THE GREAT DIVIDE

Perhaps some of you will have a bit of trouble getting used to the singer, but this is one hell of a great album! The production could have been better, but it must've been a debut-budget...The songs however, are totally brilliant. Perpetual child is one of the best sympho-metal tracks I have ever heard, other highlights are Sleepwalker, Join and Ice age. This album has been accused as a bit of a Dream Theater rip-off, and it may not be totally unjustified, but it doesn't matter. The songs are just too good to write it off that easily. Must-have!

An excellent debut album by this dynamic group in the vein of DT. The vocalist Josh Pincus has an expressive and theatrical voice similar to Michael Sadler, of Saga fame. The music is pure prog-metal and some reviewers say that the drummer Hal Aponte sounds like Neil Peart in 2112. Very enjoyable stuff for everyone who likes their prog music with a touch of metal.

The US band ICE AGE was founded in 1993. This is their promising debut album. ICE AGE is impressive musicians and the music contains heavy riffing, great memorable melodies and a lot of complexity. Their music is somewhere between very heavy melodic progressive rock and progressive metal with many changing time signatures and great arrangements. Their influences are BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, KANSAS, PINK FLOYD, RUSH and YES. They're also sometimes reminiscent to EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, JOURNEY and QUEENSRYCHE, but most of all do they remind of DREAM THEATER ca. "Awake". The vocalist Josh Pincus is somewhat reminiscent to Steve Walsh of KANSAS, but only a little. He's very skilled and has a powerful voice, but it's quite unusual, but after a while you'll get used to him. The guitarist Jimmy Pappas is very good and the rhythm section is excellent. Jimmy is actually one of the better guitarists I've heard in the prog metal genre. The highlights are "Perpetual Child", "Sleepwalker", the instrumental "Spare Chicken Parts" that contains a very good drum solo, "The Bottom Line", my favorite "Ice Age" that is over 11 minutes, "One Look Away" and "To Say Goodbye". It's actually the two instrumentals that are the best tracks. A good thing about the songs is the catchy and memorable choruses. The guitarist Jimmy Pappas designed the beautiful cover image. It would surely be nice to hear what they can achieve with their next album. Considering that this is a debut album it's very convincing. I'm sure that ICE AGE has a very bright future, but it's with a slight hesitation I give this CD a four star rating (out of 5). But after all this is an outstanding album that probably will end up as one of the highlights of prog metal in 1999, so buy and enjoy!

I bought this CD last month because of the review provided by Progarchives. I find no regret at all having this album in my prog collection. Thanks, reviewer! I intentionally did not write the review right after listening to this album just to "pre-empt" my mind with previous review so that what I write here is purely what I experience, what I feel and what I think about the album. Typically, I never read others until I post mine. Just to give an independent opinion. People are different ..

This album is an excellent debut album in the vein of progmet music (the kind of DREAM THEATER, SYMPHONY X). For those of you who like this kind of music, this album is a MUST have. "Perpetual Child" opens the album with heavy guitar riffs with stunning keyboard sound. I think the keyboard that accentuates the song, while the guitar plays the background riffs at intro. The short guitar solo just before vocal enters is fascinating. When vocal enters, it's definitely DT stuff especially on the way drum is played and singing style, even though the voice is different with LaBrie. I think the voice of its lead singer is sort of STYX vocalist, Dennis de Young (?) with more of high tone voice. The overall track is keyboard-based. Great composition!

"Sleepwalker" is another good track with great guitar and drumming; good variety of melodies and riffs. "Spare Chicken Parts" is an excellent instrumental piece with stunning lead guitar and riffs played harmoniously with keyboard. This track reminds me to RUSH' "Yyz" with much more varieties in melody. The drum solo in the middle of the song reminds me to NEIL PEART. The keyboard solo that follows is really wonderful. Interesting composition. Absolutely, this track is a masterpiece! I even advise you to spin track 4 first before you enjoy other tracks.

"Because of You" indicates the effort to escape from typical prog met music. So, this track is just straight rock with sometime the band puts sort of metal flavor at the end of the track. "The Bottom Line" is opened with soft keyboard sound and great riffs when the music enters. "Ice Age" is the song that I expect would represent the band's "theme". It starts with soft keyboard sound followed with guitar "fills" and vocals. It's not as excellent as I expect, the music flows so flat with not much dynamic. "To Say Goodbye Part I & II" are much more dynamic: speedy lead guitar and keyboard (and excellent combined sounds between the two) with high and low points, good melody and great piano. I personally love these tracks. These two tracks are well positioned to conclude this album.

Overall, this album is excellent: tight composition, great musicianship (especially guitar, keyboard and drum) and excellent performance. The only thing lacking is the production quality: the volume control is too high and there are some distorted sounds due to this high volume. Mixing on some segments are also lacking. However, this album is RECOMMENDED. Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

I decided to take a chance on this album/band and found myself surprisingly rewarded for my cash investment. This is very high quality prog-metal with more emphasis on the prog part than most other bands in this genre. That isn't to say they can't bring the heavy when they need to because they certainly can.

Instrumentally this band is really talented and could give the members of Dream Theater or Fates Warning a good run for the money. The guitar player has some great chops and a large variety of styles. Take the song Join where in the first minute he uses a guitar tone similar to Steve Morse then plays a rhythm line than sounds like Andy Summers. For Miles to Go he starts off with a great "ode to 70's hard rock" intro riff that sounds eerily similar to Jim McCarty (of Cactus fame). The keyboard player has a style that borrows more heavily from Jazz Fusion, especially the first keyboard solo in Miles to Go which reminds me a bit of Jim Beard. The drummer and bassist are equally skilled offering an extensive range of styles and textures. The singer / keyboardist is an interesting component. His vocal style is definitely on the unique side and it might not suit everyone's taste. He uses an operatic approach to the vocals. He has a gruff, bassy sound and can snarl at times. You get used to it after a while, especially because the music is so darn good.

I definitely wouldn't call these guys Dream Theater clones. They definitely have their own style and sound. Take a listen to the standout instrumental Spare Chicken Parts. This track just burns from the get go. They change tempo's, styles, and time signatures frequently. Not to the point of schizophrenia, but they constantly keep it interesting. It's a real showcase for guitarist Jimmy Pappas to both shred and play very melodic solos. This easily outclasses all the DT instrumentals, and I'm a huge DT fan.

At over 74min, there's just a myriad of things to enjoy about this album. I'd recommend this to anyone that likes the sound sample track and likes their prog- metal with a higher recommended daily allowance of prog.

Holy Moly what a dynamic band and what a singer

This is the debut album by this american prog/metal band, and what a debut, not very often you listen to an album like this one. Instrumentally this band kick every one's ass, unbeliveble what the drumer can do with the instrument, not to mention the guitarist witch is among the best i ever hered from prog/metal genre, Jimmy Pappas, the guitarist, has some great chops and a large variety of styles, the vocal parts are sometimes theatrical in the same style of what did Sadler in Saga, and maybe not everyone like him because he has a unique voice and a bassy sound. Absolute every track is mindblowing, the instrumental Spare chicken shows the talent of this band. Nothing to add just get it, a must of any collection.

I'd recommend this to anyone who want's to listen prog-metal at the highest level. 4 stars for sure

I don't remember why I bought this album a few years ago, it must have been a guess. I never heard of Ice Age before and when I see right now how few people who visit progarchives know this band up till now it's actually a shame, or should I say a pity. There must be something wrong with their promotion activities because we are talking about a tremendous band here that deserves much more attention and fans. Fortunately there is progarchives where you can give your opinion especially for these kind of bands who are extremely good but have not managed to get the reputation they deserve. With this band I have the impression that despite the (justifiably) high valued reviews they get it doesn't lead to more name and fame and more reviews of progarchives visitors. Incomprehensible and unfair I have to say. About the album: this is of the highest standard and then I'm talking about the general standard and about the idividual songs.

This is what I am looking for when I want good prog metal. We all (or almost all) know DREAM THEATER of course and that's a very good standard for prog metal, I am a big fan myself. But I can tell you, though this band is not a copy of DT, it's a different kind of prog metal but it's hardly less in quality !! The songs are great, very good compositions with lots of opportunity for the great Jimmy Pappas to show his talent. There are some longer songs and I love longer songs, they are usually the better songs on progalbums; this is no different on this album. Perpatual child and Ice Age are the absolute highlights of this masterpiece. But what's maybe the most delightful thing about this album: the rest is hardly any less.

I had to stand up for this band because they deserve it. I don't urge people to go to the store and buy a certain album. If they don't it's their loss. In this case they are missing out on a masterpiece !

I'm one of the select few who feels that their second album "Liberation" is as good as this their debut. Again the playing ability of this band is extremely high, it's the vocals that still bother me when he really lets go. He is a theatrical singer with a great range, just not my cup of tea, although songs like "Because Of You" and One Look Away" where he sings normally, I like a lot. The cover art is fantastic ! The length of this album at almost 75 minutes begs the question : Why ?

"Perpetual Child" opens heavily with drums and bass before synths arrive. Scorching guitar 1 1/2 minutes in, and vocals a minute later as the song calms down. It does pick back up with aggressive vocals. I lke the guitar 7 1/2 minutes in. "Sleepwalker" features those abrasive vocals i'm not a fan of. The guitar melodies are relentless with a ripping solo before 3 minutes. "Join" has a more uplifting sound with vocal melodies. This is contrasted with the more passionate vocals with a fuller sound. I like the mellow passages better. "Spare Chicken Parts" is an instrumental and my second favourite song. It opens with a few words (clucks) from a chicken. This one is all over the place including a drum solo. Quite the display though. "Because Of You" is another fav of mine. It's a bright, catchy tune with the guitar grinding away.

"The Bottom Line" has some impressive guitar 2 1/2 & 4 minutes in. Not a fan of this one though. "Ice Age" opens with spacey sounds, and once it gets going there are lots of synths and drums with tempo shifts a plenty. "One Look Away" is my favourite song, a cool, mellow track with synths and piano. Tasteful guitar 2 minutes in. Check out the guitar that goes on and on after 4 minutes. This is such an uplifting song and the lyrics are a must read. "Miles To Go" opens with some great guitar. A synth solo before 1 1/2 minutes. I like the sound a minute later when it calms down. More great guitar 4 minutes in. "To Say Goodbye" is divided into 2 parts. Part 1 "Worthless Words" is a rocking instrumental that opens with some fast paced piano melodies. Part 2 "On Our Way" has some good crunch to it, although the climate changes often. Good song.

3.5 stars. It's hard not to be impressed with this band and this recording. Well done !

This is a great album! 4 stars out of 5. While it's not a super landmark, it's still extremely enjoyable.

This band is very promising, seeing such an incredibly diversity on their debut album. Ice Age has a wide range of influences, but it also combines it with completely original sound that I've heard nowhere else. It's definitely one of those Better progressive metal bands that have come out. I've heard lots of bands that consider themselves prog metal, but in reality a lot of them seem to be Dream Theater wanna-bes. Ice Age has a wonderfully progressive feel to them, adding in an age of surrealism. I don't know what to call that style, one with surreal sounding music, I guess it's ambient, but it's the kind of stuff that takes you to other places, like Pink Floyd's Echoes, Dream Theater's Blind Faith and Yes's Gates of Delirium.

That is definitely one of my favourite parts of Ice Age. I cannot wait until they evolve into a more mature, well rounded band, because this debut has LOTS of promise, and goes to show that Ice Age will probably become a fine example of prog art in the next generation.

Great album, go ahead and buy it. =)

ICE AGE's: THE GREAT DIVIDE IS A QUALITY ALBUM, BUT IT DOESN'T STRAY AWAY FROM TYPICAL 90's SOUNDING PROGRESSIVE METAL. '

On all accounts I shall say that ICE AGE, released a very solid album in vain of the true progressive metal spirit and that of the 90's retro classic character to their music. THE GREAT DIVIDE is a 74min powerhouse filled with speed, majesty and a whole lot of grandeur. Everything from the Guitar, Bass, Drums and keyboards are played with such vigor and conviction. Also, the vocals by JOSH PINCUS are clearly very powerful and range from being as graceful as a humming bird to being earth shattering-glacial cracking like a raw and powerful banshee in total command. Needless to say, PINCUS is a great vocalist and he borders on the vocal style progressions of RUSSEL ALLEN (SYMPHONY X) JAMES LaBRIE (DREAM THEATER) and even has wisps of GEDDY LEE (RUSH) as well. All in all, a fantastic vocalist is at the helm of the ICE AGE ship and I even think that fans of GEOFF TATE (QUEENSR'CHE) and ROB HALFORD (JUDAS PREIST) will really accept PINCUS into their Musical hearts. He can shriek like a madman...in a good way of course.'

Furthermore, and to get to the point, I had a lot of fun listening to this album. I was immediately captivated by the album art work, which spans from back to front of the album itself and i felt that it will surely set the tone before listening, if one were to gaze at the panoramic cover art for just a few moments. A beautiful Divide indeed. ;)

Not long after my excessive gazing of a beautiful skull baring bridge and majestic glacial mountains, I commenced 'to Listen to the opening track, PERPETUAL CHILD. I will attest that, for now, this is the best track on the album. I fell in love with this 10:29min epic opener instantly. The listener is presented with lavish keyboards that constantly change in tempo. The drumming is outstanding by HAL APONTE. APONTE is a serious, elite drummer who rivals the speed of SCOTT TRAVIS (X RACER, JUDAS PREIST) and JASON RULLO (SYMPHONY X). 'Simply mind-blowing how fast and skilled APONTE is. "HAL can open the pod bay doors", which the listener will hear and understand on the 8:54 beastly instrumental SPARE CHICKEN PARTS. 'The instrumental has a clever movie quote from 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY that further introduces HAL's skill as a drummer much in vain of the supercomputer HAL 9000. Very clever :) Moving on, the electric guitar soars mightily from JIMMY PAPAS, who's playing style reminds me a lot of MICHAEL ROMEO's (SYMPHONY X) and the infamous JOHN PETRUCCI (DREAM THEATER.) Truly, PAPPAS is a real treat to listen to, not just on PERPETUAL CHILD, but the whole album really. He is a noodling wiz. As for the bass I was really happy with efforts from ARRON DiCESARE. Very clean, pulsing sound that you can hear very clearly in the bands music and that is something I really love about ICE AGE's overall sound. ICE AGE do not saturate their sound in keyboards and guitars, so the bass is barely audible. I think we can all say that DREAM THEATER suffer from these tendencies...poor JOHN MYUNG :( Lastly, the vocals are superb from Mr. PINCUS. The lyrics in this album are quite dense and are of rapid fire purportions at most times on THE GREAT DIVIDE, but it's so incredibly cool to listen to PINCUS poor his heart out into your ears. It's a lot of fun, even though the subject matter is apocalyptic and about fighting for survival (being on the right side of the great divide), but I'm sure you(the listener) will have a few head bangs for just the sheer love of the sound of his voice in relation to the music despite the doomy subject matter.'

This

Thus, the album THE GREAT DIVIDE is feel find and I think a lot the prog metal nut cases (like me) are truly gonna enjoy this album. ICE AGE's THE GREAT DIVIDE surprisingly has a bit of age to it being 14 years old at this time, but fans of the older albums like AWAKE (DREAM THEATER) and DIVINE WINGS OF 'TRAGEDY (SYMPHONY X) will surely enjoy this retro treat. Actually, ICE AGE's THE GREAT DIVIDE is a very typical 90's sounding prog metal album. Nothing new or ground-breaking innovation with this release, which is why it really doesn't merit a masterpiece rating cause it is quite typical of 90's sounding prog metal, but it's still a quality listen. Enjoy powerful bass lines, incredible guitar solos, elite drumming and very rangy vocals. THE GREAT DIVIDE has it all, but it's all too familiar.'

4/5'