3rd May 2026

Review: “Happiness Ain’t Meant For All” by Thin Ice

Recorded and produced by Jason Rowe with mixing and mastering handled by Justin Felder, Bastian Kühn and David Deutsch at 1408 Productions (Mortal Form, The Hirsch Effekt, Dagger Threat), German Hardcore crew Thin Ice believe “Happiness Ain’t Meant For All“. The follow up to 2024 album “A Matter Of Time” promises five tracks of straight up, in your face Hardcore, packed with heavy riffs in the vein of Terror, Bitter End and ’90s Madball as vocalist Simon Hereth, guitarist duo Tobias Schuldheis and Lukas Kaiser alongside rhythm section of bassist Julian Hereth and drummer Michael Wirsing build on the foundations they created.

There are a couple of moments during the bouncy Hardcore groove of “Mind’s At War” where you almost expect the band to burst into “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys with the way in which Simon Hereth’s vocals flow, hints of “Stay True” era Deez Nuts coming from the riffs. What makes the track is the gut punch moment, a harsher vocal followed by a satisfying breakdown giving all that slick, classy Hardcore a little bit more edge.

A tasteful solo and some gang chants chemically enhance title track “Happiness Ain’t Meant For All“, the staccato riff breaks a call to the mosh pit that its hard to resist. While the American influence is strong there is just a little bit of accenting on the vocals and a couple of very slight diction issues which give the band away as being German. Not that its an issue, if anything it adds a charm to the record because its not all as smooth as silk. They say you should never bite the hand that feeds but Thin Ice give no f***s and roll up with old school riffs of “Bite The Hand” and in all honesty, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. You’ve probably heard this more than a few times from other bands but Thin Ice do it so well that you can’t help but enjoy it. Us humans are on planet earth for a good time, not a long time after all.

A dirge laden bass line from Julian Hereth introduces “When Friends Become Enemies” in style, the earworm riff that joins it all call for the two steppers to get in the pit with a tasteful crunch. Sonically it sounds like its been inspired by early Biohazard, the verve and swagger of the soloing confirming there is more to the band than meets the ear. The longest cut on the record is grand finale “Let The Pain Begin“, a track which continues the sentiment of its predecessor like a conjoined twin. Calling out the friends who became leeches in style, the five piece bring the mosh parts and you might even get a bit of 90’s Metallica in the final moments. [7.5/10]

Track Listing