renkls
There is no doubt in my mind that Abruptum was highly influential with their abstract improvised black metal style, and there are many bands which follow their improvisational formula very closely. hell Icon is one such band, but the problem with their music is that it does little to nothing to distinguish itself from Abruptum. We've got the dissonant guitar lines, fuzzy production, improvisation, skittish drum beats - sounds like Abruptum to me. While I find there's nothing bad with the albums themselves, it's more that they have no innovation or ambition outside of paying homage to Abruptum, although that's hardly uncharted territory already. Sure, we get an album length track, but that was already a staple of Abruptum anyway. So really, it's just more Abruptum. Because there's not enough improvisational black metal out there. At least, Hell Icon don't seem to think there is.
But yes, this is strictly for fans of Abruptum, who might find some good in this homage.