__________.____ ______________________________ .__ _______ ________ \______ \ | \_ _____/\_ _____/\______ \ |__|\ \ / _____/ | | _/ | | __)_ | __)_ | | \| |/ | \/ \ ___ | | \ |___ | \ | \ | ` \ / | \ \_\ \ |______ /_______ \/_______ //_______ //_______ /__\____|__ /\______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ 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 Mot├╢rhead, 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.