Ice Nine existed for a couple of years in some strange hardcore hinterland that served as the last retreat of bands who didn’t really belong anywhere. They sat well enough on various label rosters (be it the power violence/sludge-fixated Bovine or the somewhat lighter sounds of Ebullition) but gave the impression that they’d forced the mould to fit their own ugly frame rather than make any concessions themselves.
In a sloppy, jarring mish-mash of noises this Indianapolis band bullied together an ironclad mix of breakneck hardcore, straggly noise rock and the kind of ruthless, scraping feedback last seen sinking its fangs into the Honeywell LP. The result was an uneasy, grating offensive that came off like Mohinder playing at being a Slap A Ham band, bucking a whole load of conventions and leaving us with a motley assortment of 7″s, splits, comp tracks and unreleased sessions that continue to crater the land to this day.