Contentious Release
I thought it would be difficult to ignore or put aside the slew of are-they-aren't-they fascist gossip floating round about Iceage and just listen to the album with a clean slate but in some respects (due to the fact that it's such a great album) it wasn't that hard. What is apparent from their attitude and actions is that they are an attention seeking bunch and have fun prodding all the right buttons to provoke shocked faces but it also becomes obvious pretty quickly that they also know how to put a song together. And this album is full of fantastic tunes - abrasive yet melodic punk songs which get you moving and keep you coming back for more.
Case in point is the opening track Ecstasy which is a superbly soaring melodic scuzz fest, and in fact, this is the prelude to a whole album of fuzz drowned, intense punk tunes - it also has one of those infectious and addictive melodies which if you're anything like me will have you hitting repeat over and over before you move on to the rest of the album.
The beautifully abrasive feel continues with Coalition another track dotted with perfectly judged snatches of melody and off kilter guitars - it's hard to knock their song-writing skills which are spot on throughout and show bags of talent is at work here. Unfortunately though the bad press recently may still leave a slightly off taste in your mouth and whether it's true or not, the damage has been done and it might take the edge off this cracking record somewhat for some listeners which would be a real shame.