Review Summary: Jesus is a-coming and he wants more!
Any of you guys tried reading Polish fantasy? It’s not just decent, it’s crazily good! Even second-tier authors maintain a high standard of writing, not to mention the certified greatness that is Andrzhej Sapkowski. This Frontside album in particular reminds me of The Inquisitor Cycle by Jacek Piekara, so let’s talk about a book a bit before we get to the album properly. This is important, because in this case lyrical content is crucial for understanding the music.
So, Jacek Piekara’s cycle is set sometime in the Middle Ages, but the crucial event of his Inquisitor universe happened a lot earlier than that. In that world, Jesus Christ refused to peacefully die on the cross. At some point during the crucifixion, he decided that he had enough. He tore himself from the cross, called for help from his divine Father, and proceeded to deliver his wrath upon his persecutors and the non-believers.
As you can imagine, a lot of things are different in that world’s societal and religious practices. The main difference is that everybody knows that Jesus exists and, after all those years, he’s still pissed at the humankind for its “hospitality.” And if you forget, sooner or later your Guardian Angel will manifest themselves to issue a stern reminder (yep, angels maintain a physical presence in that world when they see fit). That means that only the truly meek and righteous get to go to heaven. For everybody else, there’s the Down Below. Which is why an inquisitor’s job is especially important. When they are telling a sinner that tortures and pain they inflict on them are for their own good and are necessary for cleansing of their soul,
the Inquisitors are actually telling the truth. Only complete repentance can get a sinner a ticket to heaven in that world.
Frontside’s second album uses one of the humblest and meekest lines from a prayer for its title, namely “And forgive us our sins…,” but it represents a viable insight into the mind of such a religious zealot, convinced that whatever damage he inflicts on the non-believers is for their own good. If song titles like “God created Satan” are any indication, this is not the band’s own statement of faith, but rather an exploration of the mindset of such a person.
Fittingly, the lyrics are full of apocalyptic imagery, raining blood, and promises of punishment for non-believers and those who dare to defy God. Frontside is hardly a band renowned for their lyrical prowess, but this time their blunt and direct approach fits the general theme perfectly, as the mind of a religious fanatic is quite a rigid structure, not at all a thing of subtlety. Astek ramps up his game accordingly in the vocal department, sticking almost exclusively to roaring like a charging bear with some mean shrieks added for good measure. In “Oskarzony” (“Accused”) at some point he just roars “You’re guilty! You’re guilty!” over and over again, while in “Krwawy Deszcz Oczyszczenia” (“Bloody Rain of Purification”) he repeats in a similar fashion “You will cry, you will fear, you will kneel!”
And the music follows suit. The band got noticed after their debut album, so this time some rather prominent Polish musicians make their guest appearances, notably Piotr Luczyk from a classic thrash/heavy metal band Kat and Marcin Nowak known for his involvement with Vader and Behemoth. But these famous dudes do not take all the spotlight to themselves. This LP is very much Frontside’s own thing, and this time the band chose to be as straightforward as possible. They
never let go of the gas pedal and the drums particularly know only hyperspeed. The guitars are equally fast and unceremoniously heavy, as the band keeps throwing monumental riffs at you like mighty giants throwing boulders to squash you and bury you under. Mind you, although the songs are fast and mostly short, there’s no punky feel about them, not really. Their previous album had a bit of that, but here the band leans more into death and even black metal. The nu-metal hints still remain, mostly because Astek still reverts to those half-rapped vocals very occasionally, but they are few and far between. I would say that the band has reached and occasionaly even surpassed this level of heaviness on some of their follow-up albums, but this is their most focused,
undiluted heaviness.
Do they provide any respite? Err… no. Okay, there is one instance of calm female vocals accentuating the chorus in “Płacz Upodlonych” (“Lament of Humiliated”) and a relatively melodic solo closer to the end of that same song, but that’s about it. Otherwise, this is just brutal.
Normally, I would have been grumpy about such lack of variety, but there are a couple of points justifying that. First, this was the band’s major label debut. Do you know a lot of bands that got
heavier after they stopped being independent? Besides, the band realized that if they want to do such a straightforward album, they can’t make it too long, so the whole affair takes only 34 minutes. It’s crazy how thoughtful these dudes can be at one moment, only to be super obtuse at another. This time, however, it seems like they had a clear goal in mind and realized what means they require to achieve it. And that’s the most important thing. The album’s overall concept, the lyrics, and the music all fit together just as they should.
Because you don’t really need a tangible proof that God exists to be a religious fanatic. You just have to convince yourself that he does. Moreover, the doubt creates room for interpretation, because you get to decide for yourself what it is that God is upset about, and proceed to unleash your wrath accordingly. Maybe it’s a girl wearing a mini skirt. Maybe it’s someone who crosses themselves with five fingers instead of three (or the reverse). Any “reason” will do for a “true” believer.
In short, on this album Frontside offers you a glimpse into hell. The worst kind of hell, one that a human mind creates inside itself. Welcome to the mind of a raving, spitting religious lunatic with bloodshot eyes, ready to condemn to pain and suffering anyone who does not fit the image of “faithfulness” that he constructed in his feverish brains. Come in and let’s see if you can find a way out.
