Review Summary: A pleasing return to form by the metalcore titans, with only one major misfire throughout.
Frontside are:
Demon / Daron - guitars
Nowak - bass
Toma - drums
Mollie - vocals
Frontside have spent ages spearheading Polish metalcore, releasing crushingly heavy material up to par with the international elite, and to this day are the most successful genre act in the country. Being their first album in eight long years, in which the pandemic had a role,
Nemesis is a big deal. Even more so that it marks their first release after parting ways with longtime vocalist Marcin Rdest, who was an integral part of their most crushing works like the 2004 classic
Zmierzch bogów. The band's return under these circumstances might have raised questions. Thus, I'm glad to announce they handled it almost expertly. Almost.
On
Nemesis, Frontside sound as tight as ever with monstrous grooves, dissonant guitar leads and versatile vocals. Mollie clearly found a good chemistry with other members, who said his input was the reason they picked "Omen" as the first single for the record. It's easy to hear why: the track truly shines thanks to his powerful death growls and chilling shrieks, even though the instrumental section packs just as much of a punch. The man has vocal chops very much on par with his predecessor, a major difference being that he doesn't utilise Robb Flynn-esque shouts as opposed to Auman. Hence, the foundations of Frontside's music remain unshaken. At the same time, changes can be observed.
Nemesis is exceedingly heavy even by the band's standards - a result of the speed and tuning being noticeably low compared to their classic era metalcore albums. In the year of our Lord 2026, that usually comes with the modern, brickwalled production standard. Fortunately, Frontside haven't succumbed to the garbage. Their sound is still clear, uncomputerised, with loud, punchy bass and, most importantly, without a trace of overcompression.
Come to think of it, it's not that easy to find a Polish album with inaudible basslines.
After the intro track "Initium" sets the stage, we are presented with a stream of bangers. Cuts like "Omen", "Alfa i Omega" and "Nemesis" keep the classic Frontside flair through massive grooves, boulder-heavy growls and choruses that, despite their one-liner nature, are satisfyingly catchy. One of the highlights is undoubtedly "Zostaniecie z niczym", with its slow, brooding tempos and an especially memorable chorus driven by dissonant, tremolo riffage. Aside from effectively contributing to the apocalyptic aura of the record, it's one of the finest instances of the band doing what they're best at - combining simple song structures with strong hooks and unrelenting heaviness.
What
Nemesis suffers from is being confusingly cringe at times. It's a common practice for Frontside to name-drop themselves in their songs, which, besides the hysterically funny "giving you this good hard rock ***" slogan from 2013, has never been a problem before. But Mollie's approach to the matter is diabolical. Not only does he do that in every other track of the album's first half; in "Wejdź prosto w nowy system" he's literally rapping all of the previous albums' names with the release dates spelled out digit by digit. This track is a major momentum breaker whether you understand Polish or not, but to me, it feels like being slapped in the face with a wet rag and I strongly advise everybody interested to skip it.
"Wejdź prosto w nowy system" is horrendous, but it's still only four minutes off an album that lasts over fifty. All in all, upon their return, Frontside emerge triumphant and the most focused they've been since 2010. For the most part,
Nemesis is a delightfully heavy, groovy and well-produced metalcore record that proves the band's adaptability and unwaning musical strength.
