Approaching heavy metal through the deep-set indoctrination of extreme values and applying a captivating, energetically struck hand of their own Polish melodic death metal trio STELLAR BLIGHT arrive upon a bolt from the blue with this finely crafted debut full-length album. Cut from distinct tradition ‘Eventide: Synod of the Dying Stars‘ is self-described as death-driven, a feat which harbors a snarling early-days melodic black/death soul’d expression via anthemic pieces bristling with precise and energetic craft. Not only do they impress to no end per a debut statement from an all-pro set of folks but they’ve curated the event with singularity enough that it feels less like a side-project and more an inspired beginning worthy of grand elaboration.

Stellar Blight formed as a duo circa 2024 between guitarist/bassist Sz.I. (ex-Shodan, ex-Banisher) and vocalist/lyricist S. (Mānbryne, Blaze of Perdition, Kontamination Design) as a vision of what they describe as death-driven heavy metal. With the addition of current Owls Woods Graves drummer KwB to their lineup it appears they’d gone forward with this fully conceived longplayer to start, no preamble necessary from these well-experienced folks as they’d began recording from late 2024 and put the finishing touches on ‘Eventide: Synod of the Dying Stars‘ just a few months ago. At face value their work is approachable and identifiable yet taking a closer ear through this new channeling reveals both lyrical and compositional depth well beyond the unthinking norms of melodic death.

‘Eventide: Synod of the Dying Stars‘ shouldn’t surprise the listener upon approach in terms of its quality of render and performance as a precisely struck, somewhat technical in form pull from the well of classic melodic death metal standards. That is to say that their interest in traditional heavy metal is different from the early speed/power metal gallop of Arghoslent, the underground USPM shuffle of Dragkhar, or the meandering thrash-braced malleability of The Chasm and instead recalls Dissection‘s reclamation of melodic death on the inimitable ‘Reinkaos‘. This sort of swinging, anthemic and intricately strung catchiness is admittedly more of a face value read for the sake of communicating their general modus on my part but the band also point to certain eras of Necrophobic and At the Gates alongside the atmospheric diversions of Wayfarer as personal references. None of those perfectly sum the somewhat blackened, modern touch the band set upon this general arena of death metal as they assuredly make their own ambitious and odd-colored choices within these ten pieces.

You won’t be waiting long to experience the gnarling hand available to Stellar Blight‘s work, the fourth track “World Wide Woe” ensures their spin on ‘Reinkaos‘-adjacent affectation only shepherds us into their world so far via the righteous battery of opener “Doves Into Serpents” and “Second Death”. These songs rile the senses as anthems outright though their machinations aren’t as straight forward as they appear, angling atypical detail into otherwise striding movements. The refrain ~3 minutes into “Doves Into Serpents” is arguably the most potent example up front but the song otherwise justifies the melodic death idealism suggested, an approach which girds the experience throughout. Leads from Sz.I. on these pieces have this brilliant early 90’s touch to them, seemingly pulling from late 80’s popular thrash/Mercyful Fate for the exact right effect. This eventually translates to some of the harder-grooved rhythms found on the aforementioned “World Wide Woe”, riffs that bridge the high standards of peak thrash musicianship (not necessarily style) unto a form of melodic death that matches some of the early ambitions of the sub-genre in spirit.

Engineered between a couple of studios (Sound of Records & Studio Roslyn) and mixed/mastered by thee Satanic Audio Stellar Blight‘ve opted for clarity, a deeply embossed and brightness-balanced render which kicks the bass guitar tone back a few feet (with a few exceptions), emphasizes the skin of the kit and sets a sharp ratio between the rasp of the vocals and the major guitar layers. You won’t likely miss the saxophone milling beneath the guitar solo pre-amble on “Second Death” but those backgrounded elements were details for a second or third pass in my own experience. Those production values work quite well when tested between the groovier and more heroically shot pieces on this album, I’d only wanted more songs with the tension and gnarl (and bass guitar feature) of “World Wide Woe” as they’d given the rhythm section a chance to add additional depth to the experience.

While the far less repetitious hand of ‘Eventide: Synod of the Dying Stars‘ won’t necessarily escape the face value comparison to ‘Reinkaos‘ outright their interest in heavy metal on Side B ranges from the swinging (“Maggots in Awe”) to the epic (“Unsung”) and brings quite a lot of value per its focus on unhinged and at-times bluesy lead guitar work in the second half of the spin. The instrumental “Eventide” is the peak of this type of voicing, making pretty decent use of a wah-pedal to get there. By tamping down the tempo and pulling away from the rouse of the first half these pieces more often speak to catharses than they do majestic Eldritch event and the energy Stellar Blight bring into this debut pulls back ’til its endpoint. “Weaponized Compassion” is an excellent closer as one of the more spirited kickers on the full listen though it too has a thrashing spine at the center of its action rather than a big guitar hook. Though I wouldn’t lodge complaint against any of this album’s tracks on its second half those first five or so tracks are the major source of awe on my part.

For a debut LP from a very new band the experience of these folks shows both through their musicianship, choice of render, and general curation of aesthetic. Cover art from Karmazid features his characteristic eldritch oozed illustration in deep crimson and black with sigil featured panels and a legion of eyes at the heart of its action. It suits the surreal tone of ‘Eventide: Synod of the Dying Stars‘ and just as importantly gives the eye something worth staring at while listening. The whole of Stellar Blight‘s debut carries purpose, specificity, and a readiness which is fitting for a band having struck fresh inspiration and ran with it to fine result. Though I’d wanted some of the more ambitious detail put into the first half translated into the whole of the second half the infectious yet intricately formed nature of their work ensured it was entertaining anytime I’d approached. A high recommendation.

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