Bio (from
metaladies.com)
One of the most succesful all-female thrash bands, interestingly, without having released any album. Formed on January 14th 1985 by Sabrina Kihlstrand and Pia Nyström, who met through an ad in a music store, Ice Age was completed with Sabrina’s sister, Helena, and Tina Strömberg behind the drums.
Its beginnings were rather power metal, sound reflected in their first demo “Solid Rock”, which was the band’s name before changing to Ice Age, a name more in line with their cold native Scandinavia. First but not last change, the newcomer Helena gave her bass to Viktoria Larsson at the end of 1986.
Their sound gradually gained rawness, distancing from the sounds of Iron Maiden and Queensryche to get closer to the thrash origins, the likes of the first Megadeth and Metallica. However, whitout missing their melody dose.
They showed their personality when Kim Fowley, a well-known American producer of the 70s tried to convert their music to make the it more commercial. Fowley had experience as he worked with the Joan Jett’s Runaways, Sandy West and a young Lita Ford. Ice Age didn’t accept the terms and decided to conitue thrashing without him.
Ice Age played a technical thrash sound, embodied in their demos “General Alert” (1987) and one untitled (1988), filled with changing songs, a melodic touch and powerful riffs.
The band played in many countries and festivals, including the notable The Open Air in Lamone, Switzerland, in front of 5000 people. The swedish gradually gained some popularity, which surged after the recording of “Instant Justice” in 1989, which eventually would be their latest release.
The video “Instant Justice”, recorded with very little budget and script, reunited fifty members of the fan club who traveled to England to shoot it. The clip appeared on MTV (see below), which favored the demo sales until reaching the number of 1200 copies. Its publication was followed by two European tours, without even having secured a record deal.
This was the main reason why the band began to wear down, and replacements were happening in the months that followed. Midway through the second tour, a significant drop: vocalist Sabrina left the boat due irreconcilable problems with the manager on duty, who ended in a final discussion on a bus tour that ended with Sabrina fired from it in a bad manner.
Curiously it wasn’t one but two components who replaced her, the Italian guitarist Isabella Fronzoni and American Debbie Gunn’s at the vocals. Sabrina played guitar and sang at the same time, and it brought some problems performing live.
So Ice Age became a quintet that housed five nationalities, another major source of problems. After an attempt to sign a fraudulent contract from FM Records, the record deal finally arrived, and listening to the rumors, with AVM. The first LP was close, but then the band internal problems were irreparable.
The situation reached its limit and Larsson, together with Isabella Fronzoni left the formation in October 1989, during the Danish tour, on the eve of an important gig in the Marquee in London.
This city saw Fronzoni and Johanna Holmstedt forming Original Sin and following a more metal path. Meanwhile, Strömberg, Nyström and Gunn tried to resuscitate a wounded Ice Age with a duo of musicians from New Jersey.
But while the Swedish branch headed by Pia and Tina called to continue in Europe, the american one wanted to cross the pond and go to the States. There was the separation, each one to their house, and Ice Age disappeared in 1990 after having sold 2000 copies of their demos. Pia did a concert at L’Amours, New York, along with Debbie, Lisa Decavolo, Tammy Chavarini and Dale Whitaker, playing some songs from Ice Age, under the name of Stranded In Sweden.
Pia Nyström finally formed Idiots Rules together with Sabrina Kihlstrand and Viktoria Larsson, and continued their demo via crucis (up to four) without getting the attention of record companies.
A detail to take into account, Sabrina participated as guest vocalist in the great Gardenian’s album “Soulburner”.
Although currently there’s no music activity under the name of Ice Age beyond the intention of posting unreleased songs or reissue demos, Sabrina Kihlstrand announced at her myspace that due to the high demand she will create a website dedicated to the band.
Bio (from
metal-archives.com)
Formed January 14, 1985 by Sabrina Kihlstrand and Nyström, who were also the main songwriters (music in collaboration, lyrics by Nyström). The band was rounded out by Sabrina's sister Helena, and Strömberg. Ice Age were initially known as Rock Solid, but switched to their more geographically apt monicker after their first demo. Helena was replaced by Viktoria Larsson in October 1986.
New demos in a progressively technical thrash vein followed in 1987 and 1988. The band was now managed by Dave Miles and Sean Wright of Nemesis International, and upon relocating to Wisbech (a small village near Cambridge), the band shot a video for the track 'Instant Justice' from the 1989 demo of the same name, receiving airings on both MTV and Super Channel. The band's crowning live achievement was at the Open Air ’88 festival in Lamone, Switzerland.
In Spring 1989 Sabrina left the band mid-tour because of managerial problems. She was replaced by Italian guitarist Isabella Fronzoni (previously in Milan-based Warhammer) and American vocalist Debbie Gunn (formerly of Sentinel Beast and Znöwhite, later in Brutal Groove), who both joined in June 1989. Holmstedt (who had originally auditioned for the same spot as Fronzoni) joined on bass soon after, sharing duties with Larsson.
Ice Age slowly disintegrated because of bad management. Sources even reported a fake contract with the FM Revolver label, while other rumours indicate a contract was signed with AVM and the band readied to record their debut album. Internal band relations were equally contrary by this point, seeing the members divide into two camps. Ultimately, Larsson, co-bassist Holmstedt and Fronzoni left in October 1989 during their Denmark tour, only shortly before they were supposed to play The Marqueen in London.
Fronzoni and Holmstedt relocated to London and joined Original Sin in January 1990. This band stayed together for about three years, whereupon Fronzoni joined veterans Rock Goddess in 1993. (She also guested in Tytan and joined Celtic Frost on stage at a gig in 1990/91.)
Upon returning to Sweden, Strömberg, Nyström and Gunn made a final attempt, replacing Larson/Holmstedt and Fronzoni by New Jersey duo Chavarini and Decavolo. The American fraction of the band wanted to relocate to New York, while Nyström and Strömberg opted to stay in Sweden, and so, by 1990 Ice Age was no more. The Americans formed the band S.I.S. (Stranded in Sweden - Nyström even joined them for a one-off gig at L'Amours), while Kihlstrand, Nyström and Larsson rejoined forces a couple of years later in Idiots Rule.
Bio (from
Musicmight)
An all female Thrash act ICE AGE toured consistently yet unfortunately never released any product despite a set of strong demos. The group was formed in Gothenberg during early 1985 as ROCK SOLID by guitarist Pia Nyström, vocalist / guitarist Sabrina Kihlstrand, bassist Helena Kihlstrand and later adding drummer Tina Strömberg, Viktoria Larsson joined in October 1986, replacing Sabrina's sister on bass. KIM FOWLEY, the man responsible for putting the legendary American All Girl band THE RUNAWAYS together in the mid 70s, did have a management interest in the group for a brief period before Englishman Dave Maile took on complete responsibility.
ICE AGE demo sessions surfaced as 'General Alert' in May 1987. The band toured in Britain on a number of occasions, including dates at London's Marquee Club, scoring a great deal of press in all the right publications at the time. Sabrina Kihlstrand quit mid-way through a European tour, frustrated at a lack of progress and dissatisfaction with the band in general. The frontwoman was eventually replaced by American vocalist Debbie Gunn, previously with SENTINEL BEAST and ZNOWHITE, with ICE AGE also added a second guitarist in the Italian born Isabella Fronzoni, a former member of WARHAMMER.
However, the band cancelled their December 1989 British tour when Tina Strömberg suffered a broken jaw in an altercation outside a Gothenberg nightclub. At this point Fronzoni announced her decision to return to Italy and Larsen also quit. Another Swede, Johanna Holmstedt, took over the bass position.
In January 1990 US born Tammi Chiavarini joined the group on bass whilst fellow American, New Jersey native Lisa Decovolo succeeded Fronzoni. Having received some interest from CBS Records the band split up after the Americans wanted to relocate to New York which, it seems, they wound up doing, only not as members of ICE AGE. Although tapes for a proposed album were recorded, the band had three albums worth of material lying around, with the revised line-up, they were never released.
Fronzoni returned to Britain to join another all girl band ORIGINAL SIN in 1991 with ex-NO SHAME drummer Liz Watt. Between 1993 and 1995 she was later part of a new ROCK GODDESS line-up. Fronzoni relocated back to Italy to enroll with Thrash covers band CONSPIRACY. Back on the move, the guitarist journeyed to South Carolina in 1988 before jumping back to the UK, forging Death Metal project SELF DISGRACE.
Back in Sweden, Pia Nyström and Vicky Larsson were reunited with Sabrina Kihlstrand in IDIOTS RULE, a group that featured a male drummer and have, thus far, have only featured on a compilation album.
Gunn returned to America to front BRUTAL GROOVE. Sabrina Kihlstrand turned up in 1999 once more, lending her distinctive vocal stylings as backing singer on GARDENIAN's 'Soulburner' opus.
Nemesis International released a 20th-anniversary posthumous debut album ICE AGE in 2009 titled 'A Thrash-Metal Fairy Story... '