I had heard so much hype about this band, so I was kind of weary about checking them out. Everyone was talking about waiting for their pre-orders, and avid record collectors were searching out every color of their newest record. This phenomenon only happens with few bands. When I finally got around to listening to Ice Grillz, I was actually pretty impressed. I could see why kids are getting into this.
The first thing that struck me is the samples used in the beginning of "Refuse to Lose" and "Can it all be so Simple". The first sample being a shout out with a rap beat, which leads into the song. The DJ then starts scratching along with the band, and this sounds good, certainly straying away from the 90s style, rap-rock music. This is the kind of thing I have seen few bands do so far, and it was done well in this song, so I give them props for that.
Once the samples are done, the music itself is obviously influenced by hip-hop, with youth crew styled yelling. This is one of the reasons the samples tie into the music so well; the guitar riffs are based on hip hop beats. The guitar solo on the title track, "Ice Grillz," threw me off at first, but I quickly grew to like it. The solo is an obvious homage by the boys from Cold World of their metal influences. There is also a guitar solo on "Low Places," but this seems to fit into this song because of the chug-chug guitar intro leading into it. Overall the musical influences jump around on this release, but it is very likable. The hip-hop based songs are very catchy, and the guitar riffs bring you back to the old-school metal days, with the guitarist's growls adding to that. The samples polish off this release, making it feel complete.
One thing I would like to see more of is a mix of the band's different influences. The first three songs seem to be hip-hop based, while the last two are obviously metal influenced. The band seems to change as the album goes on, and I would really like to see them mix these hip-hop and metal influences into every song, instead of changing influences song by song.
The only other complaint I had on this release is that the lyrics are very simple. He seems just to rhyme simple words instead of actually taking the time to pick out more complex rhyming schemes. But, I guess that's his style, and the lyrics fit well into the music, so maybe the basic words used are better.
I can see why this band gets so much hype. This release is really easy to get into. With the tight samples, and the hip-hop influences mixed with metal, Ice Grillz seems to be a perfect package. The album leaves you fulfilled and you will find yourself playing it over and over again. But, be weary, because after listening to this a lot, the singer's voice got annoying and I stopped listening to it. This is one of those albums you listen to nonstop, then get sick of, then find it a week later and get back into it. I only hope we can expect more of this from Cold World.
