ICE has been one of the best Dutch Melodic Neo-Prog bands since formed in the very late Nineties. ICE born after the premature demise of the ’80s progressive rock group Maryson, plus others from Differences, other prog act from the same era. So here we have some experienced musicians, this is obvious after hearing their upcoming new album “Man in the Moon” because the 10 compositions sound very professional and pleasant to the ears > melodic, harmonic, tasteful and varied.
This is Neo-Prog with influences ranging from Marillion to Alan Parsons Project: accessible melodic stuff for all kind of listeners, yet with the necessary proggy elements to satisfy fans of the genre.
ICE’s music go from dreamy to bombastic uptempo numbers, pop-rock easy melodies to more intricate arrangements, and a slightly symphonic rock sound on a couple of tracks. The band uses varied instrumentation to embellish the songs, with keyboards & synths providing melody and when needed, orchestration.
A song like “The Voice of Black Mountain” also incorporates Guilmour-esque guitar work, ‘Inside the Bulb’ tackles Marillion from the ’90s, while the commercial midtempo ‘The Dreams that Never Were’ has some Alan Parsons vibe, just a bit more neo-proggy.
The joyful ‘Returning to the Day is a favorite, an uptempo composition with cool synths and a melody developing the vein of ’80s Canadians Saga.
ICE proves to be masters on creating strong emotional contents with this work, there are lots of changing moods throughout, ranging from melodramatic textures to more optimistic tunes, apparently the music goes the same way, passing from full-blown Neo Prog with symphonic keyboards and blistering guitars to more accessible and easily digested performances.
“Man in the Moon” is solid Neo Prog with rockin’ edges, melodic deliveries and dramatic atmospheres. Did not expect anything else by a bunch of Dutch Prog veterans, an easy recommendation to all fans of the style.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Man In The Moon
02. The Voice of Black Mountain
03. Inside the Bulb
04. The Dreams that Never Were
05. At the Break of Dawn & Across the Frozen Lake
06. Cambridge
07. Returning to the Day
08. Waves and the Wind
09. The Wizard
10. Lost in the Blue
Line Up:
- Ardie Westdijk / keyboards, Synthesizers
- Chris Van Hoogdalem / guitars, backing vocals
- Hein Van Den Broek / lead and backing vocals, guitar
- Rene Sterk/bass
- Rob Boshuijzen / drums, percussion
Ice – Man in the Moon (2024)
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