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artist: Ice War
title: Bloodsucker
year: 2023
genre: Heavy Metal
type: EP
label: Independent
language: English
rel. date: 2023-02-28
source: WEB/MP3
quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Joint Stereo
runtime: 00:17:01
size: 40.96 MB
rip date: 2024-12-09
source url: https://www.deezer.com/album/412922867
tracklist:
1. Demonkind 2:33
2. Bloodsucker 3:30
3. Violent Force 3:53
4. Computer World (Black Uniforms cover) 3:10
5. Monsters of Rock (Gotham City cover) 3:55
release notes:
For well over a decade, Ottawa-based one-man speed metal trustee Jo
Galipeau, aka Jo Steel, has been a prolific force within the Canadian
underground and broader NWOTHM. Infused with the flash of early
progenitors of the style and fellow countrymen Exciter, the grit and
simplicity of Motörhead, and enough hardcore punk trappings to make
Discharge blush; his principle project Ice War has been a frequent
topic of discussion in traditional metal circles. Some of this may owe
to the politically charged lyrics that tend to come along with the
low-fi, vintage metallic thunder in which Jo deals, but when it comes
to exploring a stylistic niche that was mostly established close to 40
years ago, consistency is the name of the game, and that is where 2022
EP Bloodsucker establishes itself.
Though metal of this grade tends to parallel that of crossover thrash
in working best in small doses, this 17 minute explosion of kinetic
energy comes with some intricate elements that set it apart from the
pack. Chief among these is the lack of shyness in punching the
afterburners and allowing the drums to cook at a consistent boiling
point reminiscent to the unrelenting speed and fury that goes with
Cederick Forsberg's principle projects in Rocka Rollas and Blazon
Stone respectively. Pile on top some mayhem-steeped riffing right out
of the 1983 playbook (think Kill 'Em All but with fewer slow moments),
shred-happy soloing and Maiden-like melodic guitar passages and the
sonic cake that emerges from the oven, topped with a gravely shout
reminiscent of Lemmy Kilmister, would be the pride of any metal head's
birthday celebration.
The trio of original entries that kick off this kill session run
fairly close together, yet hit so hard that there is little room to
complain. The opener "Demonkind" is arguably the catchiest of the pack
and trades rambling verses with a series of delightfully melodic
guitar lines, while the more thrashing punch of title entry
"Bloodsucker" throws in some haunting Transylvania vibes to go with
the unrelenting speed like a lost entry from Slayer's Show No Mercy.
"Violent Force" definitely tilts the closest to an overt hardcore
influence, sounding like a coked up son of an early Black Flag anthem
and Metallica's "Motor Breath". Along for the ride are a duo of
speed-infused renditions of 80s Swedish metal classics that further
flush out Ice War's propensity to channel Iron Maiden's signature
melodic guitar niche, the cover of Gotham City's "Monsters Of Rock"
stealing the lion's share of the thunder and delivering the technical
guitar gymnastics with the best of them.
In the grand scheme of this project's expansive back catalog,
Bloodsucker trends pretty close to the middle, but definitely carries
a more polished product when compared against most of what rounded out
the rough edges of Defender, Destroyer and the covers heard on
Canadian Classics. It's a pretty good starting point for those that
run in speed metal circles but might not necessarily go for the
throaty vocal approach associated with the likes of Motorhead. It's
not quite as intricate as the seminal early albums out of Enforcer,
nor does it quite match the outright insanity of Evil Invaders, but it
hits with enough force to get the job done and then some.