Customer Reviews

The Great Divide

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These guys are pretty good. The guitars, keyboards, drums and vocals are working full capacity. If you liked DT's Images and Words and Awake you'll like this CD too, and I have to say, if there were no Dream Theatre and no Shadow Gallery then I would say that this band is awesome. But there is DT and SG, so even there is some originality in some songs, what this band has done was done before. I think the guitarist has some of his own style but the songs in this CD reminds me those Petrucci&KevinMoore guitar+keyboard combinations, you can hear those kind of guitar keyboard work in this CD and they are not bad. Ones who are looking for complex music, strong rhythm and lead guitar accompanied with keyboard, strong drums and a really original vocal should by this CD. But don't be surprised if you hear some DT and SG.

My favorite songs: Perpetual Child, Sleepwalker, Bottom Line and One Look Away. I like this CD more as I keep on listening.

Finally! I never thought I'd hear another album that excited me this much! The playing is very good, but that's not the half of it. These guys write SONGS, and great ones, at that. And those vocals! No cheesiness here, folks. this thing is pro all the way. Whoever called this band Dream Theater wannabe's and emotionless (see below) must have been listening to Dali's Dilemma (another recent Magna Carta release)or something because that's CERTAINLY not the case here. With some of the most intelligent lyrics and powerful, heartfelt vocals I've ever heard, there's no doubt in my mind that these guys are destined for greatness!

At last, a "prog" band that harkens back to the days of Kansas, Styx, and Yes, with a good amount of modern heaviness for good measure. Great epic songwriting, provocative lyrics, and technical but tasteful playing from beginning to end. Definitely the best prog-rock-metal release of the year. The sophisticated listener will appreciate the emphasis on songwriting and strucure, as opposed to the all-too-frequent "prog-problem," chops for chops sake. Don't get me wrong - these guys can play, but it's great to hear it as part of coherent songs!

Ice Age concentrate on the one thing that all the DT wannebees dont and that is strongly written songs combined with virtuoso performances even though they go on the DT tangents now and again the strenghth is in the balance of the music great vocals and superb guitar and keyboards if you are getting bored of the new prog sound ...get this album

This is awesome stuff. The music blows me away! It is great to hear a band who can play and still write lyrics with substance and depth.

So often bands play endless musical rifts with no hooks, and mundane, sophomoric lyrics. However, Ice-Age offers and delivers so much. These guys have a mesaage and need to be heard.

Ice Age's "Great Divide" continues to impress the more I listen. Check out "Spare Chicken Parts" and "Bottom Line!"

I am looking forward to more music from this band. Spread the word, we need more music like this, and more of it on the radio!

I agree with the reviewers from Alaska and Arkansas. Fantastic CD. You can hear the influences of Styx, Rush, Kansas and Dream Theater for sure. The guitar work is fantastic and the overall sound/production of the album is fabulous. The singer reminds me of Dennis DeYoung, not the same mind you, but in that same vien. I can't recommend this CD enough. Everything about it is great. It would be great if they could open for the next Dream Theater tour in the states. Excellent debut album!

I bought the cd on a whim and I must admit that I had low expectations. I have Dali's Dilemma, which is ok. This cd blows that one away. The production and signing are a lot better. The songs really stand out and there is no filler songs. If like progressive music, listen to the samples and decide for yourself. I am sure you will be blown away!

Ah, the gorgeous sounds of a talented progressive rock band. I tend to cherish the truly talented ones like Ice Age. There are definite classical and operatic influences ( along with the forementioned Rush, Kansas, Styx, and Dream Theater ones) that only increase my enjoyment and overall appreciation of this album. The more you listen to stuff like this, the more you really wonder how the heck anyone listens to the likes of Ricky Martin without wanting to inflict a wound upon themselves.

One of the best Progressive Rock albums ever recorded. The musicians in this band are phenomenal, especially Jim Pappas on guitar and Josh Pincus on keyboards. The lyrics are deep and thought provoking, and the all around sound is awesome.

Have you ever wondered what Styx might sound like if they became a progressive metal band? Probably not, but with Ice Age you find a very talented prog metal outfit with a vocalist whose voice is a dead ringer for Dennis Deyoung from Styx. This is not a critisism since Deyoung has a great set of pipes, but for some his voice is an acquired taste. Ice Age vocalist Josh Pincus does not set out to imitate Deyoung, but his voice is so similar it is difficult not to compare the two. I like this album a lot, yes some of this stuff is derivative to bands like Dream Theater, but I think Ice Age puts their own unique stamp on the prog metal genre and for the most part it works. Highlights include the opener "Perpetual Child". The 8 minute plus instrumental "Spare Chicken Parts". The mini- epic "Ice Age". The almost commercial "Miles To Go" and the album closing 20 plus minute epic "To Say Goodbye". All of the instrumental work on the album is very well done and the band's chops are top notch. Ice Age is fairly typical of the slew of bands that joined the Magna Carta label in the late 90's, but the album is very enjoyable if you are a fan of progressive metal.