Poland's death metal scene continues to be a goldmine of savagery, and somehow it still doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves. FRIGHTFUL’s "What Lies Ahead" is a case in point, a relentless, tightly wound album that doesn’t waste time with theatrics. It just tears in, rips through bone and tendon, and leaves you wondering how a band this focused, this intense, isn’t already turning more heads.

From the first track, "Unrecognizable Remains", the band hurls you into a mess of muscular riffing and frantic rhythms. There’s no time to catch your breath as FRIGHTFUL keep things boiling with riffs that jab, twist, and contort. These aren’t filler chugs, they’re sharp, deliberate strikes. The guitars don’t just squeal for effect, they carve and lash out like surgical tools wielded in rage. There’s a physicality to every track, like the songs were built to bruise and leave marks.

"Bleeding Effect" rides a wave of galloping momentum that crashes into sudden, jarring shifts, keeping you on edge without ever derailing. "Crawl in Vain" balances speed and tension with a striking precision, like a controlled detonation of chaos. There’s an old-school grit running through the entire record, but don’t mistake this for retro worship, this album breathes fire on its own terms. The vocals snarl with a rasping bite, maintaining variety and urgency. They don’t settle into a groove, they push, claw, and spit with conviction.

The production walks a perfect line, clean enough to let every instrument bite, but never so polished that it loses its teeth. There’s no over-processing, no artificial gloss. It sounds played, not engineered, raw in all the right ways. There’s blood under the fingernails, and you can hear it in every beat and bend.

"What Lies Ahead" is yet another reason to stop sleeping on Poland’s extreme metal output. FRIGHTFUL aren’t here to reinvent the genre, they’re here to dominate it with sheer force and riffcraft. They’ve got the power, the precision, and the hunger. This album hits like a steel-toed boot to the chest. If it isn’t on your radar yet, that’s not their failure, it’s yours.