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Iciclan - Frozen Dimensions

Review by Pasperou

A month or so after its release I’m sitting down with ‘Frozen Dimensions’, the first full-length released by Iciclan, the brainchild of the ever-industrious Mathew Chalk. Having recently supported Swedish heavyweights Marduk, Iciclan were beset upon: they needed to release an album that would both vindicate the support selectors and quieten the nay sayers. For those not familiar with the comings and goings of Tasmanian scene politics, even from their ‘Ice Eater’ days Iciclan were the subject of quiet doubts. Did Chalky have his fingers in too many pies (at present count: 6 projects) and was Iciclan merely the most recent addition to his genre collection? Could Chalky pull it off, vocally? Would it just be a power-chord, blast beat ‘n’ bedroom outfit with Psycroptic-esque vocals? Before Iciclan had even played a single note, many expected them to fail.

Well, now to see how Iciclan responded to these and other doubts.

Firstly, the material album itself. Aesthetically, the album artwork isn’t displeasing: it keeps in with the thematic content and doesn’t come across as too synthetic ala the standard photo-shopped ‘metal’ covers that flourish currently. Standing alongside other debut albums it might even seem quite professional. The pro-printed Cd artwork is a nice touch, along with the fully decked out booklet. To my taste, however, the design and layout comes across as safe and a touch boring. Not a serious complaint on its own to be sure, but perhaps this is one book well represented by its cover art.

Frozen Dimensions is, in a word, tame.

To qualify that weak statement, I must stress that it isn’t terrible. It isn’t seriously repetitive, confused or messy. At 24 mins in total, it certainly isn’t long winded. Hell, it isn’t even horrendously derivative of any single artist. ‘Frozen Dimensions’ suffers from an ailment that permeates most music, in many genres: it doesn’t push any boundaries or convey any serious energy. ‘Frozen Dimensions’ sounds like average, mid-paced, late 90’s black metal album, but it just doesn’t feel inviting, gloomy, dark or heavy. Most of all, it doesn’t feel Evil. It lacks the organic, even primal, fury that fuels many good black metal and black inspired bands. Frozen Dimensions is calculated and clinical, and in this sense it too closely (for my taste) resembles modern death metal. The vocals too resemble death metal more than black, but this stylistic choice is not a serious failing if correctly executed.

Structurally the music is often quite interesting. However, as with Psycroptic, more space needs to be given to let the music shine and influence the listener. I find that a great deal of the magic of black metal and blackened death comes from its simple and yet glorious structures and riffs, with the vocals adding a personal element to the mix, a human heaviness. Unfortunately ‘Frozen Dimensions’ is very vocal heavy, in quantity and volume, and this chokes the magic out of it. Dense vocal layering also dominates most tracks. The general production has a thin and digital feel, rather than warm (or thickly cold, as it may be) and immersing, and the vocals sit distinctly apart from the rest of the tracks. This alienation only serves to amplify the clinical feel.

As with most debuts, one ought not to expect gold. Hell, I was surprised to find an album that contained a range of song types, displayed dynamic tempo range and tight musicianship. Taste issues aside, this is a mature release (apart from some super cheesy lyrics) with some alright ideas; ideas which we may see fleshed out in the future.

Album highlights for me:

The Journey
A Black Age
An Ancient Place

5/10