Astral Fortress - Spawn Of The Stars

Recently formed in 2023, Italy’s Astral Fortress wasted no time to get their debut going, and 2024 gets it with “Spawn Of The Stars.” A rather unique take on a blend of Blackened Death Metal that is highly melodic in the vein of Dissection meets Limbonic Art, this four piece was careful to tread that line in the sand between the genres and the result is something that could appeal from anyone who likes Black Metal to Melodic Death Metal as well. Melody was certainly the focus with “Spawn Of The Stars” as the band tries to create a rather cinematic feel to their music, which goes along with a lot of the H.P. Lovecraft and horror movie focus that seems to go along with their song titles.

While somewhat stumbling at first with the introduction which is just warbling noise, things pick up with ‘Unanimated Matter.’ More of a Death Metal drenched track with the guitars handled by Talamandas, the vocals are a blend of snarls and shrieks and spoken word passages that will certainly deliver variation by Enharioth. Backed by bassist Tat0 and the tapping drums along with hissing cymbals from Maze of Torment, this cosmic track delivers quite the roller coaster of a ride. Like some of the more progressive artists out there like Tomb Mold, the band likes to opt for mid paced, churning accessible tracks that deliver melodic, beautiful solos for breathers. Sometimes they are just groovy chugging sections like on the title track that will remind listeners more of more recent Darkthrone as the band opts for more of a Heavy Metal driven outlet, but again, Astral Fortress are trying their best to create a varied, almost ‘out of body’ experience that is far from grounded. Even the solos sound psychedelic at times. Vocally, the layering creates a more harmonic touch that isn’t as grating, especially like on ‘The Drams In The Witch House’ which features some of the better vocal performances and one of the better Blackened Melodeath solos on the album. The band even adds in piano for a bit of the Gothic Doom effect and enhance the ‘horror movie’ atmosphere.

Sometimes the ‘subtelty’ sections do draw on a bit too much like on ‘The Lighthouse.’ While certainly theatrical/ cinematic, a lot of the furious momentum is lost as the band trades atmosphere for strong riffs and solos. Here the vocals and drums shine quite clearly. For those looking for a slow burn, building track that has almost an Aborym madness to it that meets Celtic Frost’s rhythms, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ is a sure highlight for the album. While the most ‘random sounding’ track on the album and the vocal showcase for those who might be one the fence about it, it stands out as the most unique, even beating out the 11 minute opus of ‘Cosmic Void.’  While this epic beast does carry on a bit long, it shows some of the better soft moments on the guitar front from the band and just blends everything together on the album as a whole, but like any momentous track it takes a lot of attention to stick with, and unless one is a seasoned Epic Doom listener or a fan of lengthy tracks, they will probably start to get bored halfway through. The closer ‘Gaia’ is a strong theatrical choice as it is solely piano and fans will either take it or leave it, but it fit well with the whole ‘horror/ dramatic atmosphere’ that the album conveys. Overall, Astral Fortress present a lot to play with a bunch of different influences/ genre dipping for a debut album. Fans anywhere from Heavy Metal to Doom to Death to Black Metal will find something to enjoy here. While the album never really takes off in a frenzy at any point to incite some crazy moshing, there is certainly never a dull moment in repetition as “Spawn Of The Stars” is a bright journey to mystical places that is certainly out there but not too ostracizing in sound that one can’t help but still feel grounded when they listen to it. An adventure in Blackened Death Metal that many probably haven’t taken before.

4 / 5 STARS