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Icepick is yet the first of Hatebreed mainman Jamey Jasta's high profile side projects, the other being Kingdom of Sorrow with Crowbar's Kirk Windstein. The 'Pick features Jasta with long time friend Lord Ezec a.k.a. Danny Diablo (Skarhead and Crown of Thornz) sharing vocal duties. In addition to playing bass and guitars, Zeuss (God Forbid, Full Blown Chaos, Hatebreed) has lent his usual excellent production values and put out a veritable classic that rivals Hatebreed's latest release, Supremacy, in many ways. Violent Epiphany is considerably more Hardcore than that record and this perhaps affords it a bit more identity since so many bands, Hatebreed included, seem to chase the dragon that burns Metal and Hardcore at once. As with many Hardcore records the sound is instantly familiar. But hey, what's wrong with that? If you like it, you like it. Chances are you more than like it, but that's your choice.
Jasta's pipes are recognizable though this is a less than positive affair, if you know what I mean. Y'see, Hatebreed is all about positivity whereas Icepick is about brutality and beatdowns without (m)any breakdowns. While most songs on the album are solid, the title track is particularly strong. "Real Recognizes Real" is noteworthy for its inclusion of so many guest vocalists in a band that already has two. These include Ice-T of Body Count (bitch!), Roger Miret of Agnostic Front, Paul Bearer of Sheer Terror, Freddy Cricien of Madball, Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys, and Pete Morcey of 100 Demons/Forced Reality. "Creations of Chaos" is the most overtly Metal song here and it rules, right down to its Phil Anselmo-esque spoken word undertones and killer guitar work. Also killing is the Crowbar-invoking (both musically and lyrically) album closer "Born to Crush You." While I generally enjoy Hatebreed, I will come back to Icepick more often because of the variety and fun factor. Crushing, indeed.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Devotion Measures Strength |
| 2. Twisted Memory |
| 3. Tomorrow Is Not A Promise |
| 4. Violent Epiphany |
| 5. Creations Of Chaos |
| 6. With One Ideal |
| 7. Show Of Force |
| 8. This Can Never Be Undone |
| 9. Nothing Without Loyalty |
| 10. Real Recognizes Real |
| 11. Onward To Victory |
| 12. Born To Crush You |
: 32.47
| Buy other Icepick albums |
