Trapped Under Ice/Dirty Money

Reissues provide the chance for a retrospective look on the recordings, while splits, inadvertently, create competition between the participating bands. In this respect, the Trapped Under Ice/Dirty Money split begs for a look back on the release, how the bands compare to one another and how they and their music have held up over time. Trapped Under Ice take up the first half of the split with their recognizable brand of NYHC filtered through Baltimore eyes. An early version of "Gemini," which was later included on their full-length debut, Secrets of the World, and the exclusive-to-this-release "Death Clock Ticking" show a band building upon their already strong formula and expanding their palette. Meanwhile, Dirty Money's side exhibits a solid, though wholly unremarkable, regurgitation of NYHC, à la No Warning, Madball, etc. Though a good enough soundtrack to the pit, the fact that it's indistinguishable from many other acts may explain why Dirty Money broke up, while Trapped Under Ice continue to rise through hardcore's ranks. And this split was an early indicator why.