Urgehal

Through Thick Fog Till Death

Flesh for Beast/Agonia 2003

Urgehal is one of those bands trying to keep primitive Norwegian black metal alive.  I know this is an uphill struggle these days and I commend them for their effort.  I have loved them since their Arma Christi debut and they have progressively gotten better.  So using that logic it must mean this one is their best to date.  And it is.  We start off with a typical intro but then the music blasts forth in an icy maelstrom with Possessed.  Their use of Icy cold riffs has gotten so much better over the years.  This is exemplified by the howling riffs on Raise the Symbols of Satan and Dead Cold December.  For some reason that style of riff just kills me.  It speaks of the woods at night with the wind blowing through the trees.  I think Dead Cold December is my favorite song on the album.  All the riffs kill.  Another thing that really stands out here is the unique identity that each song posses.  Some of their songs on their previous efforts kind of blended together or sounded like filler material.  On Thick Fog though all the songs each have their own personality.  Basically what I am saying is that Urgehal have made marked improvement in the songwriting department.  The production is also their best so far.  The mix is just right and the sound is really thick with a solid undercurrent of heaviness.  The drums have a nice touch of crispness that their previous albums lacked.  The packaging is nice but nothing amazing.  Urgehal is one of the few bands from Norway that manage to keep the emotions of the olden days burning bright.  And this is the best album yet.  It kills.  Enough said.