Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes was my introduction and I was blown away; there was blasting for days, sort of a True Black Dawn/Dark Funeral mixture. I was hooked instantly and wanted to hear more so I dug deep for their (then early albums, this was taking place in 2003).

Stella Pandora was (from the press release) recorded, mixed, and mastered at Heinrich House Studio in Spring 2024. Let me tell you it’s solid as hell, the band is on cosmic fire, bringing more of the ambiance to this album, countering against the soul-shredding Black Metal that surrounds it.

First track “Pandora” is a blaster straight away, there’s a little bit of ambiance creeping in before it explodes with Satanic precision. Scythe sharp riffs and blasting are reminiscent of Thunderbolt (Pol) and their Inhuman Ritual Massmurder album from 2004.

This being a six-track full-length it’s a bit easier to digest. Stella Pandora goes through more tempo shifts than a lunatic with a gun. “Altairia” is a good example of the ambiance creeping around before the blasts kick in full force. There’s a cool four-time rock beat that quickly starts to speed up with the double bass kicking in around the two-minute mark, cymbal crash and it’s off to the races. That massive production bringing the drums to the fore with battering ram accuracy, Arkona is pros by now at making sure that your eardrums get flayed again and again.

At 47:27 they utilize every second of the time to keep you ensnarled in their grasp. The crawling chaos of the “Necropolis” moves like a cart full of diseased corpses, it’s one of my favorite tracks because it’s got everything in it. Tempo changes for days and always present are those drums, creating the current of this stygian ocean where the mutants dwell. It is the macabre centerpiece to Stella Pandora.

“Elysium” brings the morose side of Black Metal into the mix of this malignant cauldron of hate and I love every demonic moment of it. It blasts near the middle of the song, but that doesn’t take away from the mournful feeling of the song as it stays present throughout.

There aren’t any short songs (short meaning under five minutes) on Stella Pandora. Each is pushing close to ten minutes and all of it is worth it. “Prometeus” is the shortest track, clocking in at 6:56, but that doesn’t mean they’re lollygagging. This is a full-force blaster from start to finish; rolls and fills compete with the razor-sharp guitar tone. It’s another favorite track, bringing a true feeling of the mythological Pandora’s Box opening and spewing the instruments of evil out into the pitiful population.

It sets the stage for “Aurora”, a 9:06-minute epic that is the perfect way to bring the chaos to a close. Beginning with furious blasting and a barrage of flesh-flaying riffs. It’s another Dark Funeral/Dissection mixture of sinister harmonies underscoring the miasma being created. It goes through some semi-emotional riffing near the end, before the blitzkrieg ends and with it Stella Pandora.

Drac – vocals & bass, Khorzon – guitars & orchestrations, Kaamos – guitars and Zaala – drums; have shown again the massive destructive power of Polish Black Metal. If you dig Dark Funeral, Thunderbolt (Pol), and Marduk; or if you’ve been following the band since their inception then you already know and should be lining up to get this.

With each release they have surpassed themselves, evoking images of their gorgeous homeland through the music. Albums such as 2009’s Goi, Rode, Goi! With the infectiously heavy, yet fun as fuck “Yarilo”, 2014’s Yav and 2018’s Khram have seen the band grow like a mighty oak. Somber passages lead to blasting upheaves on their recent magnum opus Kob’ (‘Sorcery’), an eight-track Pagan Black Metal beast with a flaming heart.

From spiritual opener “Izrechenie. Nachalo” (‘The Speech. The Beginning’), flows into the title track with the force of raging rapids. If it seems like I’m on an arboreal trip here it’s because Kob’ makes me feel like I’m walking in some Kincade painting of a mystical European forest, I’m talking fairies and shit, like if Princess Mononoke was set in Russia. So, continuing in that train of thought (and since I’m a creative writer at heart), there’s the epic core of the album in “Ydi” an 11.48-minute assault that shifts tempos so many times it’s like an attack from a fucking bear.

“Ugasaya” (‘Fadin’ Away’), begins with ominous spoken word and an atmosphere thick with menace before this sick as a dying sonofabitch passage with just the bass and the drums doing this hypnotic beat and when this song soars it fucking goes high as an eagle, in true Arkona fashion once the blast from Alexander Smirnov comes in and Masha switches from Black Metal to soaring vocals before the end.

“Na Zakate Bagrovogo Solntsa”, “Razryvaya plot’ ot bezyskhodnosti bytiya” (‘Tearing the flesh owing to the despair of being’) and the soothing “Izrechenie. Iskhod” (Eng. The Speech. The Conclusion) closes out the album in grand fashion; the former two are Black Metal creatures pulsing with the blackest blood, while the latter is like a soothing pond.

I did multiple listens to this album, and each time I heard a different thing; sometimes subtle as a time change or a riff that I hadn’t picked up on previously and that’s what makes Arkona genre leaders at what they do. They’re consistently good and keep the listener captivated. I could complain about this being a streaming-only promo which made it a tad bit hard to navigate back to the album if I had closed windows or something like that (look at that, I did complain), this in no way reflects on the band or their music…

Anyway, enough of that whining. Ultimately, I have nothing negative to say about Kob’ so that’s the moral of this story. A ‘For fans of’, section might seem pointless, because seriously if you like Arkona you’re probably already a fan of Eluviete, Varmia, and Bathory’s Nordland saga in terms of the music painting a picture as each song progresses and adds color to the work. Clocking in at just a couple seconds over an hour Kob’ is long, but not dauntingly so and it’s an album that could be put on repeat to let the beauty wash over your eardrums. So, get it when it comes out, I hear Napalm Records is doing a wood collectors box that would look good on any bookshelf. Just saying.

November 11 – Montreal, QC @ Théatre Plaza*

November 12 – Toronto, ON @ WreckRoom*

November 13 – London, ON @ Music Hall*

November 14 – Ottawa, ON @ Maverick*

November 16 – Quebec City, QC @ Bar l’agité*

NOvember 17 – Sherbrooke, QC @ Bar le Magog*

November 18 – Drummonville, QC @ Salle Gaston Mandeville*

November 19 – Saint-Hyacinthe, QC @ Bar le Thrash*

November 25 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater

November 26 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s

November 27 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club

November 29 – Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theater

November 30 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange

December 01 – Edmonton, AB @ Pawn Shop

December 02 – Calgary, AB @ The Distillery

December 03 – Vancouver, BC @ TBA

December 04 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven

December 05 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater

December 06 – Oakland, CA @ The Pound

December 07 – Hollywood, CA @ Key Club

December 08 – Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse

December 10 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s

December 11 – New Orleans, LA @ The Hangar

December 12 – Orlando, FL @ Firestone Live

December 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade

December 14 – Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa

December 15 – Springfield, VA @ Jaxx

December 16 – Reading, PA @ The Reverb

December 17 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

December 18 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial Theater

Undoubtedly, Arkona will have the largest appeal to those that enjoyed Eluveitie’s recent album due to the heavy presence of a synth generated Hurdy Gurdy, flute, tin whistle and other folky instruments. However, the main draw of Arkona is female singer Masha who provides the ample screams, growls and plenty of ethnic clean and traditional vocals (“Sva” being particularly impressive and varied) throughout the albums 12 tracks, all in her native tongue.

Translated as “From Heart to Sky’, Ot Serdtsa K Nebu is a rangy album with lots of the expected folk metal fall backs and structures; bouncy, happy camp fire songs (“Goj, Kupala!!!”), more somber numbers (“Ot Serdtsa K Nebu”, “Oy, Pechal-Toska”) all with the usual more black/death metal based riffage (“Pokrovy Nebesnogo Startsa”, “Sva”), all littered with ethnic and folk instrumentation and Masha’s vocal schizophrenia It’s all very solidly done, especially when the band ramps up the Russian influence (“Slavsya Rus””, “Katitsja Kolo”) and even delivers a couple of enjoyable, traditional Russian songs (“Gutsulka”, “Cigular” and personal favorite “Kupala I Kostroma”).

That all being said, a lot of the songs are a bit drawn out (namely the 6-7 minute tracks and the Epilogue/Prologue) and other than “Sva”, the songs or entire album don’t absolutely grab me like say the recent Equilibrium release. That being said, Masha is a stunning talent, and I’d like to hear her in a more pure traditional/folk acoustic release.