Wednesday 3 October 2018

TRÖPICAL ICE LAND

BandTRÖPICAL ICE LAND
GenresPunk / Rock / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
Related artists: Enze, Empty Heads and Strong Noises.
Country: Vic/Torelló SPAIN
Years Active2008-present
Song: "Dark Souls"
Album: "C"
Year: 2015
For fans ofDanse Macabre, Tristan Tzara, Saligia, Cassus, Orchid, The Ultimate Screamo Band, Tempano, OsoLuna, Welcome The Plague Year, The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra, Off Minor, Deers!, The Flying Worker, Komusō, Louise CyphreУлыбайся Ветру, Bravo Fucking Bravo, The Khaymbii Communique, Slint, Mogwai, Angel Eyes, Portrëit, La Quiete, Virginia On Duty, Drei Affen, The Third Memory, Hugs, Caught In The Fall, My Life With The Spaniard, Arches and One Dying Wish aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released / Saltamarges / Canya! / Zegema Beach Records
This post's artist is from the September 2018 Mix. This is track #9.
You can download: the September 2018 Mix#9 right here or get the new October 2018 Mix#10 here.

TRÖPICAL ICE LAND is an emo-violence band from Spain that dabble in post-rock and jazzy bits to accentuate their hardcore, and it works beautifully. Imagine if the screamy, post-everything band Angel Eyes snorted 10 crushed Ritalin and wrote dense, compact jams that only lasted from one to five minutes, but starting a post by referencing a very obscure band may not be the best tactic. Hmmmm, something for everyone...oh, I got it! This is the offspring of Mogwai and Danse Macabre (a German inspired version of Orchid). Those definite emo-violence instrumentals (think Tristan Tzara and The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra) are coupled with a less shrieky vocalist and the band generally dips into post-rock occasionally, but these tangents are firmly rooted in the song and can last for more than half of a its duration.

So, this band was formed in 2008 and released their first material (that I know of, at least) on cd in 2009 titled 'A', with this letter theme being used on each subsequent release. This debut houses 7 songs of loose, jangly and lightly distorted rock/hardcore with very thick and powerful screaming. There seems to be some Slint influence that creeps in on tracks like "Creatures" with a crossover into The Khayembii Communique screamo. "El cau de la marmota" is an instrumental piano piece that bleeds into "Darkness", another bright but hasty shot. All in all its a good listen but pales in comparison to all later work.

Three years later the band released 'B' on cd in conjunction with Saltamarges, the only time their 2009-2015 material was physically released. Here were are met with another 7 jams that have a more obvious attraction and refined rendition of heavier, thicker emo-violence. This is obvious from the get-go, as "Piël" barrels forward for the first and final third, using the midsection to balance the ends out, although the next track "Escalopendra" is much more subdued and ominous while "Reyes y perros" is like a mixture of the two. "Cajas de pino" is the longest and most fleshed out song, while "Triceraptor" is a mindfuck of noises and wailing/crooning that sits like the complete opposite.

It was 'C' that I first heard sometime in 2016 and I instantly fell in love. There's something about the mixture of very well written and jammy post-rock and dark, chaotic emo-violence that gives me audio bliss. Taking the formula from the previous two LPs and pouring a flesh layer of anger and intensity, I feel like the band was working up to this sound for years. "In" is a quick, minute intro using an audio clip that is the precursor to "Caballeros del espejo", a violent 1"45 romp through German-sounding emo-violence followed by "Dark Souls", which is much of the same aka amazing, and includes an awesome shift at the 30-second mark. "Filo" begins at a snail's pace and injects more Slint and Mogwai instrumentation with some exceptional bass work and additional string arrangements before launching into a whirlwind of destruction and chaos at 3:08. "Muraaqooda" follows a similar trajectory with a dreamy, eerie post-rock intro that boasts sick bass progressions and looming dread that drops just like you feared it would. I hear some driving Indian Summer vibes on the first half of "Nails" before a sexy transition reveals the song to be its own doppleganger. There are a lot of those chill, jammy sections that fans of Off Minor and Welcome The Plague Year will appreciate. The last banger is "W.I.C.", beginning very chill with no violent inclinations, besides the screaming of course, and comes off more like Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket than anything...at least for the first minute, then shit gets fucking epic, as is the case with TRÖPICAL ICE LAND.

I have been okayed to divulge that the band has finished their 'D' recordings (not yet mastered) that will likely appear on a 12" record in the near future. I have heard the tracks and they slay. I will also say that I am 100% releasing something else in 2019 with TRÖPICAL ICE LAND, but I cannot reveal more information at this time, although I can say get fucking stoked. 😁

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DISCOGRAPHY

2009 - A digitalLP (stream/download here)

2012 - B cdLP (stream/download here)

2015 - C digitalLP (stream/donate/download here)

2018/2019 - D 12"LP + something else 😏

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(2015) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Muraaqooda" (from 'C')

(2015) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Dark Souls" (from 'C')

(2015) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Filo" (from 'C')

(2012) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "N.W.O." (from 'B')

(2012) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Cajas de pino" (from 'B')

(2009) TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Creatures" (from 'A')

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TRÖPICAL ICE LAND additional links

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