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Urgehal: Ikonoklast Black Metal Season Of Mist Records November 16th, 2009
- "Dødelagt" MP3 (Season-Of-Mist.com) Originally posted on January 19th, 2010 | ||
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Review
Formed in 1992, Urgehal have only put out five full length releases since their debut in 1997, as well as one EP and two split CDs as well as compilation releases. Ikonoklast marks the band's sixth studio album, and finds the band starting to garner more attention then their previous releases did. Originally, the act seemed to stay mostly to the underground, but since their previous release, Goatcraft Torment, all bets have been off and they stepped out onto the mainstages of Black Metal with a Thrash tinged sound that stays close to the roots of the bands that inspired them without trampling on the sound in an effect to sound exactly like those that inspired them. Ikonoklast is definitely a quality Black Metal release, as it perfectly fuses both Thrash elements with truly satanic Black Metal. One of the more important aspects to the release would be the production quality being just raw enough to where you can hear everything perfectly, but it still has that edge that it's not clear enough to take away from the overall sound and feel of the album. Take that, and factor in the echoed vocals that would make one fondly remember the earlier days of Black Metal recordings, as well as the chainsaw-like distorted guitars and you have an album that grabs you by the throat with it's perfect example of what Black Metal should sound like when done properly. The only thing with the release is that the first track, "Stedolid Self-Destruction to Damnation", starts the release off a little rocky, and chances are it may put you off from the rest of the album, especially if you happen to just be sampling the album. The song will grow on you over time, but just ignore any mixed emotions you may have for now and go head first into the intensity that is "Dødelagt". Much like how "Stedolid Self-Destruction to Damnation" is a little different compared to much of the album, there are others that stand out differently from the album, both for better and worse. For example, "The Necessity of Total Genocide" seems to deviate a slightly from the sound and has some rather generic riffs utilized throughout, making it a bit out of place on the album. It does, however, pick up on intensity as the track goes on and still shines on the release, though not as brightly as the menacing "Approaching Doom", or even the well constructed "Sopor Necrosanctus", which closes the album out nicely and will hold your attention throughout the entire song from start to finish. So, with only a few hiccups and irregularities, it's clear that Urgehal's Ikonoklast is a top notch release that does need to be checked out. Much of the music on here is grim and punishing, though some of the riffs could have been a little better or at least less generic. Either way, this is a release that you'll play many times over thanks to the sheer intensity of the music that bombards you from it's rocky start, to the finely crafted longer tracks that boast very little to no repetition, and certainly are far from boring you with interludes or other artsy or gothic-era tinged instrumentals that have become the norm in Black Metal today, outside the piano outro to "Sopor Necrosanctus" which is great. If you have yet to check out Urgehal, then now is the time.
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