‘Countless years of imposed will saying what is wrong and what is right, sick will to control and judge, cortege of broken lives’ (Trespasser)

Foresight hail from Kraków and In Search of Understanding is their first full-length, and follow-up to their 2019 self-titled EP.  From the spine-tingling opening riff to Choices, this is an album that proudly displays its 1990s’ metallic hardcore influences from Unbroken to Trial via Culture.  However, this is no pale imitation, but rather a stirring call-to-arms that reinvigorates its inspirations with a contemporary vitality.

Urgent, impassioned vocals and solemn spoken-word interludes are skilfully meshed with tautly muscular, melancholy infused guitars and a ferociously precise rhythm section.  Deftly deployed flourishes of acoustic guitar and cello, as well as ambient electronics, add further emotional depth.  The band also explore highly effective flourishes of melodic chorus that rather put me in mind of Suicidal Tendencies’ Mike Muir.

Lyrically, the album spans both the political and the more personally reflective.  премен (Premen) is an expression of solidarity with anti-government protesters in Belarus, and Reflection tackles how the relentless pursuit of perceived progress is instrumental in destroying our planet.  Meanwhile, Stakes confronts the rise of the far-right in Poland, and Trespasser more specifically their subsequent attacks on abortion rights.  The album concludes with the haunting Эпилог (Epilogue), which explores the aftermath of war through the writing of Leonardo da Vinci.  A brilliantly realised release.