Review by Greg on April 8, 2025.

Perpetual Catastrophe is the brand-new 4-tracker, plus intro, EP from Polish thrashers Exul. I had gladly spent words of appreciation for their debut album Path To The Unknown, released three years ago, so I was naturally expecting any ulterior signs of life from the dudes – and, I must say, this delivers.

Despite my fondness for the LP, I still observed room for even further improvements. The first one that comes to my mind would be Bogdan Sroka's coarse vocals, mostly for the reason that they sometimes clashed a bit with the refined assault of the music. Where to go now? Well, softening the vocals wasn't really a viable option (was it?), and Sroka seems to have gone the opposite way nonetheless, getting closer and closer to a full-fledged growl at times. What about the music? Another thing that always stood out to me with Exul is that their music often sounded great, at times awesome, but also gave the impression that it could use a few extra bpm here and there. New drummer Brian Stephens comes straight from the States to provide a partial solution to that minor issue. We're still far from the most blisteringly fast acts of the scene, for sure – and it's perhaps something they could take a cue on from compatriots and almost homonymous Exist, who keep inevitably springing to my mind whenever I hear these guys, despite their different approaches – but the occasional blast beat accent surely goes well with Sroka's deeper bellows, albeit certainly not catapulting the band into proper death/thrash territories.

The rest is, well, mostly unchanged. The last two songs are re-recordings, both having already appeared on the 2017 demo and 'Deathbringer' even having been conceived in 2012 for the band's very first release, it seems. The good thing is that, well, you wouldn't notice, since they blend so well with the newer cuts. Both make full use of the upgrades that have happened since (a stronger vocal department, if compared to the original screamer's erratic performance, and human drums in lieu of a drum machine), and 'Deathbringer', in particular, marks a new high in terms of intensity and compactness, toe-to-toe with advance single 'Infallible Fools' – ultimately, they were well worth being given a fresher spin. The bad thing is that, well, we're left with basically 11 minutes of new material (and you would forgive me for not taking the intro into account, would you?). Sure, Path To The Unknown also had a protracted gestation period, so it's safe to say that Exul has no interest in rushing things. Based on the results, I'd be inclined to agree with them. 'Land Of Stagnation' even reaffirms the band's standout ability to make every slower song they attempt enjoyable, which isn't a given for sure. It's lyrically notable as well, offering a disillusioned stance on everyday living also involving the release title, more or less a vague Eastern European counterpart to what Warbringer recently exhibited on their 'A Better World' (naturally sans John Kevill's inimitable storytelling prowess).

Ending on a somewhat sour note, the guitar solos are sadly not as outrageous and over-the-top as before, although their penchant for melody is kept intact. Granted, it shouldn't be a huge source of worries since it's just an EP, but the competitors' level was admittedly sky-high ('The Hunt', 'Path To The Unknown', to name the most obvious ones), and it'll simply be a shame if a future sophomore decides to go further down that road. Guitarist and main man Jakub Wróbel was recently recruited from Polish crossover giants Terrordome (feels good to see someone you follow hitting it big, doesn't it?), so let's just hope it isn't some weird reverse influence phenomenon at play...

That's it – Perpetual Catastrophe is Exul doing Exul as usual, as strange as saying this about a band this young might sound. They deliver another engaging good thrashing, they don't innovate, but they don't do much wrong either. I'm confident they can still up the ante even more with a possible second LP, hopefully... especially since they seem to be running out of old songs to dust off.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Greg on April 8, 2025.

Perpetual Catastrophe is the brand-new 4-tracker, plus intro, EP from Polish thrashers Exul. I had gladly spent words of appreciation for their debut album Path To The Unknown, released three years ago, so I was naturally expecting any ulterior signs of life from the dudes – and, I must say, this delivers.

Despite my fondness for the LP, I still observed room for even further improvements. The first one that comes to my mind would be Bogdan Sroka's coarse vocals, mostly for the reason that they sometimes clashed a bit with the refined assault of the music. Where to go now? Well, softening the vocals wasn't really a viable option (was it?), and Sroka seems to have gone the opposite way nonetheless, getting closer and closer to a full-fledged growl at times. What about the music? Another thing that always stood out to me with Exul is that their music often sounded great, at times awesome, but also gave the impression that it could use a few extra bpm here and there. New drummer Brian Stephens comes straight from the States to provide a partial solution to that minor issue. We're still far from the most blisteringly fast acts of the scene, for sure – and it's perhaps something they could take a cue on from compatriots and almost homonymous Exist, who keep inevitably springing to my mind whenever I hear these guys, despite their different approaches – but the occasional blast beat accent surely goes well with Sroka's deeper bellows, albeit certainly not catapulting the band into proper death/thrash territories.

The rest is, well, mostly unchanged. The last two songs are re-recordings, both having already appeared on the 2017 demo and 'Deathbringer' even having been conceived in 2012 for the band's very first release, it seems. The good thing is that, well, you wouldn't notice, since they blend so well with the newer cuts. Both make full use of the upgrades that have happened since (a stronger vocal department, if compared to the original screamer's erratic performance, and human drums in lieu of a drum machine), and 'Deathbringer', in particular, marks a new high in terms of intensity and compactness, toe-to-toe with advance single 'Infallible Fools' – ultimately, they were well worth being given a fresher spin. The bad thing is that, well, we're left with basically 11 minutes of new material (and you would forgive me for not taking the intro into account, would you?). Sure, Path To The Unknown also had a protracted gestation period, so it's safe to say that Exul has no interest in rushing things. Based on the results, I'd be inclined to agree with them. 'Land Of Stagnation' even reaffirms the band's standout ability to make every slower song they attempt enjoyable, which isn't a given for sure. It's lyrically notable as well, offering a disillusioned stance on everyday living also involving the release title, more or less a vague Eastern European counterpart to what Warbringer recently exhibited on their 'A Better World' (naturally sans John Kevill's inimitable storytelling prowess).

Ending on a somewhat sour note, the guitar solos are sadly not as outrageous and over-the-top as before, although their penchant for melody is kept intact. Granted, it shouldn't be a huge source of worries since it's just an EP, but the competitors' level was admittedly sky-high ('The Hunt', 'Path To The Unknown', to name the most obvious ones), and it'll simply be a shame if a future sophomore decides to go further down that road. Guitarist and main man Jakub Wróbel was recently recruited from Polish crossover giants Terrordome (feels good to see someone you follow hitting it big, doesn't it?), so let's just hope it isn't some weird reverse influence phenomenon at play...

That's it – Perpetual Catastrophe is Exul doing Exul as usual, as strange as saying this about a band this young might sound. They deliver another engaging good thrashing, they don't innovate, but they don't do much wrong either. I'm confident they can still up the ante even more with a possible second LP, hopefully... especially since they seem to be running out of old songs to dust off.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Greg on March 5, 2025.

I'm a simple man who loves seeing black and blue roughly everywhere: I see an artwork like this, I'm interested. But the second thing that catches my eye is: is it supposed to be a thrash metal album? This is starting to get tricky. What to expect then? Hailing from Blackpool, UK, Blacklist is another new (if slightly unoriginal) name in the scene, and this With Murderous Intent is their sophomore album, released in the summer of 2024.

Indeed, the experience is peculiar. When you've got your revival thrash albums that are so retro they basically become imitations of the old school (more or less successful, not synonymous with 'ugly' by default, but results may vary), this With Murderous Intent lies at the opposite end of the spectrum, arguably featuring as much modernity as you can find in the genre – not necessarily the absolute best the modern school has to offer, but it surely and interestingly shows how many influences a style generally thought to be stale and outdated has absorbed in this day and age. 'Modern' is a word I feel I'm gonna repeat a thousand times in this review, like also modern are the blast-beats spurts in 'Blood Baptism', or the somewhat Within the Ruins-esque tapping melodies springing every now and then in 'Cannibal', or the symphonic undercurrents earning a couple of Cradle of Filth comparisons... with some help from the frequent blackened shrieks, a new addition to the previous, average gritty vocals, a tag team that reminded me of US dissonant crossover weirdos Expander ('Kill The Coroner' almost sounds taken straight from Neuropunk Boostergang).

And so forth, of course all the way to the ultra-modern (yet again) production, rivaling the likes of Terrifier's masterpiece "Weapons of Thrash Destruction" in terms of compression, that is still, for a change, decidedly massive and, most of all, doesn't neuter the power of the instruments, especially the barbaric drums. It's a plus when you've got a drummer like Matt Longshaw that is able to push things to their logical extreme, like in 'The Dismemberment Blade', giving the fastest moments of Harlott and similar hyperfast outfits a run for their money. It's an intense song, cleverly and strategically placed in the middle with the simple intention to obliterate your fucking skull amidst the more measured episodes.

Indeed, most of With Murderous Intent is spent on different, slower territories, and this is the point you'd expect me to claim it just doesn't thrash enough, give it a 65%, and close the whole thing with a generic ending. But, guess what, it is not this day. For a band that likes to experiment so much, I actually feared that limiting themselves to their original genre's boundaries would have resulted in partial, uninspiring failure. The album opens with 'Cannibal', perhaps the only 'pure' thrasher to be found, and I still liked it – although it may well have something to do with me being a caveman – but the highest points have to be found elsewhere. 'The Shape' in particular is a beast of a track, teasing with another hyper-violent intro before a more measured, impressive refrain and an excellent solo. 'Naturom Demonto' isn't too far removed either, another effective track for its horror movie-themed story, a constant of the whole work. But what's true is that, yeah, sometimes I'd have longed for more. I consider myself a huge proponent of mixing tempos in your album, but I wouldn't call Blacklist masters of the craft, I mean. Several songs start off at full speed before abandoning it, some conversely get brutally sped up with no forewarning ('Nostromo', 'Lethal Infection'). The whole thing can feel too scatterbrained at times, for better or worse. Not that its fruition is made easy by the tiresome vocals, either.

All these facets of the sound did logically make me think of their Bulgarian peers in Terravore and their coeval Spiral of Downfall (out a handful of months earlier), and I'm not saying it only because they both feature a song called 'Nostromo', amusingly – even if here it's regrettably one of the most forgettable ones – they're spiritually similar, with several songs probably too long for their own good, that nevertheless often leave you interested in where they're heading, plus a considerable deal of non-archetypical elements. I was inclined towards a higher rating this time, but the final trio is the reason I can't trespass the 80% threshold; as Blacklist kept throwing you all their (numerous) ideas constantly and at all times, the fact that, several spins later, I can't remember anything off them, especially the 8 minutes of the closer and title-track, isn't just a good sign.

Overall, With Murderous Intent is an album with several features that shouldn't appeal to me, but when it really strikes and you feel its aggression, it tastes of sincerity, of passion and vigour, and thrash, even if this far from the standards, is still supposed to be about that. As such, it's hard not to be satisfied, most of the time. I just wish Blacklist played to their strengths more often.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Greg on March 5, 2025.

I'm a simple man who loves seeing black and blue roughly everywhere: I see an artwork like this, I'm interested. But the second thing that catches my eye is: is it supposed to be a thrash metal album? This is starting to get tricky. What to expect then? Hailing from Blackpool, UK, Blacklist is another new (if slightly unoriginal) name in the scene, and this With Murderous Intent is their sophomore album, released in the summer of 2024.

Indeed, the experience is peculiar. When you've got your revival thrash albums that are so retro they basically become imitations of the old school (more or less successful, not synonymous with 'ugly' by default, but results may vary), this With Murderous Intent lies at the opposite end of the spectrum, arguably featuring as much modernity as you can find in the genre – not necessarily the absolute best the modern school has to offer, but it surely and interestingly shows how many influences a style generally thought to be stale and outdated has absorbed in this day and age. 'Modern' is a word I feel I'm gonna repeat a thousand times in this review, like also modern are the blast-beats spurts in 'Blood Baptism', or the somewhat Within the Ruins-esque tapping melodies springing every now and then in 'Cannibal', or the symphonic undercurrents earning a couple of Cradle of Filth comparisons... with some help from the frequent blackened shrieks, a new addition to the previous, average gritty vocals, a tag team that reminded me of US dissonant crossover weirdos Expander ('Kill The Coroner' almost sounds taken straight from Neuropunk Boostergang).

And so forth, of course all the way to the ultra-modern (yet again) production, rivaling the likes of Terrifier's masterpiece "Weapons of Thrash Destruction" in terms of compression, that is still, for a change, decidedly massive and, most of all, doesn't neuter the power of the instruments, especially the barbaric drums. It's a plus when you've got a drummer like Matt Longshaw that is able to push things to their logical extreme, like in 'The Dismemberment Blade', giving the fastest moments of Harlott and similar hyperfast outfits a run for their money. It's an intense song, cleverly and strategically placed in the middle with the simple intention to obliterate your fucking skull amidst the more measured episodes.

Indeed, most of With Murderous Intent is spent on different, slower territories, and this is the point you'd expect me to claim it just doesn't thrash enough, give it a 65%, and close the whole thing with a generic ending. But, guess what, it is not this day. For a band that likes to experiment so much, I actually feared that limiting themselves to their original genre's boundaries would have resulted in partial, uninspiring failure. The album opens with 'Cannibal', perhaps the only 'pure' thrasher to be found, and I still liked it – although it may well have something to do with me being a caveman – but the highest points have to be found elsewhere. 'The Shape' in particular is a beast of a track, teasing with another hyper-violent intro before a more measured, impressive refrain and an excellent solo. 'Naturom Demonto' isn't too far removed either, another effective track for its horror movie-themed story, a constant of the whole work. But what's true is that, yeah, sometimes I'd have longed for more. I consider myself a huge proponent of mixing tempos in your album, but I wouldn't call Blacklist masters of the craft, I mean. Several songs start off at full speed before abandoning it, some conversely get brutally sped up with no forewarning ('Nostromo', 'Lethal Infection'). The whole thing can feel too scatterbrained at times, for better or worse. Not that its fruition is made easy by the tiresome vocals, either.

All these facets of the sound did logically make me think of their Bulgarian peers in Terravore and their coeval Spiral of Downfall (out a handful of months earlier), and I'm not saying it only because they both feature a song called 'Nostromo', amusingly – even if here it's regrettably one of the most forgettable ones – they're spiritually similar, with several songs probably too long for their own good, that nevertheless often leave you interested in where they're heading, plus a considerable deal of non-archetypical elements. I was inclined towards a higher rating this time, but the final trio is the reason I can't trespass the 80% threshold; as Blacklist kept throwing you all their (numerous) ideas constantly and at all times, the fact that, several spins later, I can't remember anything off them, especially the 8 minutes of the closer and title-track, isn't just a good sign.

Overall, With Murderous Intent is an album with several features that shouldn't appeal to me, but when it really strikes and you feel its aggression, it tastes of sincerity, of passion and vigour, and thrash, even if this far from the standards, is still supposed to be about that. As such, it's hard not to be satisfied, most of the time. I just wish Blacklist played to their strengths more often.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Greg on March 5, 2025.

I'm a simple man who loves seeing black and blue roughly everywhere: I see an artwork like this, I'm interested. But the second thing that catches my eye is: is it supposed to be a thrash metal album? This is starting to get tricky. What to expect then? Hailing from Blackpool, UK, Blacklist is another new (if slightly unoriginal) name in the scene, and this With Murderous Intent is their sophomore album, released in the summer of 2024.

Indeed, the experience is peculiar. When you've got your revival thrash albums that are so retro they basically become imitations of the old school (more or less successful, not synonymous with 'ugly' by default, but results may vary), this With Murderous Intent lies at the opposite end of the spectrum, arguably featuring as much modernity as you can find in the genre – not necessarily the absolute best the modern school has to offer, but it surely and interestingly shows how many influences a style generally thought to be stale and outdated has absorbed in this day and age. 'Modern' is a word I feel I'm gonna repeat a thousand times in this review, like also modern are the blast-beats spurts in 'Blood Baptism', or the somewhat Within the Ruins-esque tapping melodies springing every now and then in 'Cannibal', or the symphonic undercurrents earning a couple of Cradle of Filth comparisons... with some help from the frequent blackened shrieks, a new addition to the previous, average gritty vocals, a tag team that reminded me of US dissonant crossover weirdos Expander ('Kill The Coroner' almost sounds taken straight from Neuropunk Boostergang).

And so forth, of course all the way to the ultra-modern (yet again) production, rivaling the likes of Terrifier's masterpiece "Weapons of Thrash Destruction" in terms of compression, that is still, for a change, decidedly massive and, most of all, doesn't neuter the power of the instruments, especially the barbaric drums. It's a plus when you've got a drummer like Matt Longshaw that is able to push things to their logical extreme, like in 'The Dismemberment Blade', giving the fastest moments of Harlott and similar hyperfast outfits a run for their money. It's an intense song, cleverly and strategically placed in the middle with the simple intention to obliterate your fucking skull amidst the more measured episodes.

Indeed, most of With Murderous Intent is spent on different, slower territories, and this is the point you'd expect me to claim it just doesn't thrash enough, give it a 65%, and close the whole thing with a generic ending. But, guess what, it is not this day. For a band that likes to experiment so much, I actually feared that limiting themselves to their original genre's boundaries would have resulted in partial, uninspiring failure. The album opens with 'Cannibal', perhaps the only 'pure' thrasher to be found, and I still liked it – although it may well have something to do with me being a caveman – but the highest points have to be found elsewhere. 'The Shape' in particular is a beast of a track, teasing with another hyper-violent intro before a more measured, impressive refrain and an excellent solo. 'Naturom Demonto' isn't too far removed either, another effective track for its horror movie-themed story, a constant of the whole work. But what's true is that, yeah, sometimes I'd have longed for more. I consider myself a huge proponent of mixing tempos in your album, but I wouldn't call Blacklist masters of the craft, I mean. Several songs start off at full speed before abandoning it, some conversely get brutally sped up with no forewarning ('Nostromo', 'Lethal Infection'). The whole thing can feel too scatterbrained at times, for better or worse. Not that its fruition is made easy by the tiresome vocals, either.

All these facets of the sound did logically make me think of their Bulgarian peers in Terravore and their coeval Spiral of Downfall (out a handful of months earlier), and I'm not saying it only because they both feature a song called 'Nostromo', amusingly – even if here it's regrettably one of the most forgettable ones – they're spiritually similar, with several songs probably too long for their own good, that nevertheless often leave you interested in where they're heading, plus a considerable deal of non-archetypical elements. I was inclined towards a higher rating this time, but the final trio is the reason I can't trespass the 80% threshold; as Blacklist kept throwing you all their (numerous) ideas constantly and at all times, the fact that, several spins later, I can't remember anything off them, especially the 8 minutes of the closer and title-track, isn't just a good sign.

Overall, With Murderous Intent is an album with several features that shouldn't appeal to me, but when it really strikes and you feel its aggression, it tastes of sincerity, of passion and vigour, and thrash, even if this far from the standards, is still supposed to be about that. As such, it's hard not to be satisfied, most of the time. I just wish Blacklist played to their strengths more often.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10