Review by J.C. on January 3, 2026.

This is my favorite album from the Czech metal band F.O.B. I have listened to it countless times and am familiar with every song. I listen to it at home, while walking, on the train, and I eventually bought a CD. I have listened to a lot of metal, but this one left me amazed. It is true metal.

Starting from their fourth album Tomorrow's Fires, F.O.B. gradually incorporated more metalcore style with the addition of new guitarist Professor, forming the current blend of thrash metal, melodic death metal, and metalcore. In this fifth album, Reap What You Sow, the band serves up a very delicious dish using these mixed elements. The metalcore elements bring about more aggressive riffs and more varied rhythms, making some songs on this album very suitable for live performances. The melodic death metal elements balance out the impenetrable ferocity of thrash metal, while Mara's clean vocals add a modern touch to the music. Of course, when he uses his growls, he is also very competent, perfectly matching the fierce riffs. Furthermore, the drums and bass are also very perfect, especially with improved recording conditions; the drum sound is more powerful, and the bass sounds more realistic.

Starting with the haunting melody of the opening track 'The Retribution', followed by the violent riffs of 'Missed Violence' that instantly gave me chills, this violence is refined and thoughtful, like a martial arts master who knows when to strike. The clean chorus from Mara allows me to catch my breath again; his singing is great, so it’s hard to realize that the melody he needs to sing is very strange if played by any other instrument. Next comes 'Phenomenon Causing Suicide', resembling the melodic death metal of the Finnish style with a lengthy intro, but it soon shifts focus to the complex and fierce riffs. 'Time To Let Go' follows a similar pattern to 'Forgiveness' from the previous album Tomorrow's Fires, featuring melodic death metal segments in the second half, while the breakdown and complex rhythms in the first half are enough to make anyone abandon everything and just shake their bodies with the music. The fifth song, 'Robe Of Imbalance', and the sixth song, 'The Roots Of Discoveries', are somewhat mediocre, lacking highlights apart from some well-written riffs, but both songs introduce suspenseful acoustic guitar melodies and strange spoken lines.

The second half of the album is generally less captivating, and only 2 songs stand out. 'Of A Martyr' features a complex rhythm in the verse and the most beautiful melody of the entire album in the first chorus. The last song, 'The Views Of The World Collide', attempts an exotic-styled intro, with piano appearing in the chorus. In fact, most of F.O.B.'s albums try something different in the last song, including this album.

From the various experimental and complex explorations of early members, to Mara’s clean vocals, then the metalcore elements introduced by guitarist Professor, alongside other members added between albums, all bring new things to F.O.B. Thus, F.O.B.'s music is increasingly inclusive of different essences, evolving to a higher level. This album marks that the band will truly Reap What They Sow, gradually stepping out of the Czech underground.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10