Five years after their third album 'Chaozium', which was like dark matter pressed into sonic form, Polish death/thrash band Formis return with a new line-up around original guitarist Hubert Nowak. The band do sound pretty different compared to the previous platter, to tell the truth, yet it is closer to the sophomore 2014 album 'Mental Survival': More brutal thrashing again.

'Pogromca' is an angry album, albeit maybe not that barbaric as its cover painting with a Lovecraftian gargantuan monster destroying a city (I'd say it's influenced by Morbid Angel's 'Kingdoms Disdained'). Another trait about the music is that it sounds modern. Now, the musical style can be partly compared to the likes of Decapitated and more metallic Soulfly (and Cavalera Conspiracy, of course). With 'Pogromca', Formis are clearly moving on with time. This is not metalcore, but it is somewhat leaned towards that.

The guitar work is the highlight of the album. Attacking, relentless riffs versus lively, partly very technical lead guitar stuff. Especially during instrumental parts it is easy to notice how finely all guitar tracks intermingle with each other, weaving wonderful and adventurous web of strings. Be it very fast string sawing, finger-tapping madness or leads that take you somewhere you wouldn't expect them to take you, it is intense.

There's loads of everything on drums, really. It's not about one or two different tom rolls, but very much around the kit for a big part. Old school beats and modern stop-and-go rhythms meet here. Sadly, the drums sound too compressed and blunt, giving it all that modern vibe. The bass guitar is hefty, but very much one-dimensional.

The main vocals are shouted, with varying power and pitch, and with some distortion here and there. The voice is uptight. There are some cleaner singing accompanying the shouting, adding some melodiousness into the vocals department. The lyrics are all in Polish, so I am not going to comment on them.

With this album, Formis address the fans of modern metal music. While it is vehemently performed, the compositions are not so articulate at all. I find it hard to recall many moments, riffs or parts of this all when it is over. It's a bomb in sonic form.

Rating: 6 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/26/2023 09:28