Review: Stworz - U Śmierci na Komornem (2025)

Band: Stworz Album: U Śmierci na Komornem Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Country: Poland Label: Werewolf Promotion Released: October 31, 2025

Introduction:

Since its formation in the mid-2000s, Stworz has maintained a consistent presence within Poland’s atmospheric and pagan black metal scene. Led entirely by multi-instrumentalist Swaikstan, the project has built a reputation for weaving together Slavic folk tradition, archaic language, and a strong sense of spiritual geography with its own unique blend of atmospheric black metal.

U Śmierci na Komornem

With “U Śmierci na Komornem”, Stworz reaffirms its position as one of Poland’s most distinctive voices in pagan black metal. The album finds Swaikstan deepening the atmospheric, folk-infused direction that has long defined Stworz, but with a heightened sense of emotional clarity and compositional restraint. What emerges is a work that feels immaculately shaped. It's a slow-burning, immersive meditation on heritage, grief, and the solemn presence of death.

Track Listing: 1. Z lekutońsko łosiero 2. U śmierci na komornem 3. Tajamny gore łogań 4. Dziatwa Twa gorycz 5. W polu kamnianie 6. W osnowie złych światów 7. Czarojtów kiermas 8. Dziejawa o zielgim princu 9. Stosy 10. Na lekutoński żalnik

The first few tracks of the album establish a stark, windswept aesthetic. Built through icy riffs stretched over melancholic undercurrents. Infused with melodies that drift through the mix like half-remembered folk lamentations. The pacing is measured, but never stagnant. The title track serves as the album’s emotional anchor. Built on mournful chord progressions and understated rhythmic shifts, it demonstrates Stworz’s refined ability to merge black metal austerity with deeply felt melodic sensibility. The vocals are delivered in a gritty, raw cadence and sit in the sweet spot of the mix. Not overbearing and not washed out. Though the lyrical content may be obscured for some listeners by linguistic and dialectal choices, the emotional throughline is unmistakable: a solemn recognition of death’s proximity. Instrumentally, “U Śmierci na Komornem” shows a marked growth in craftsmanship. The guitars operate less as vehicles for aggression and more as architectural elements, constructing landscapes that feel expansive and historically rooted. Folk motifs appear organically throughout the record, not as decorative gestures but as integral threads in its sonic fabric. Even at its most atmospheric, the album maintains a raw, living energy that keeps it grounded within black metal tradition. The latter half of the album is where Stworz truly hits its stride. Here, the songs deepen in emotional intensity, blending mournful melody with a sense of ritual momentum. The compositions avoid the trap of predictable climaxes, relying instead on controlled dynamics and small, purposeful shifts in mood. It’s in these moments that the album reaches its most affecting heights, capturing the tension between spiritual weariness and defiance that defines Stworz’s best work. As the album moves into its closing passages, the atmosphere becomes increasingly introspective. The final track settles into a meditative haze, allowing the record to conclude not with catharsis but with a quiet surrender, an elegant choice that reinforces the thematic thread of mortality that runs throughout.

Conclusion:

“U Śmierci na Komornem” stands as one of Stworz’s most cohesive and mature releases to date. It is not an album built for immediacy; instead, it demands full immersion and rewards listeners with a richly textured, emotionally resonant experience. In a scene often dominated by extremity for extremity’s sake, Stworz offers something far rarer: black metal that feels genuinely contemplative, historically grounded, and artistically focused. Its a compelling and dignified entry in the Polish pagan black metal canon.

BMZ rating: 7,5 out of 10

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