Australia’s Nazxul have returned after 14 long years with a new full-length album of imposing black metal, and while their keyboard-laden sound bears a superficial resemblance to bands like Dimmu Borgir, Iconoclast is probably one of the most well-constructed symphonic black metal albums you’ll ever hear, and definitely deserves its status as one of 2009’s metal highlights. Nazxul’s punishing, mid-tempo approach remains fairly consistent over the duration of Iconoclast, but repeated listens slowly reveal the subtle, dark melodies and minor variations in the songs which make this album a truly rewarding listen.

Iconoclast possesses a very full, expansive guitar sound and brutally effective drumming, which together make this album pretty heavy for a black metal record. The band alternates blasting power chord riffs with a dark melodicism that moves seamlessly between the guitars and keyboards. What at first sounds like the band aimlessly switching between chords gradually reveals itself to be slow, slithering melodies and motifs that worm their way into your head. This interplay of crushing heaviness and sorrowful melody and atmospherics is a large part of what makes Iconoclast so appealing.

The powerful opener ‘Dragon Dispitous’ and the mournful ‘Oath (Fides Resurrectio)’ quickly jump out as highlights, while other standout tracks like ‘Black Wings’ and ‘Iconoclast’ need a bit of time to bore their way into your subconscious. The songs on Iconoclast are all pretty consistently good, and the several short interludes between tracks just serve to enhance the atmosphere of the album and are hardly noticeable. The band members contribute to several other quality projects like Austere, Woods of Desolation, Drowning the Light, Nox Inferi and Pestilential Shadows, but let’s hope that after the success of this album they don’t wait another 14 years before the next release.

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