Review Summary: Although it can be over-the-top in its delivery with all the keyboards and synths, Blackguard's newest album is a surprisingly mature and consistent album. There is plenty of metal goodness to be found here, even if its nothing new or revolutionary.
The Band:
Paul "Ablaze" Zinay – lead vocals
Kim Gosselin – lead guitar
Terry "Roadcase" Deschenes – rhythm guitar
Étienne Mailloux – bass guitar
Jonathan Lefrancois-Leduc – keyboards, synthesizers
Justine "Juice" Ethier – drums
Profugus Mortis (Latin for "fleeing death") is the sophomore album of a Canadian folk metal band formerly known as, well, Profugus Mortis. The album marks the band's first release under famed German metal record label
Nuclear Blast and the new band name
Blackguard. In case you mistook part of that first sentence for an odd glare on your computer screen, I will repeat that
Blackguard seems to be one of the only precious few folk metal bands from the vast and spacious lands of Canada. At least, "folk metal" is one of the labels most people seem content to throw on them. Like many modern metal bands,
Blackguard cannot be linked exclusively to one specific sub-genre of metal. The band also incorporates many elements of melodic death and extreme power metal into their music. Certainly, you might assume that with song titles such as "The Sword," "Allegiance" and "This Round's On Me," the band mainly relies on typical cheesy folk metal lyrics. However, no odes to any traditional cultures or mythologies are to be found in
Blackguard's music, and the lyrics are more pensive then one might imagine.
Paul Zinay's vocals are nothing impressive or new. The normal scream he uses is extremely reminiscent of the vocals on
Hatebreeder by
Children of Bodom, only slightly more shrieked and raspy. While they are definitely not terrible, the normal raspy screams on
Profugus Mortis can sometimes be a detriment to the album when prolonged. However, there is just enough variation here to keep you engaged in the music. For example, Zinay will often descend to a lower register to complement the shrieks with more of a death growl. The guitar players and drummer all sound fine, and are used consistently well to add some more variety to the songs. The bass guitar is hardly ever really heard or properly showcased, so I can only guess as to how talented bass guitar player Étienne Mailloux might be. Contrastingly, the keyboards are used to a high degree throughout the record. This can be both good and bad: while the synths do add a more epic dimension to the melodic nature of the album, many will find them just a tad too overused. Despite these relatively small qualms, the overall producing and mixing of the album is actually quite fantastic. Melodies, vocals and guitar are all integrated very nicely to establish a consistent and engaging sound.
At approximately forty minutes,
Profugus Mortis is a good-length album with great, solid songs and no filler. Even though they lack originality, these Canadian metallers have enough talent to create a name for themselves in the folk/melodic death metal scene. The track mixing and production of the album remains extremely effective without sounding too over-produced. None of the tracks are especially memorable, but there is a good deal of re-playability available here. If you are into this type of metal, you should certainly give
Blackguard a chance.
Recommended Tracks:
Scarlet To Snow
This Round's On Me
The Sword
In Time
Vain
