Review by Kostas on January 29, 2023.

Blackguard's first album has mostly received bad reviews. Why, you are wondering? The truth is once looking at the cover artwork of "Profugus Mortis", one will probably think of some adventurous folk metal songs, heroic symphonies and a bunch of drunk fellows singing about fantastic worlds of might and life. Well, the third one is what we have here, but apparently the guys got so drunk they weren't able to even record a medIocre album.

First things first, this band has a good keyboardist. He is actually so good, that he manages to play throughout the whole album non stop. Yes, almost every single second of this record has a crazy keyboard melody playing in the background, only to keep you unaware of how uninteresting the rest of the music really is. It's almost like a mosquito that doesn't let you sleep at night because it constantly buzzes next to your ear. That means completely unnecessary and annoying.

Besides the frenetic keyboards, there is little to appreciate in the rest of the album as well. From the boring drumming to the tiring guitar rifts and repetitions, the vocals are the worst part of "Profugus Mortis". An endless yelling voice which is absolutely too loud and from minute to minute will drive you dizzy. The most typicall example is "I Demon", where I would even catch myself wishing for the track to end from the very first second. The only thing I could consider good about this album is mixing and recording quality, since this full-lenghth is characterised by a clear crystallic sound.

That being said, high quality is not enough to make a good album. I can't say Blackguard have no skills. They seem to know how to play and maybe the songs of "Profugus Mortis" can eventually come to life at a live show. However, this record as a whole is rather disappointing, due to its lack of variety but mainly because of the lack of depth and essence. Please dear Blackguard, less drinking and more thinking next time.

Rating: 2.3 out of 10

Review by Tomek on March 30, 2014.

I've been looking at the cover of this album on our Top Ten for the last couple weeks now and somehow never checked what is behind it. Maybe it’s because of the cover that didn't speak to me, nor did the title that I didn't get, but no matter what it was I was moving to other things without giving those guys a try. All that ended last week. Ever Since got a closer look and now I understand why their album keeps occupying a top spot on our Top Ten for so long.

I don't know what it is about Switzerland, but all the bands that I know from over there always bring something fresh to the table. I'm not talking cheese or chocolate over here either. Ever Since brings us combination of very energetic and modern melodic death metal heavily saturated with electronic elements. Sybreed came to mind instantly (it was after when I find out that album was produced, mixed and mastered by Sybreed - mastermind Drop) but Ever Since could only be mentioned on the same list, what they do has much more groove in it and to me is a little more approachable. Songs on this album support one another with melodies and themes, and to me album seems like it's moving seamlessly. After listening to it many times now I also noticed how most of the songs have elements that get stuck in your head and as soon as one starts you know which one it is. It is done in numerous ways and I cannot applaud Ever Since enough for coming up with all these themes, melodies, vocal lines, guitar riffs, drum beats or electronic samples. Just listen to “No Way Out” or “10 000 Feet” or “Wake Up” and there’s no need to thank me for your new favorite of the week. What is also an excellent element of this release is how edgy the guitar sounds and how drum beats can turn a slow song into sharp teeth monster. Even with all the melodies those guys whip out the guitars manage to keep edginess in the songs and don't let the songs become too soft or melancholic. Drumming is excellent and the rhythms Ced is thumping out pulsate in the skull long after songs are done. To me most of the songs on this album could be on any radio list becoming international hits.

I still don't exactly get what Bring Out The Gimp suppose to mean but at this point I can just let it go. Ever Since managed to steal my heart and from this point I'm gonna have to rely on Ced's thumping to keep my blood moving. As for the rest of my existence - listening to Ever Since numerous times per day should keep me going till I figure out what's next.

Rating: 9 out of 10