Exul - Path to the Unknown

EXUL - Path to the Unknown (DEFENSE Records - CD 2022)

There was a period when I was really surprised how active and prolific the Polish thrash metal scene is. Every now and then, new bands treated us with their materials - and even if their quality was not always the best, it was certainly impossible to deny many of these bands enthusiasm and passion for what they do. It’s no different with Exul from Krakow, I think. I’ll try to make this review as short as possible, but hopefully it will give you as much info about Exul as possible. And you just should know that they are pretty cool thrash crew! Even if I was rather skeptical towards “Path to the Unknown”, this music managed to turn out positive and I am really glad that I had a chance to listen to it. 

Very quickly Exul proves their worth, they’re thrashing like crazy with some fantastic riffs, impressing with excellent songwriting, top performance (including very good vocals – which not always is so obvious) and never sounding dull or stupid. Their thrash metal style is very UK / US like, influenced both by old (Testament, even a bit of early Metallica) and new (Evile) bands – to give just a few of loose comparisons... and it’s noteworthy how well they combine the evident old school thrash with a modern approach (the title song). This music is filled with thrashing aggression, energy and it’s just unbelievably fun to listen to. Songs like “The Hunt” will infect you with the catchy riffage and immediately force to bang your head – and you will do so, enjoying it totally. I also need to mention the diversity of the music – there's a lot of fast, dynamic thrash metal, but slower stuff and even more melodic parts will pop up here and there... and guitar leads are great too. You will never have an impression that “Path to the Unknown” is a debut album, coming from such an unknown band. So, it’s been a pure pleasure to listen to Exul, I’m very eager to find out what the future holds for these guys. Hope for all the best for them! 

Verdict: 75/100

Veneration - The Core of Revelation (Triumphant Resistance)

VENERATION - The Core of Revelation (Triumphant Resistance) (FALLEN TEMPLE - CD 2022

There’s been a three-month hiatus for Panzerfaust zine, which wasn’t something I even planned. But work, family stuff, holidays and laziness caused a huge delay in writing and publishing anything on this blog. Which I am really sorry for. Well, I will try to dig up as much shit as I can and publish few reviews in the upcoming weeks, but again – we have to be patient. For the start, here’s one album, which has been waiting few months before I even managed to listen to it. But I gave it few spins last week and here is my feedback. 

Veneration is a band hailing from... Indonesia. It is still quite surprising to hear a black metal band from that region of the world, I think. And to be honest, hardly any band from there can interest me. Most of them sound just dull and bad, not worthy to waste your time. Luckily, Veneration are far better than 99% of black metal bands from the far East. And with “The Core of Revelation (Triumphant Resistance)” they definitely took a step forward from the previous EP (“Thy Infernal”). The music sounds more interesting and better, it is pretty well produced, and it just stands out when compared to what usually comes from Asia. 

So, “The Core of Revelation” brings us seven songs of quite raw, relatively traditional black metal. Yes, I really like that old school feel, which Veneration music has, both in the riffage, but also in the melodic lines they provide here and there. When I’ve first listened to this album, I felt like it sounds a bit like some old Ancient Rites albums and on the other hand, the old Greek black metal bands (Varathron and Rotting Christ to name the most obvious) also came to my mind. Saying so, I don’t think there’s much to complain about, Veneration really did record some great songs and their music is quite unique. They bring a lot of dark, atmospheric black metal, but with enough fierce and aggressive style to give the listener a proper kick. You'll find many great riffs and cool ideas on “The Core of Revelation (Triumphant Resistance)”, so it’s really been fun to listen to this album. Sure, it’s nothing extraordinary and it won’t cause much turbulence on the black metal scene. But I think it’s solid, underground record, which fans should check. Contact Fallen Temple for order and don’t hesitate, it’s just cool to hear such a good band from Indonesia. 

Verdict: 70/100