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
Good review. I was sent the cd by the label for review, which will be up on my youtube channel soon.
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