2024 Retro + DMP Vault – ARKONA

In the fourteenth and final instalment of our annual retrospective series, we offer a special exploration of trailblazing Polish Black Metal legends ARKONA. The breathtaking successor to 2019's "Age of Capricorn", new album "Stella Pandora" is another monumental addition to the band's discography. Alongside DMP debut, "Lunaris", these recent records showcase ARKONA's impeccable ability to craft powerfully tight and emotive compositions which avoid stagnation while remaining faithful to their '90s roots. 

In this edition, we reflect upon "Stella Pandora" while presenting a special segment of our DMP Vault series dedicated to 2016's "Lunaris". Additionally, guitarist Kaamos reveals his top 10 albums of 2024 and shares insights into the band's plans for 2025.

Visit our website for further segments of the 2024 retrospective series, featuring works from AKHLYS, ULCERATE, AARA, and more.

As band leader Khorzon notes in an interview with Spark magazine, since the band's 1993 inception ARKONA has looked to transcend traditional Black Metal Art and forge a sound uniquely their own. Nothing has changed in 2025:

"The Polish scene has never been a benchmark for me. From the very beginning we wanted to have our own style that would distinguish us and if you look at it from that perspective, I am really proud of it. We have always been faithful to the path we have set for ourselves, and we have never betrayed ourselves or our style."

Lyrically, the latest ARKONA album focuses on the inevitability of death and the futility of resisting human destiny, as examined through the lens of ancient myth. In the aforementioned interview, Khorzon discussed the influence of Greek mythology on the album and its title:

"Greek mythology is only the first layer, the pretext. The universal truths contained in myths are very close to us. We just need to know how to read them. In fact, the lyrics have nothing to do with Greek mythology, but they do refer to it very strongly. An example would be 'Aurora', who in Greek mythology was the herald of a new day. Here, 'Aurora' is the herald of a new beginning and coming to terms with death, which at some point left a strong mark on our lives."

Listen to "Stella Pandora" below, via our YouTube channel and on all streaming platforms:

As 2024 ended, ARKONA's guitarist Kaamos took a moment to appraise the year gone by, offering insights into the band's plans for 2025 and revealing his favourite albums of the past year:

01. TERRESTRIAL HOSPICE "Rübezahl"
One of the best Black Metal acts from Poland nowadays. Skyggen and Inferno reminded us of the times when Black Metal was something truly underground and sinister. Furthermore, the whole concept of Rübezahl, the forest spirit of the Karkonosze Mountains, is very close to my heart.

02. DJEVEL "Natt til Ende"
Norway died a long time ago and its' corpse's face has corpse paint spread over it, resembling a clown. Luckily there are still bands like DJEVEL who hold the flame of Black Metal high. I was very saddened by the news of the death of the band's leader. We'll see if eternal night will come for them too.

03. YOTH IRIA "Blazing Inferno"
Greece has a powerful scene, and this album is proof of that. For me Greek Black Metal was always special and had this fire in it. The change of vocalist also did them good.

04. KÖNIGREICHSSAAL "Psalmen'o'Delirium"
05. ZØRZA "Hellven"
06. ODIUM HUMANI GENERIS "Miedzyczas"
07. VEMOD "The Deepening"
08. INQUISITION "Veneration Of Medieval Mysticism And Cosmological Violence"
09. DEAMONOLITH "The Monolithic Cult Of Death"
10. MY DYING BRIDE "A Mortal Binding"

"In 2025, ARKONA and I will continue to promote the "Stella Pandora" album in Poland and abroad. Our calendar is getting more and more dense. Slowly but without rushing, we are also starting to gather ideas for the next material, but as is often the case with us, we have no intention of rushing anything. I myself might try to finish the material of my old Death Metal band – CANCERFAUST – after many years."

Pivoting back to the dark past, we now present a new edition of our DMP vault series which examines ARKONA's first release on the label, 2016's "Lunaris" - a flawless synthesis of forward-reaching Pagan Black Metal, dark neo-classical melodicism, corrupted romanticism, and seething existential power.

Singular, intimate and idiosyncratic since the early '90s, Polish Black Metal remains a unique pillar of the genre, and the scene continues to birth a continuous surge of impactful artists.

After over 30 years, the legendary ARKONA from Perzów remains at the front of the pack. Founded by guitarist Khorzon and vocalist Messiah in 1993 with the intent to fuse Paganism and Black Metal, their demo "The Unholy War" was completed the same year. While unavailable to the general public, the tracks were later featured on the 2005 "Raw Years 1993-95" compilation, the layers of primitive distortion unable to mask the band's sense of control and fiery melodic spirit.

The release of the now-classic first full-length "Imperium" (1996) put ARKONA on the map. Brimming with vigour, "Imperium" revealed the band to be a powerhouse in total control, as they created a crushing soundscape of epic proportions. Driven by enthralling rhythms and intuitive tempo variations, the band's sense of composition symmetry is phenomenal, Messiah's anguished vocal performance truly a force of nature as he delivers each hymn with zeal.

After a 5 year pause, ARKONA returned in 2001 with the intricate and primal "Zeta Reticuli: A Tale About Hatred and Total Enslavement", the band subsequently continuing to develop and incorporate fresh ideas on 2002's "Nocturnal Arkonian Hordes", the last album to actively feature Messiah due to burnout.

2003's "Konstelacja lodu" was followed by a 10 year period in which ARKONA contributed to a handful of splits and compilations while band-mastermind Khorzon focused on MUSSORGSKI, a project worth becoming acquainted with. In 2013 ARKONA released a new full-length, "Chaos.Ice.Fire", a 43 minute journey through the gamut of human existence and death. While musically and lyrically a continuation of "Konstelacija", "Chaos.Ice.Fire" featured a new vocalist (Armagog) and drummer (Tzargath) to reignite the flame.

ARKONA's years of experience shine through in today's Vault entry, their 2016 album "Lunaris", which marked the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with DMP.

Listen to "Lunaris" below and on all streaming platforms:

The slow intro to 'Droga do ocalenia' sets up a mystical atmosphere which abruptly switches to brute tempo, the band dialling up the dramatic intensity and dynamics. "Lunaris" is diligent in its technical craft and at times almost ceremonial, the deep and brooding icy ambience perfectly contrasts with aggression, the songwriting is familiar yet bold and exhilarating.

Featuring layers of wavering tremolo guitars, atmospheric synth, cruel vocals and strong drumming, all six tracks are seamless, complex and diverse. "Lunaris" is a perfect representation of ARKONA's uniquely Polish aura. The production choices are ideal, delivering a clear and complimentary tone to each instrument while maintaining the required grit for a perfect audial journey.

By 2016, the band had gone through many sound and line-up changes - with only Khorzon remaining - and the new core remained admirably true to the initial spirit of ARKONA. Profound lyricism has always been a strong point for ARKONA and "Lunaris" includes words by original vocalist Messiah, which are given additional weight due to his untimely death in 2017. Without Messiah there would be no ARKONA and we attribute the ARKONA we know and love to his influence. A talent that will never be forgotten.

ARKONA has consolidated itself over the years as an ever-evolving and consistently exceptional standout in the abundant field of Polish Black Metal. DMP has been honoured to witness this first-hand and indeed, we cannot examine ARKONA's legacy without mentioning their most recent masterpiece, 2024's "Stella Pandora". A 47-minute feat of unyielding spirit, the labyrinthine soundscapes of "Stella Pandora" oscillate between beauty and degeneracy as the band chronicle the futility of man and his unavoidable end. Endowed with mystic quality, "Stella Pandora" is the triumphant latest expression of a prodigious talent.