To call Black Ice a death rock or, god forbid, a “goth” band seems a wee bit too pat. They pilfer a bit from both of those pigeonholes, surely, but there is so much more to them than just dressing like Edward Scissorhands extras and playing a piss-poor amalgamation of Bauhaus and bad disco. Smooshed in with all the gloomy-Gussin’ is some early Savage Republic-type industrial thrashin’ ‘n’ bashin’, some cabaret, a dab of psychedelia and more than a little Bay Area art damage. Their efforts are undeniably bleak in sound—these are tunes that might actually discourage suicidal behavior, ‘cause ultimately, why even bother with that, man?—but they’re smart enough to hard-wire enough catchiness into their sound and fury to encourage repeated listens.
–jimmy (Hungry Eye)