Iceman was a JPop group that was active in the mid-90's through 2000. The band was created by Daisuke Asakura of Access who played on keyboards, Kenichi Ito on guitar, and Michihiro Kuroda (Rin) as lead vocalist. Their sound was very unique with their electronic stylings and the energy that they brought to their performances. Each member of the group was a very talented musician and performer on their own, and as a group they all made something very different and special together. The work they created was very strong, catchy, and overall very impressive with how many great songs they wrote. Together they produced five full length studio albums in addition to several remixes and singles.

As a fan of the Gravitation anime, I was first introduced to Iceman through the song "Shining Collection" which was featured in the OVA. In the series, the song was performed by world famous vocalist Ryuichi Sakuma and his band Nittle Grasper, and I thought it was really memorable. I liked the song for a long time, but it wasn't until years later that I really got into Iceman. I remember I was looking on Tumblr for Gravitation related posts and came across a video with a caption that said something like 'The real life Nittle Grasper'. The video was of Iceman performing "Lost Complex" and I was instantly intrigued by the song and also their look and performance style. Their outfits and hair were so loud and flashy, Daisuke was playing a keytar, and the audience was so excited and into it. I kept going back to that video because there was just something so captivating about the song and the group and it wasn't long until I was hooked.

Since I was so late in the game getting into them, there was a whole back catalog of music available at once. I ended up spacing out my album purchases so I could fully enjoy and appreciate each album on its own. All of the albums have something great about them and each one is very cohesive in song choice and tone. Even though I don't know Japanese, the songs are just so good that I am still able to fully enjoy them even without knowing what the lyrics are about. I love Rin's voice and there is also plenty of opportunity on the albums for Ken's guitar and vocals or Daisuke's keyboards to be showcased.

Although Iceman broke up, I am still able to enjoy each of the band members on their own solo projects and collaborations. I really enjoyed Daisuke and Ken as Mad Soldiers for their contributions to the music of Gravitation and career of Kinya Kotani (I especially loved the re-releases of Gravitation songs performed by Kinya and produced by Daisuke). After Access reformed, Daisuke and Hiroyuki Takami are still consistently creating new music and I have several of their albums and singles that I like a lot. Ken and Rin formed the band Scarecrow that produced two really great albums (including one of my favorite songs "Speeder") and they each have their own solo careers that I also follow. Rin is a very prolific artist and has a ton of music available (a lot of which is even on American iTunes) and Ken has a really distinct sound that I enjoy a lot.

Iceman is an extremely talented group and I love the music they made together and what they have done in their own careers. My JPop music collection has really grown since I've become a fan of theirs and I always enjoy listening to their albums over and over again.

Favorites

	Liz
Album	Digiryzm Mutation
Song	Beauty Site, Lost Complex, Strike Back of Psyco, Caution, Shining Collection
Music Video	Strike Back of Psyco