It’s become exhaustive conjuring forth
adjectives and explanations describing how Ice Dragon pretty much do whatever
the fuck they want. Under a handful of monikers Ron, Carter, Joe, and recent
addition Brad have covered Sabbathian doom, Cthulhu-inspired drone-terror,
dream pop, and with this year’s masterful ‘Born a Heavy Morning’ AM radio
influenced tunes that transcend the source material simply by being channeled
through the subconscious collective that is Ice Dragon. Despite the occasional
curveball Ice Dragon have yet to make a weak album. Though 2013 hasn’t been
quite as productive as 2012, the band has released some of its trippiest, most
far-out material and, as Tentacle, some of the most sinister and acerbic. With
2013 coming to an end Ice Dragon have unexpectedly unleashed ‘Steel Veins b/w
Queen of the Black Harvest’, two tunes that delve into the doomier side of the
band. For those who have missed the doomed-out heft and crawl of ‘The Burl, the
Earth, the Aether’, ‘The Sorrowful Sun’, or ‘Tome of the Future
Ancients’—prepare to rock-the-fuck-out.
It’s clear from the first few notes of the
opening bassline that “Steel Veins” is going to be something special. After the
brief bass intro signifying nothing short of impending doom the guitars come
crashing in for a wholly enjoyable experience. The guys still have it. “Steel
Veins” has everything that made early Ice Dragon releases so great—crawling
mid-tempo guitar crunch, simple yet ominous Mark Adams’ styled basslines, and
Ron’s ability to pair his vocals with virtually any type of cacophony the band
is creating. On the flip-side, “Queen of the Black Harvest” trades in a bit of
the guitar crunch for a stoner-doom groove that is embellished with moments of
crashing percussive noise, backwards winding tape abuse, and a return to the
darker, fantasy inspired lyrics that would have been right at home amongst the
tracks of ‘Tome of the Future Ancients’.
One of the most impressive aspects of Ice
Dragon is that they are not afraid to experiment or push their creative
boundaries. The band is able to draw from a variety of influences and styles in
order to create something new without resulting in mere pastiche. And they do
it well. The only significant thread throughout the band’s discography is a
heavy dose of psychedelia and ‘Steel Veins b/w Queen of the Black Harvest’ is
no exception. Even though Ice Dragon has released a fair amount of
material that could be considered doom, it had looked as if the heavier side of
the band would be forever relegated to output from Tentacle. Again, Ice Dragon
has thrown another curveball with “Steel Veins” and “Queen of the Black
Harvest”—a Hell-of-a-way to close out the year. Highly recommended…
Words: Steve Miller
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