Review by Dominik on February 19, 2025.

Arkona is clearly not in a rush when it comes to releasing new albums. Following the old wisdom that good things take time, the Polish black metal veterans have let five years slip by since Age Of Capricorn. While they seem to take their sweet time, I'll cut straight to the chase for those who are already late for something: Stella Pandora sticks to the signature sound Arkona has been perfecting since Lunaris (2016). The overall quality is high, and the album improves on its predecessor in several ways. What's still missing, though, is a true standout track—something like "Lunaris" title track that lingers long after the album is over. Instead, Arkona has turned up the melodic elements, embraced a touch more cheesiness, and delivered a polished, melodic, sometimes atmospheric black metal album. Recommended for anyone who enjoys their darkness professionally produced and slightly saccharine.

From the first moments of Stella Pandora, two things become clear. First, this album is entirely built around its lead guitars. They don't just guide the songs; they dictate their fate. The entire album orbits around its melodic path—when it works, the result is gripping. When it doesn't, well, you get "Necropolis", a track that just lacks the bite and character found elsewhere. It wouldn't be fair to say the lead guitar overshadows everything else, but its omnipresence is impossible to ignore, and the dependency is more pronounced than ever. The second observation is more amusing: Arkona much like Keep of Kalessin has a habit of skimming dangerously close to waters best left to (symphonic) power metal bands. Don't get me wrong—the band still operates well within black metal's framework, but the catchiness of some sections reaches a level that could, in theory, make them radio-friendly. Not that any mainstream radio would ever touch this, but it's an entertaining thought, nonetheless.

The album starts off with its strongest moment: "Pandora". As openers often do, this track encapsulates what Stella Pandora is all about, showcasing the album's strengths and (very few) weaknesses. The melodic theme is cleverly woven throughout, creating cohesion and an almost cinematic quality, underlined at times by subtle female vocals. Arkona clearly put a lot of effort into song structures and vast, immersive, even epic soundscapes. The change between very precise blast beats and well-timed mid-tempo sections keeps you engaged as they do not follow a predictable songwriting pattern. A particularly welcome surprise is the bass, which plays a much more prominent role than what we're used to in black metal, adding depth to the mix rather than just existing as a distant rumble beneath the tremolo.

However, where "Pandora" shines and finds the perfect balance between aggression and respite, the closer "Aurora" stumbles and overstays its welcome. At nine minutes long, it feels like a case of a band being too much in love with its own material to recognize when enough is enough. A slow, melancholic introduction drags on far too long before finally leading into a fantastic section of melodic aggression. The problem? You'll have already spent three minutes wondering if the song is ever going to start. This is the kind of moment where you wish Arkona had applied a bit more discipline and trimmed the excess fat. It leaves you wondering how much stronger the album could have been if they had practiced a bit more self-restraint. Don't get me wrong. Everything is proof of excellent songwriting skills, the successful effort to synchronize the bleak lyrics with the mood conveyed by the music, but here and there the band gets lost in its own musical universe.

If you need more proof that Arkona's formula works when the song is a more focused affair, then "Prometheus" is the track to check out. This second highlight, which is only slightly behind "Pandora" in terms of quality, doesn't knock politely—it kicks the damn door down. The structure follows a similar pattern: high-speed blasting giving way to grooving mid-tempo sections, all supported by a bubbling, ever-present bass. It's the most direct, digestible and instantly engaging track here, stripped of unnecessary indulgences. And yet… Arkona decides to just fade it out at the end. After all that firepower, all that energy and precision, they settle for the musical equivalent of sneaking out of the room through the back door, while no one is looking. A bit underwhelming, to say the least.

Some final thoughts need to be spent on the vocals. There must be something in the water in Poland, because every black metal vocalist from the country seems to sound like a distant cousin. Also on this album the vocal performance is aggressive, desperate, and dripping with contempt—basically, everything you could want in this genre. It complements the music well, ensuring that Stella Pandora doesn't lose its edge despite the cleaner production which is crisp, powerful, and undeniably professional. If anything, it's almost too polished—borderline overproduced in places. While Stella Pandora still has enough grit to avoid feeling sterile, one can only hope Arkona doesn't continue softening their edges in future releases. A little more of their early rawness wouldn't hurt.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10, because it's a damn solid, lead guitar driven black metal album that showcases Arkona's strengths, even if they occasionally indulge a little too much in their own brilliance. If they trim the fat and reintroduce a little more rawness next time, we might be looking at a real masterpiece.