First, let me apologize for the lack of reviews coming in. I have been very busy with getting a job, as well as working on my relationship and my living situation. I'll make this up to you by doing three reviews in one week. That being said...

Here's my review on Urgehal's Ikonoklast

Urgehal has always amazed me, and to me is one of the last good Black Metal bands. With the release of Ikonoklast, they still show that, if not multiply that feeling. Everything seems to be in place. What I did like about Ikonoklast was that it followed a new music formula, with less blast beats, and more focusing on black/death oriented guitars. Vocally, the album is lacking, but I think that it fits for the new sound they acquired.

The Drums to Ikonoklast seem to be a lot more about keeping rhythm then actually making a blasty mess. Some songs do have a lot of blast beats, like Dodelagt, but most seem to be less blast oriented, and more focused on actual drum techniques, especially the double roll fill.

Guitar wise, the album is phenomenal, and the instrumental parts show that Urgehal has lost nothing when it comes to Black Metal. Most of the riffs are power chord oriented or alternate picking simplistic black metal style riffs. Solos in the album are amazing, more technical then Urgehal has ever been, and I have to say it impressed me a lot, especially after hearing the new Gwar, and being disappointed with the soloing techniques. Though the album has been out for a total of 2 hours as I post this, I can say, it was a great find. Yes, I downloaded it like the pirate I am, but with the lack of money and patience for online delivery, it was my only choice.

The Artwork is pretty simplistic, but effective. It is a stone-esque figure standing with his arms raised, whilst a black cloud storms overhead. A large band logo with "Ikonoklast" written underneath it, go between the man's arms. I actually really liked the art, as compared to (yet again) Gwar, who's new album art was just retarded.

Honestly, I'd fellate all the members of the band for making such a great release...Go out and buy it, I mean, shit, what else can you do with the money you're not spending on crack?

TL;DR: 93/100.