Arkona’s Stella Pandora: A Polished Black Metal Album

This analysis reviews the new album, “Stella Pandora,” by the Polish black metal band Arkona, noting its release five years after their previous work. The review highlights the album’s adherence to Arkona’s signature sound, emphasizing the prominent role of the lead guitar in driving the songs and creating melodic, sometimes epic soundscapes. While praising the album’s overall high quality and polished production, the critique points out the lack of a single standout track and occasional instances of the band indulging in excessive length or predictable endings. The review ultimately concludes that “Stella Pandora” is a solid, guitar-centric black metal album that, despite minor flaws, demonstrates Arkona’s continued strengths, though a return to a bit more rawness is suggested for future releases.