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

Review by Greg on February 23, 2023.

YouTube might have become full of advertisements, and maybe never was people's first choice as a music player, but its suggestions are often worth giving a shot. It's with this mindset that I was exposed to these young Polish thrashers, who have watched their first LP Path To The Unknown hit the shelves this summer. Of course a debut album is, in a way, a milestone to always be proud of, but I'm telling you, Exul have way more reasons to be satisfied, given how good it turned out to be.

The opener 'Stupidity Regime' is the most apt start to Path To The Unknown, but it doesn't tell all the story, and arguably doesn't end up among my favourites here, maybe for the excessive usage of a not particularly successful riff. Indeed, already the second track 'Rise Again' rearranges the same principles in a more satisfying manner, while 'Weaker Ones', 'Lose All Control' and 'Fight For Your Liberty' bring a heavy dose of the good ol' thrashing, yet never presenting something that could be classified as 'unrefined' or 'cookie-cutter' in the slightest. Nowhere this is more evident than during the astonishing lead guitar parts – the band line-up reads like a bunch of nobodies at first sight, but main member Jakub Wróbel and frontman Bogdan Sroka display a finesse that many seasoned retro-thrash outfits would kill to possess. Oh, and they never forget to always insert a refrain that could be shouted along, to boot.

I've also greatly appreciated how Exul ignored what seems to be an unwritten obligation nowadays, that is, to include a completely slow song in the tracklist, and many bands would want to learn something about it. 'The Hunt' and especially the monumental title-track bring to the table whatever variation you need, without ending up being monotonous pieces that crawl around at the same pace for their entire length, making all interests vanish – not to mention, again, the simply glorious lead sections found in both. 'Path To The Unknown' settles on a different plane already from its celestial acoustic intro, and I'm pretty sure it would have made up the perfect closer for the album, swapping places with 'Weaker Ones', but that's as far as my complaints go. That's the way to do it, folks. Bravo.

Strictly speaking, Exul have everything it takes at its right place. Only the constantly yelled vocals, courtesy of Sroka, lack a bit of variety, reminding me of another Polish outfit, the boneheaded R.O.D. – but the stellar leadwork makes it a flaw worth overlooking. I'm hardly an authority in the matter of new releases, but Path To The Unknown easily ranks among the best thrash 2022 has to offer, to these ears. Needless to say, I'll be following these guys way more closely from now on.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10