Review by Kostas on January 29, 2023.

After listening to the disappointing "Profugus Mortis", I was pretty sure there were only two possible things Blackguard could do next. They would either continue composing boring and pointless songs or recognise their old mistakes and have a new and different approach to music. But, after listening to "Firefight", I was caught by surprise. Somehow this band mamaged to do both.

First of all, this album seems much more mature and well-composed in comparison to the previous one. This time, the keyboards do not sound noisy and annoying. They are instead the background instrument they were always supposed to be, even if they sound uninspired. Same goes for the vocals and bass. Although they are not the frenetic noises of "Profugus Mortis", there is still a lack of intelligence and they end up being boring and even tiring. Moreover, the general song structure is of little or no interest, with no fresh ideas or anything that could give this band a separate identity. Songwriting, on the other hand is one level higher, with several meaningful lyrics to dig into.

The best thing about this album is the guitars. There are some pretty good rifts throughout "Firefight" and some really enjoyable solos. The most typical example of this good element and the best track of the album is no other than "Wastelands". The great recording quality and mixing should be appreciated too. Unfortunately, some catchy solos and the aforementioned good quality are not enough to make this album pass the rate of 50%. The lack of depth and essence are still present, with nothing special or memorable.

"Firefight" is definitely not the album you should throw into your trash can. Seeing how Blackguard evolve and listening to some mediocre melodic death metal can be of some interest under specific circumstances. However, I guarantee it is an album that won't stay in your mind for a long time either. Maybe it will only stay in your subconsious as the typical example of an average epic metal release. Nothing more and nothing less. Let's just hope Blackguard continue to evolve. Hopefully...

Rating: 4.3 out of 10