Though Glacier weren’t late comers to the
early 80’s power/heavy scene, for some reason they were buried deep in the
stockpile of bands that were releasing considerably decent, retro material. The
band was born in 1979, and their entire discography is adorned with only three
releases, two demos, and this, their Ep. It’s quite obvious that Glacier was
not intending on doing heavy, exceedingly fast or intense music, and even if
they wanted to, the hindrance that is time would be blocking their way. The Ep
isn’t even on par with some of the better, more sophisticated acts like Jag
Panzer or Fates Warning, often preferring a light overtone to fit the classically
decorated traditional heavy/power texture, with a diminishing raw production
quality put on top of that, and overall it becomes obvious that Glacier built
their five-track Ep upon some of the more classic sounding aesthetics of the
genre.
The rawness of the production renders the
music itself sharp and crisp, despite picking on riffs that aren’t so hefty.
Though throughout the fire tracks that the Ep offers you’ll find an adequate measure
of variation, which, mostly reflects the band’s propensity for catchy, hooking
material, churning traditional speed metal qualities with power metal traits,
there will be a gradual inclination towards an epic touch, most notably on the
first two tracks. It’s not a grandiose feeling, but as many of the band’s
proponents, the epic sense of the music culminates in the chorus sequence,
flaring a soulful mood in the listener, and once triggered with some backup
vocals, the combination becomes truly beguiling, if not wholly indulging the
listener in burgeoning elegy.
And interesting fact about the Ep is that it
consisted of three vocalists, Keith Flax doing ‘’When Heaven’s At Hand’’, Rex
Macnew on ‘’Vandetta’’ and Mike Podrybaou on vocal duties on the remaining
three songs. This is an interesting element to add to the music because each of
the vocalists espouse somewhat of a different touch to the tracks, varying
according to their styles, apparently. Keith Flax sounds totally like Ozzy,
which is not something I’m complaining about, and Podrybaou is an efficient
singer, as he swipes fluently through the finalizing tracks, which prove to the
brisker excursions than the first two songs. I wouldn’t really call ‘’Glacier’’
a mind-boggling release, but it semi-complexity pervades and the structures
still remain captivating. ‘’Glacier’’ is not essential by any means, though
with its classic fluctuations, deep, minor leads thrilling about and excellent
share of melody, it makes for a worthy listen.
Highlights
''When Heaven's At Hand''
''Ready For Battle''
''Speak No Evil''
Final Rating
Awesome [8.1/10]
