Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
Review by Jack Foley
KERRANG described Test Icicles as ‘one of the smartest and edgiest things to come out of the UK in years’, while plenty of critics seem to have been lining up to heap praise on them.
It baffles me why. The hard-rocking trio claim to be inspired by everything from metal, grime, hardcore and rock to hip-hop and pop, citing references as diverse as Motley Crüe, Rick James, Pharell Williams, Slick Rick and Pantera.
Their music attempts to draw on all of these influences and comes at you in thrashing, pedal-to-the-metal fashion amid a wail of screaming vocals, spiky guitars and frenetic beats.
But the effect is pretty mind-numbing; excruciatingly loud and pretty darn all over the place.
Former singles, Boa Vs Python and Circle Square Triangle have seen the band credited with being like Bloc Party on drugs, or early Beastie Boys done to rock.
But such praise feels hopelessly misplaced. Tracks like Your Biggest Mistake, Pull The Lever and Snowball come at you like deranged pieces of quickly thrown together thrash-style disco punk rock.
Catch It is pure Goth-rock metal and pretty darn inaccessible to anyone but the most ardent head-banger, while What’s Your Damage is, quite simply, damaged goods.
For a band so hyped, this comes across as a huge disappointment.
We say balls to the Test Icicles and, to coin the title of one of their tracks, Your Biggest Mistake would be buying it.
Track listing:
1. Your Biggest Mistake
2. Pull The Lever
3. Interlude
4. Boa Vs Python
5. Circle Square Triangle
6. Catch It
7. Maintain The Focus
8. Snowball
9. What’s Your Damage
10. All You Need Is Blood
11. Sharks
12. Dancing On Pegs
13. Party On Dudes (Get Hype)/What’s Michelle Like