Ice Age – Waves Of Loss And Power
Release Date: 10th March 2023
Label: Sensory
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock.
FFO: Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Rush, Genesis, Kansas.
Review By: Eric Wilt
When 22 years pass between albums, it’s hard to tell which version of the band you are going to get. Will you get a continuation of the music the band produced on the album released over two decades ago, or will you get a modern version of the band whose music bears little resemblance to that which the band last put out? When the band members have remained the same during the ensuing years, there’s a good chance that their music won’t change drastically. In the case of Ice Age—which sees the same four members who worked on the 2001 album, Liberation, return for 2023’s Waves of Loss and Power—the new album could’ve just as easily been written in 2002 as 2022. A fact which is great news for the fans of Ice Age’s previous two albums, which, in addition to Liberation, include 1999’s stand out release The Great Divide.
As a longtime Ice Age fan, I’d always wished that the band would’ve continued on after Liberation. As they show on songs like The Needle’s Eye and Perpetual Child Part II, they may have taken a 22-year break, but they didn’t miss a beat. Speaking of Perpetual Child Part II, it isn’t just a different song with the same name slapped on the way The Unforgiven II by Metallica is. Instead, Perpetual Child Part II is a continuation of the song from their debut full length. The new song contains the same riffs and motifs but in a new and fresh way.
One thing that has always drawn me to progressive rock and metal is the unbelievable talent of the musicians. Ice Age has always been made up of the highest caliber of player, and they prove this on songs like Riverflow—which sees them running the gamut from melodic progressive rock to full-on prog metal—and To Say Goodbye, Part V-Water Child—which continues their progressive rock opera that they began on The Great Divide. Both of these songs, and really all of the songs, are filled with plenty of instrumental breaks that give Ice Age the opportunity to show off their chops.
Some people claim that progressive music is all flash and no substance, but Ice Age proves that they are more than capable of writing catchy, memorable songs like All My Years, which would be an instant radio hit if there was a radio station that played high quality music instead of just formulaic pop drivel. When I found out that Ice Age was releasing a new album, I was excited but skeptical. Two decades is a long time to be out of the game, but Waves of Loss and Power proved that my skepticism was unwarranted. The songs are well-written and thought-provoking, the music is flawlessly played, and the singing is powerful and fits the music. Fans of Ice Age are going to be thrilled when they hear this record, and if you aren’t a fan yet, give Waves of Loss and Power a try, I think you’ll be pleased.
(4 / 5)
