NEWS: “Shatter And Bloom” by Stellvris

Hailing from Prague in Czech Republic, Stellvris have been painting the town red since 2019 with a Progressive Metalcore blend that has elements of Nu-Metal, Pop and Electronica hardwired to its core. Combining brutal breakdowns and catchy choruses have been part of music that speaks to those battling anxiety, toxic relationships, bullying and the weight of everyday struggles over a wealth of singles as well as well as 2022 EP “Upside Down” and 2023 album “Persistence“. Their six year journey has seen the quartet of vocalist Nicol Hofman, bassist Libor Hřebík, guitarist Andreas Polášek and drummer Hanz Polášek win fans and friends across Europe, sharing stages with the likes of Megadeth, Jinjer and The Ghost Inside not to mention making appearances at festivals including Summer Breeze and Brutal Assault. Produced, mixed and mastered by Annisokay guitarist Christoph Wieczorek (Defenses, Caskets, Electric Callboy) at Sawdust Recordings, “Shatter And Bloom” looks set to continue that journey in the same vein…

Imagine if you will a track that combines elements from the likes of Butcher Babies, Infected Rain and Jinjer all in one Molotov Cocktail and in a nutshell you’ve got the title track and opening cut “Shatter and Bloom” as Sellvris go full throttle from the very start. A vibrating mobile phone is accompanied by the words “wake up mother f***er!” as a wave of blast beats and Death Metal guitars smash into your ear drums like you’ve just pissed on an electric fence, Hofman’s savage opening verse a warning shot. That then flows into a chorus that has Gothic Synth elements and some glorious clean vocals before flipping schizophrenically back in brutal fashion. The energy is immense with the chorus designed from the ground up to put bounce in the mosh pit while the verse is for the moshers. How the four piece have managed to cram so much into one single track and stitch it all together with slick transitions is nothing short of incredible. “Silence After Violence” then borrows from Rammstein with some crushing slabs of guitar work, Hofman playing the roll of banshee and beauty in sultry fashion as she gives the impression of a twin vocal attack when there is only one. How she manages to switch between multiple voices with such ease is seriously impressive and then you’ve got some layered vocal moments in the mix to bolster that. By the end the guitars chug as the violent turbulence subsides and you wonder exactly what you’ve just heard.

Dark synths throb as “Monster” takes shape, rumbling bass, powerful guitars and thunderous percussion creating the soundscape for Hofman to sing and scream over to her hearts delight and yet you can hear an almost Euro Pop quality underneath it all. Variety is the spice of life and this one certainly has it all with its bold, arena filling chorus and Nu-Metal leanings building on the foundations of what came before it but the Death growls and thunderous breakdown in the final moments the absolute Chef’s Kiss. Its clear the band have no intention of selling their souls for a record deal if it means compromising their style, their willingness to push the extremes within their sound as far as they can within individual tracks making them captivating listening. In short, there are more twists and turns here than in a Stephen King novel. This is what the edge of the seat was made for. “Time’s Up” has an ethnic quality to its riffage before it moves into DJent and vinyl scratches, Hofman once again shining vocally. Wieczorek deserves a lot of credit for his role behind the boards on this, he’s certainly pushed the band and got the most out of their performances while also nailing the mix. As brutal an assault on the senses as everything that came before it, surely its only a matter of time before Stellvris follow Jinjer in becoming a global metal force? Very much in the Fearless Records Punk Goes Pop series style, a cover of “Starships” by Nicki Minaj seems a little unnecessary even if it is fun and will no doubt down well live. A Euro Pop chorus and heavy hitting verses push the extremes once more, the sing-a-long qualities making it one to win you over before the huge breakdown section does. All in all a tasty collection that is fearfully addictive and you know what they say about resistance. Its futile.  [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Shatter and Bloom
2. Silence After Violence
3. Monster
4. Time’s Up
5. Starships (Nicki Minaj Cover)

“Shatter And Bloom” by Stellvris is out 7th November 2025