"To Forgotten Path - Triumph of the Will" is the latest release from the Ukrainian musician, Lord Hastner. Instead of another full-length, a compilation album was comprised under Pesttanz Klangschmiede. The album I believe celebrates the welcoming of DEVIATOR under their roster. It comes with new art work done by DEVIATOR's very own bassist and drummer, Mictian. Also, five of the tracks were re-recorded and the last three songs come from their latest full-length, "Fehu-Fohat-Fire". Of those five tracks, four of them are from their debut, "Mighty Black Inner Flame" and only one song is included from their sophomore album, "Voice of the Native Blood".

As I listened to the collection from their debut I notice the recording is a lot more brandished. It has fresh recording but also you can tell it values the primitive distortion black metal is well known for. While most rawness is absent it makes up for it from the support of the rhythm guitar. The lead guitar has a basic formula to implement three to four riffs each of the songs emphasizes. The drums, bass, and rhythm guitar serve as support but the rhythm guitar adds underlying flavors that really bring out the best the debut has to offer. In my opinion, Lord Hastner's best display of vocals is showcased here. Like the rhythm guitar, there's this edgy rawness that pushes the music forward and brings its best intentions into light.

The sole track, "Thy Blood in my Veins" is the only one to come from the album, "Voice of the Native Blood". I felt that this track was not the most accurate decision to include on a compilation album but it does help me contrast on a few things. As opposed to its processor, "Thy Blood in my Veins" does exhibit better songwriting. The entire song flows more adequately than the collection for "Mighty Black Inner Flame". "Mighty Black Inner Flame" by far has the most memorable and beautiful riffs but because of that flow suffers a bit to achieve this kind of success. The structure of the debut feels a bit artificial in its arrangement. However, each section has a lot of human soul so it's difficult to deny its authenticity. "Voice of the Native Blood" perhaps shows growth but at the same time, the soul is usually stronger in a debut.

Now, for the technical reasons why "Thy Blood in my Veins" was not the strongest of choices; the vocals were kind of out there. "Mighty Black Inner Flame" really does have incomparable Black Metal vocals that only Lord Hastner can breach. The same uniqueness follows in "Thy Blood in my Veins" but differences can be seen. "Thy Blood in my Veins" decides to have layering on its vocals. It's a polarity between harsh and cleans vocals. The clean vocals are ghastly yet primal. The harsh vocals differ from the debut's execution. The harsh vocals this time around have slightly less rasp and are clearer. The contrast between both feels odd. While the songwriting is better in this one, differences aside, I prefer the debut more.

"Fehu-Fohat-Fire's" collection sees a subtle return to the memorable "Might Black Inner Flame"-era. Riffs turn out to be more focused on a certain prominent rhythm to carry it through. The songwriting, however, is stronger and flow is a lot better. The main difference you will see from this album is that the drums are programmed. The ironic thing about that is the programming instead of providing support, is on equal terms with the guitars and the rest of the music. The bass ended up being less significant in "Fehu-Fohat-Fire". The mixing is different, in respect to the bass, from the re-recorded tracks to "Fehu-Fohat-Fire". The song, "Burning Bridges Become Ashes" is the only track where V. Emperor's playing can be truly appreciated. I also preferred the rhythm guitar in "Might Black Inner Flame". The primary reason for that is the way the album was recorded and how it was mastered and mixed. While in terms of production, "Fehu-Fohat-Fire" technically is superior; this is the case where less is more. Nothing can truly capture what "Mighty Black Inner Flame" managed. The rhythm guitar, like I stated before, was one-of-a-kind.

For all it's worth, "To Forgotten Path - Triumph of the Will" does excel in giving us an overall picture of what DEVIATOR was, is, and will be. Lord Hastner's abilities continue to adapt and change DEVIATOR with the best intentions in mind. Like his vocals, it goes from an edgy rawness to a duality deciding what will be next in his journey. "Fehu-Fohat-Fire" ends up being the closest to the merger of his line of thinking. The vocals there follow "Thy Blood in my Veins's" example but integrate the ideas better.