Ikonoklast

http://www.regenmag.com/Blog-7-Nuclear-Fest-2007.html

_excerpt_

In contrast, the closing act Ikonoklast were a much more raucous, though no less enjoyable affair. Undoubtedly the most metal group of the lot, Ikonoklast's sound marries the electronic energy of industrial with the brutal power of extreme metal in the vein of Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, with just a hint of Dillinger Escape Plan. With this band, the keyboards are relegated to the background, while the intensity of the guitars and Werm's shrill vocals take to the fore, pummeling the audience into submission. Indeed, the volume was such that even this writer admittedly found himself spending most of the band's set in the backroom for fear of going deaf. But exaggeration aside, Ikonoklast's set blasted through the speakers as violently and as anything one would expect at a show by the likes of Pantera or Meshuggah, even going so far as to perform a faithful version of Nine Inch Nails' "Wish." Still, credit should be given to the band for managing to keep a fair balance between their heavy metal onslaught and the accompanying synthesizers, making them standout amongst their peers at the Fest, while still able to close things out on an appropriate high.
- REGEN Magazine

http://ballbusterhardmusic.com/hard_reviews/04-2005/#ikonoklast

by Chris Forbes

"This is a pretty cool band. They play death metal with a bit of gothic and industrial edge to them. Their music is out of control and they even have some keyboard parts, that don't sound out of place. The band still maintain some melody and this is like Ministry meets Voivod at times. A band that I am sure will be signed soon. Info: http://www.ikonoklast187.com"
- BallBusterHardMusic.com

http://www.metalcurse.com/reviews/i-revs.html

I knew it was just a matter of time before someone thought to mix Gothenberg-style Death/Thrash with straight up Industrial. So here you have it, KMFDM meets ARCH ENEMY. It's decent, but it's probably going to be way too Metallic for the vampires, and much too mechanized-sounding for the Metalheads. That's the risk you run by mixing styles, and you certainly won't be bridging any genre gaps when the most memorable moment on your album is a cover of DEPECHE MODE's "Enjoy the Silence." They may prove me wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, but only time will tell. As for right now, I'm not really feeling this and I'm not quite sure who would. - 6.5 - <Jack>
- www.metalcurse.com

http://bloodyraven0.tripod.com/ikonoklast.html

Amazingly heart stopping, body dropping music. Quick to get you jumping into the middle of a mosh pit in no time at all. By now you have pushed play and started or already heard "Communion" by Ikonoklast. So you already know that I speak the truth when I say they are damn good.
- Sasha
FUCKING KICK ASS. NOT ONLY DO THEY ROCK HEARING IT FROM A RADIO BUT THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCE IS A MUST SEE. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND ADDING THESE GUYS TO ANY MUSIC COLLECTION.
- STEVEN
im in love with their music. i cannot get enough of it.
- jamie
rock the fuck on. rock the fuck on. i have nothing more to say :D
- anthony - Bloody Raven

IKONOKLAST from Arizona played at the broadway for the last Thunderkissed Thursdays show. They were great. anyone who likes industrial metal would have liked them. they use alot of cynthesizer that's prerecorded on a laptop, but it doesn't overpower the live musicians that were playing. they've definitely taken a peice from the book of Trent Reznor. If you like Ministry or Nine Inch Nails I definitely recommend checking out this band. I have a few of their samplers left, if you're interested I could probably send one out to you, or we can meet up some where. Even with some technical issues, the band put on a great show. Good energy on stage. I'm not familiar enough with the band to list off the songs they played. At the end of their set, they did a cover of Wish. One of my favorite nine inch nails songs. the crowd was decent, i think around 90 people. tugnut opened up for them, judging by the crowds reaction i would say montana isn't ready for that. once IKONOKLAST came on the crowd was into it. at one point the singer and the guitar player came off the stage into the audience, just to start up a little mosh pit.

long story short, if you're into industrial music, you missed a good show. so check out IKONOKLAST.

www.myspace.com/ikonoklast

some of the members also have a side project going, you can check them out at:

www.myspace.com/reburnandtheskidmarks

written by:
blesseddoom
http://www.myspace.com/blessiddoom - metalmontana.com

http://www.regenmag.com/Artist-Spotlight-37-Ikonoklast.html

IkonoklastPosted: Sunday, September 16, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
Review by: Ilker YücelBIOGRAPHYAn iconoclast is defined as a person who seeks to destroy religious images and/or opposes their worship, so with such a name, it can be surmised that the Arizona quintet of Ikonoklast are not without some element of blasphemy in their presentation. In fact, they revel in it, viciously blending the cold, mechanical fury of industrial electronic music with the onslaught of extreme metal that recalls the best elements of the Scandinavian scene. Founded in 1999, the band underwent several lineup changes before landing on the current roster to release 2004's The Suffering, which displayed the band's unique and powerful array of punishing guitar riffs, courtesy of guitarists Ryan Winkle and Fred Newell, merciless low end provided by bassist Sean Winkle, the pummeling percussion of Mike "Monkey" Soucy, and the scathing vocals of Jonah "Werm" Foree, whose voice will surely remind many of Dani Filth with just a hint of Trent Reznor. All of this is augmented by an ever-present array of blistering electronic tracks that land the band firmly in the industrial setting without sacrificing their metal edge. With The Suffering making waves on the West Coast, and having performed alongside the likes of The Genitorturers, Slick Idiot, Opiate for the Masses, and SMP, Ikonoklast are poised to take the world of industrial metal by storm with their new album, The Dawn. Co-headlining the first ever Nuclearfest in July 2007, the band speaks to ReGen about their approach to appeasing audiences of both the rivethead and metalhead persuasion, whilst touching on their penchant for blasphemous subject matter and their plans for a future that will be grim for most, but assuredly bright for Ikonoklast.INTERVIEWIkonoklast seems to place a heavy emphasis on samples and electronics without sacrificing their distinct metal edge. What are your thoughts on the recent wave of metal bands that are starting to incorporate more electronics into their music?
R. Winkle: We just got bored.

Foree: Yeah, we just wish it were going on more.

R. Winkle: There are too many bands that are either all metal or all industrial.

Ikonoklast released your debut EP, The Suffering, in 2004, and that was five years after the band was founded. How do you feel the band has developed in sound and style since then?

Foree: Well, it was really experimental in the beginning. We didn't really know what we were doing, so we were trying to create something new, basically. And finding key members who are trying to do the same thing we are is difficult, because most people, like we said, either want to be really metal or really electronic. We also have The Dawn, which just came out. The Suffering's pretty old now.

How would you say things have changed between The Suffering and The Dawn?

Newell: It's a lot more well produced, and a lot more well put together.

S. Winkle: The electronics on The Dawn are a lot more diverse.

R. Winkle: Plus The Dawn has this lineup, which we've had for awhile, because in the past it would change a lot.

Newell: On The Suffering, it's much of the old guys and the new guys, a sort of combo. Now, it's all of us working together.

The dominant themes in your music are rather blasphemous towards the Christian ideology. How do you feel you express these subjects differently from other bands that have approached these themes before?

Foree: I guess we try to approach it intelligently and not just say, 'Fuck your god!,' and that's it. I try to explain more to it.

R. Winkle: Not that 'Fuck your God!' is bad.

Foree: Yeah, not that it's bad.

Soucy: There are a couple of songs where it gets more elaborate, you know, that possess a little bit of a back story on certain subjects.

Foree: Yeah, like 'Communion' has got a whole story about a priest molesting a child, and the child is getting his revenge.

So you're not doing the Norwegian black metal thing?

R. Winkle: Well, we did bring out gauntlets. [Laughs.]

Foree: We ran out of all our makeup last night though. [Laughs.]

You guys are currently selling the Dead Inside single while on tour. What's next for Ikonoklast? When will The Dawn be available?

Newell: The Dawn will be on sale through the tour, but it won't be released until October 12.

Foree: That's the official release.

What's the next step for you guys after that?

R. Winkle: Hopefully, just a lot more touring.

A lot of people have this impression of a metal band being more animated on stage than industrial bands, with so many people performing. How would you describe your live show and how it compares to other bands that you're performing with?

S. Winkle: I like a show that's pretty active and kind of aggressive.

Soucy: There will be times when some of them will start playing, and they'll be pushing each other.

Foree: The size of the stage also determines how many times we actually hit each other. [Laughs.]

So it gets pretty rowdy. Is there anything you wanted to say to close out?

Newell: Look us up online.

Foree: We're on MySpace.

Newell: Buy our CD. We need money—bad—so we can come back out here.

Foree: We also have a new music video about to go up on our page.

Tell us about the video.

Foree: This is our second music video. It's for the song 'Dead Inside.' It's based on the original Night of the Living Dead, so it's all in black and white, and the storyline is based on it.

Newell: It basically follows the movie flat out.
- Ilker Yücel