this initial 3-track offering. For the uninformed that means N.W.O.B.H.M.-inspired heavy/speed metal that has one foot in the garage and other one in the arena. It's raw & real heavy/speed metal that also draws upon the classic sights and sounds of yesteryear's Canadian hard rock and traditional heavy metal scene and then finishes things off with the punk rock-like speak-sing voice of Jo Capitalicide. There's all that delicious craziness and so much more on the three-track "Battle Zone". Along with the slick title track and equally-awesome "This Was Our Home" you get a solid Crystal Pride cover in the form of "Sharon". That's three great metal numbers from one great metal band. And did I mention that it's only one measly U.S. dollar! I didn't? Well, now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Of course the other half of the battle is downloading this gem, but I'll trust all of you to do the right thing when it comes to that task. I can trust you right?