Jyväskylä-based melodic death metal outfit Nemecic is officially stirring from its slumber, marking their return with the brand new single The Chalice of Rot. The track serves as the band’s first fresh material since their 2021 full-length record The Last Magic in Practice. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Teemu Liekkala, the single is the first taste of an upcoming EP slated to drop late this year.

The track has been quite a while in the making, with guitarist Tuomo Salonen revealing that initial writing sessions kicked off back in 2023. The band found themselves tweaking the final arrangement right down to the wire, eventually unlocking the verse structure with a heavy, old-school stomp. Known for representing the slightly rougher edge of the melodic death metal spectrum, the band admits the long gap between releases was simply par for the course.

Interestingly, the new song sees the band treading into somewhat unfamiliar territory. While Nemecic usually steers clear of the traditional Gothenburg melodeath sound, Salonen notes that the chorus of The Chalice of Rot delivers clean singing and harmonies that get closer to the Soilwork axis than they ever have before. However, purists needn’t worry about the band softening up; as Salonen puts it, the middle section hits back with a “pretty gnarly riff,” proving the band isn’t “heading to Eurovision anytime soon”.