Many fans of 80s thrash may well remember all girl Swedish band Ice Age. Originally formed in Gothenburg by Sabrina Kihlstrand, Pia Nystrom, Sabrina’s sister Helena (later replaced by bassist Viktoria Lafsson), and drummer Tina Stromberg, these four girls toured Europe and played to some quite large crowds. With a power metal sound that moved towards the sound of early Metallica and Megadeth. A number of cassette demos include Rock Solid, General Alert, Untitled and Instant Justice sold thousands. I remember having all four cassettes, bought at a packed gig at the Shelley Arms in Nutley, East Sussex (not quite Rock City but home of many wonderful gigs). Line-up changes and management issues led to implosion. Now reformed with two new members we finally get an album, which combines songs written for those demos and new material. Alongside vocalist/guitarist Sabrina and bassist Viktoria are lead guitarist Linnea Landstedt (ex Tyranex) and drummer Andre Holmquist (ex Manimal). Very retro, quite intense, and (this is probably my rose tinted spectacles speaking) a CD anthology of those original tapes wouldn’t go amiss either. Very enjoyable classic thrash metal
